Musicians express concern over Air India’s baggage regulations

Air India’s enforcement of a rule restricting large musical instruments from being carried in hand luggage has alarmed Indian artists, who have drawn attention to a more serious problem of mishandled luggage that allegedly affects all airlines around the world. Days after Zubin Balaporia, keyboardist of Indus Creed, took to Facebook to protest against Air India’s “extremely discriminatory policies”. Other musicians have also shared their concerns about the way airlines handle musical instruments, which sometimes results in damaged or lost luggage.

“We were previously allowed to bring a guitar on board. Now they’ve put a stop to it and are demanding musicians pay for extra guitar space. This is ridiculous. Vistara allowed the use of guitars on board and IndiGo still allows it. Come to Air India – TATA Group. Why do you have such a mercenary attitude. You definitely help promote art. Have a heart and get your soul back,” Balaporia wrote on the social media platform.

Meanwhile, Air India’s statement to PTI clarified that the airline has not changed its policy regarding the carriage of items, including musical instruments, within the specified dimensions in the cabin. She added that small musical instruments “which meet certain dimensions and which are not expected to cause inconvenience to other passengers or pose a safety risk during turbulence may be carried on board free of charge.”

“Any musical instrument that exceeds the specified dimensions may be transported in the cabin provided an additional adjacent seat is reserved. Large, bulky or unusual-sized musical instruments may only be transported in checked baggage,” it said.

According to drummer V Selvaganesh, the situation is not new, stating that such rules are “not good for musicians”.

“Imagine that there are smaller teams that cannot afford to buy additional space. I think Air India offered one vacant seat to Pandit Ravi Shankar, so why did they change it,” Selvaganesh told PTI.

The Grammy winner added that a bigger issue is how to treat checked luggage, which we “keep our fingers crossed” for when traveling.

“They don’t care even if you put delicate stickers. They just throw it. So musicians want to keep it with them. “The instruments are expensive to buy,” he said.

“We always keep our fingers crossed and hope that we will find our instruments in one piece. They don’t care whether it is an instrument and whether it should be charged in a certain way,” added the 57-year-old.

In April, musician Ishwar Dwivedi took to Instagram to report the issue of mishandling the device. He posted a video of Air India employees throwing their luggage into a van.

“Air India, Ratan Tata, this is how you should handle fragile items,” he wrote.

In another incident from December 2022, singer Benny Dayal took to the social media platform to warn several airlines for mishandling baggage.

“All Indian airlines destroy musicians’ instruments and mishandle them,” he wrote.

Delhi-based bass guitarist Sonic Shori said his band The CopyCats always “ask event managers not to book Air India tickets.”

“In terms of volume, a guitar takes up as much space as a large hand luggage. Musicians are asked to check in their luggage in hard suitcases, even then there is a risk of loss or damage to the luggage. It happens all the time,” Shori said.

Shori added that while such situations are more common with Air India, other airlines are equally culpable.

“It depends on the mood of the staff, who will randomly inform us that we cannot take the instruments on board,” he added.

According to the IndiGo website, it allows you to carry musical instruments “at no additional cost.”

“Guitars packed in soft cases can be transported in hand luggage, but other instruments must be properly packed and can only be transported in checked baggage,” we read.

SpiceJet also mentions in its guidelines that musical instruments can be carried in hand luggage “only in soft cases”.

“Appropriate fees may apply for transporting them in checked baggage,” we read.

Meanwhile, Air India has a separate section on its ‘Special Baggage’ page.

“Musical instruments, such as full-size guitars, that are too large to fit in hand luggage must be checked in,” it says.

To be able to take musical instruments as hand luggage, the airline suggests booking an additional seat, but “the weight of the baggage must not exceed 75 kg.”

Tabla player Shambhu Nath Bhattacharjee said there have been cases where guitars, sitars and sarods placed in hard cases broke due to improper handling.

“These instruments are worth Rs 3-4 lakh or even more. These are very delicate instruments and if people are allowed to carry laptops and other bags in addition to handbags, why not this one,” he asked.

“Our instruments mean more to us than our lives,” he added.

Classical singer Madhup Mudgal noted that people like sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar also faced problems due to such rules.

“Until a few years ago, only guitars were allowed, but not Indian instruments such as sitar and sarod. Now they have a problem with it too. And if they do not allow the use of instruments, they should ensure that they are not damaged,” Mudgal told PTI.

He added that the airline’s misconduct resulted in the breaking of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s sarod and Shubhendra Rao’s sitar.

“Artists have a special bond with their instruments, which they have been using for years. The damage cannot be compensated by money alone. We have a personal connection with our instruments,” Mudgal said.