l'histoire d'un Cello en soute dans une Accord
So I’m checking a cello for the first time ever, which is naturally making me a little uneasy. Yi-Ching has an Accord flight cover case, but I know that products like these don’t necessary offer a whole lot of insurance. I thought it would be worthwhile to document the process of checking a cello as I’m handling it. Good or bad, I’ll post the result so we can all see what works and what doesn’t in this sort of situation. I talked to some people and read a few blog posts by cellists who need to check their cellos, so it seems natural that I should write about it as well.
I put a decent amount of bubble wrap around the bridge to absorb any shock that could occur from the cello being dropped with the bridge faced down. If the bridge receives any shock, the shock can pass through the soundpost and crack the back of the cello. I also wrapped the scroll a couple times around with bubble wrap and a t-shirt. To make sure the cello was totally secure I also placed a couple of rolled-up t-shirts between the sides of the cello and the shell of the case. I even added a little sign to one of the pads above the bow strap saying “Please note correct positioning of the bow and restore properly” in case they can’t get the inspection done when I’m there in front of them. On the top of the flight case I placed a sign crafted in my beautiful handwriting reading “This side up” …I’m not sure if they have those things at the check-in counter. I’ll be curious to see if this thing even stays on. I’m hoping some scotch tape will be enough. It certainly won’t damage the paint on the case.
Of course when I finally closed the case I did so slowly and carefully to make sure I hadn’t gone overboard on the padding. I then placed the case inside the flight cover case and added a couple socks where there was a little movement for a final touch:
Well, that’s done with. The next step is dealing with the check-in person. I’ll let you know how that goes. Other people have run into trouble as the cello case is over-sized etc.. Packing everything else should be easy, and I have plenty of time to make sure I don’t forget anything too important.
The check-in process went fairly smoothly, although the check-in lady didn’t speak much English and seemed a little irritated with all my questions. She informed me that the cello was in a hard case, so there’s no problem. I smiled and said “it’s still…very…fragile.” It all ended well. She put a fragile sticker on it and it was wheeled down personally by a Delta employee to the TSA inspection area. I got a glimpse of the cello from the terminal:
I couldn’t see it being loaded onto the belt up to the plane because that truck pulled forward, but it was clearly being handled with great care all the way up to the plane. The guy actually held onto it all the way up to the plane. Bravo, Delta.
I didn’t see anything during my transfer to the China Airlines flight to Taipei.
After I got through customs at Taipei, I headed down to baggage claim and saw the cello on the conveyor belt and hustled over to pick it up. When we got back to the apartment, we opened it up. Here are the results:
The cello arrived in one piece, no problem. My little “this side up” sign only stayed on because I added mailing tape at the last minute, as it was clear that the Scotch tape wasn’t going to do. 
This little study has shown that there are a few things you can do to help your cello arrive safely, but of course so much depends on the airline and the employees of that airline, and for that matter, what the employees had for breakfast, or anything else that affects their morale. In this case, the airlines were Delta and China Air. I guess we still haven’t decided on whether we’ll be checking Yi-Ching’s new and more expensive cello or buying an extra ticket, just because you never know…
Ryan out.
