Flying With a Guitar: 150 Inches, 165 Pounds, and One Overhead Bin

US airlines have to check a guitar in its case up to 150 linear inches and 165 pounds, and they have to let it ride in the cabin for no extra fee if it fits and there's bin space when you board. That's a federal regulation, 14 CFR Part 251, and it's been in effect since March 6, 2015. Most arguments at the gate come out of the second half of that sentence, so here's what the rule says and where it stops.

A guitar rides in the cabin for $0 extra, if there's room when you board

Source: 14 CFR 251.3, Small musical instruments as carry-on baggage

The rule names the guitar. A covered carrier "shall permit a passenger to carry a violin, guitar, or other small musical instrument in the aircraft cabin" without a fee on top of whatever it normally charges for a carry-on. Two conditions come with it. The instrument has to stow safely in an overhead bin or under a seat, and there has to be space for it at the time you board.

So the guitar is your carry-on, not a bonus item. Delta says a guitar is "accepted as your free carry-on bag item," and Southwest says an instrument bigger than its carry-on limit can still come on board if it fits in a bin or under a seat and space is available. The rule also can't make a guitar fit. On a regional jet with small bins, a dreadnought in a hard case may just not go in, and then it gets gate checked.

It only covers US airlines, too. DOT's rule applies to "U.S. certificated air carriers, U.S. commuter air carriers, air taxis, and U.S. indirect carriers" that fly passengers to, from or within the United States. A foreign airline on the international leg isn't on that list, so read that airline's own policy before you book the band on it.

Bin space is first come, first served, and a stowed guitar stays stowed

Source: DOT final rule, Carriage of Musical Instruments, Federal Register, Jan. 5, 2015

DOT spelled out both sides of this. Airlines "are not required to remove other passengers' or crew members' carry-on baggage that is already stowed in order to make space for a musical instrument." They also can't make you pull out a guitar that's already safely stowed to make room for someone who boarded after you.

So it comes down to when you board. DOT says as much, and encourages musicians "to take steps to board before as many other passengers as possible," including paying for early boarding where the airline sells it. On a fly date with four guitars in the cabin, that's probably the cheapest insurance in the budget.

Checked, an airline has to take it up to 150 linear inches and 165 pounds

Source: 14 CFR 251.5, Large musical instruments as checked baggage

Linear inches are the length, width and height of the outside of the case, added together. If the instrument can't go in the cabin, a covered carrier "shall transport as baggage" anything up to 150 linear inches and 165 pounds, or up to the limits of that aircraft if they're lower. For scale, Delta's standard checked bag tops out at 62 linear inches and 50 pounds.

The rule sets what they have to accept. It doesn't set the price, and that part changes by airline. Southwest waives the oversize fee on an instrument and still charges overweight once the instrument and case land between 51 and 165 pounds. Check the fee page for the airline you're on before you get to the counter.

A dreadnought flight case is 73 linear inches, 11 over a standard bag

Source: SKB 3i-4217-18 iSeries Waterproof Acoustic Guitar Case, specifications

SKB lists its iSeries acoustic case at 45 by 19.75 by 8.25 inches outside, which adds up to 73 linear inches. That's 11 inches over a 62-inch standard bag and less than half of the 150-inch federal limit. Empty, it weighs 23.58 pounds, which leaves about 26 pounds for the guitar before the case crosses 50. An acoustic doesn't get close to that.

The case matters more than the size. Southwest says an instrument in a soft-sided case is "subject to limited release," and that it "assumes no liability for any damage to the item during transport." A gig bag is a cabin-only plan. If there's any chance the guitar gets gate checked, it should be in a hard case, and the SKB ships with Travel Sentry approved locking latches so it can be opened for inspection and closed back up.

A guitar can have its own seat, up to 165 pounds

Source: 14 CFR 251.4, Large musical instruments as carry-on baggage

If the instrument is too big for a bin, or you just won't check it, you can buy it a seat. The airline can't charge anything on top of that ticket, as long as the instrument is in a case, weighs 165 pounds or less with the case, and can be secured the way the FAA requires. Where it sits is up to the airline. Delta wants it in a seat with a bulkhead or divider in front of it, and Southwest wants it in a window seat with you in the seat next to it, never in an exit row.

At security, a carry-on guitar gets a physical inspection

Source: TSA, What Can I Bring: Guitar

TSA lists guitars as allowed in both carry-on and checked bags. In its words, "musical instruments transported as carry-on require a physical inspection at the security checkpoint," and you should tell the officer if the instrument needs special handling. Plan a few extra minutes at the checkpoint for every guitar in the group.

Six guitars on a fly date are six cases and 49.5 inches of floor

Source: Truck Packer math from SKB's published exterior dimensions (6 x 8.25 inches wide, 6 x 23.58 pounds)

On the truck, the guitars usually live in one vault. On a fly date the vault stays home and every guitar that gets checked travels in its own flight case. Six of those SKB cases stood on edge, side by side, take up 49.5 inches of width, 45 inches of length and 19.75 inches of height, and they weigh 141 pounds before a single guitar goes in.

That stack still has to fit in the rental van at the other end, next to everyone's luggage and whatever backline flew with you. Add the flight case to Truck Packer with its real outside dimensions and pack the ground vehicle before you leave, so you find out at your desk and not at the curb. If the rest of the rig is going air freight, we covered the LD3 and PMC sizes it has to fit.

Flying the guitars and driving the rest? Log in to Truck Packer and pack the van before you leave.