Taking flutes on airplanes

[skyspirit]

Do you think that a flute packed in a carry on in a flute bag (copley in a soft case) would cause issues in the scanners (think that it is a pipe bomb) in say US airports and Australian airports? In general, any airport.

I am going to Austalia tomorrow and am concerned about this.

Experiences.

PS. I will be flying back on gues what date. But all in the US that day.

[Lars Larry Mór Mott]

I would carry it as hand luggage and tell them beforehand.

It's not hard unless you make it hard

[I.D.10-t]

Aside from information you get here (and a search will find additional information) you may want to look at what the TSA says.

http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/ ... _1235.shtm

[ancientfifer]

I have taken my flute through airport security many times. I take it in my carry on bag. When going through the scanner, I take it out of the carry on bag, open the case and lay it on top of the plastic bin with my jacket, wallet, keys, phone etc. Never had any issues.

[Denny]

I've never had a problem. Seldom had to chat about what it is.

[plunk111]

Just carried my Copley to Los Angeles and back a couple of weeks ago with no problems and brought it to Ireland last March with no problems, either. If they ask, just tell them what it is and play a tune for them. They're mostly NOT ITM fans, so you should probably play "Danny Boy" or "Irish Washerwoman"

Pat

[Latticino]

Just took my Delrin Somers in a soft case as a carry-on from NY to Italy and back with no problems with the TSA.

[jim stone]

'Take me out to the ballgame' will melt the hardest heart.

[Unseen122]

I've flown with a flute in my carry-on bag countless times and I've never had a problem. Sometimes they ask what it is and sometimes they even want to see it, in which case they run an explosives swab over it and the test comes back negative. You shouldn't have any problems.

[skyspirit]

Thanks all so far. The tsa site was great. I checked both quantas and southwest sites. Flying to lax and then to brisbane. Looks simple enough. I will let tsa know at screening what it is.

I want to take it. I want to show it to my grandson. He once sang twinkle, twinkle, little star to me on the phone. I think that we can manage that on the flute.

Besides, I really need to practice. My teacher says so anyway.

Its the golden graham cereal for my son and the coffee beans for me (coffee is not that great in Brisbane -- instant stuff -- yuck) that I have to worry about. They got dogs for that stuff. Just kidding. You have to just declare the stuff and security is happy. My son was an airport security in Brisbane once upon a time.

Again thanks all.

[Gabriel]

When travelling to Ireland this year I had three flutes and a u-pipes chanter in my carry-on luggage. Didn't bother to take them out (I never do), I just put my laptop through separately. They only asked why I have so many flutes with me, and after telling them I'm a flutemaker, they were fine. They also said that they'd have me play a tune if shift changeover wasn't a minute away.

[Jay]

I got hand checked once because of my flute. It was in a small backpack, with an ipod and headphones right on top of it in another pocket. They checked it with a little swab, and it wasn't a problem getting it through. The guy told me it looked like three sticks of dynamite (flute sections) with a detonator (ipod) wired to it (headphones) when viewed in the x-ray. Just glad they didn't shoot first...

That was quite a few years ago. Haven't had any trouble in recent travels.

-Jay

[ImNotIrish]

Have my flute with me in Paris at the moment. Got pulled aside in Amsterdam and asked to open the case. Only question for me was why I am traveling with such a rare and old flute.
Arbo

[crookedtune]

I'm currently travelling with a Seery delrin flute and an O'Brien Rover whistle set. Flutes and whistles haven't raised any questions on this or any other national or international flight I've ever taken --- even when everything's been hand-searched for other reasons.

[benhall.1]

I have several times been stopped in UK airports on the way out and asked to play every whistle that I have with me. I actually think there's some logic to it. They could be handy little containers for something or other. Or disguised gun barrels or something. At least when it's happened there's been a fiar bit of laughter and amusement at the busy security areas concerned.