Re: Flying with a Dreadnought?
Due your research... call the airlines, check their website & find out what the policy for flying with a guitar is. They're are some things you can do to minimize any damage to your guitar.
One: Loosen all the strings. Cabin pressure can change and can due some damage to the neck if you have it tuned to pitch. Loosen the strings. I actually use a piece of corrugated box and cut it to fit under the strings, or you could use a piece of a towel.
Two: Wrap the headstock with cloth and tape it up. You want to protect the headstock from getting broken off.
Three: Invest in a good quality case. After the first two items are done close the guitar in its case & I wrap mine with some duct tape.
Now keep in mind I am planning on carrying my guitar on the plane, but I am prepared to gate check it. Gate checking will put the guitar on by a flight attendant and it wont go through the normal conveyor belt to get it into the cargo hold.
Get to the airport early, and have a seat way in the back of the plane. when your seat gets called (usually first) their will be plenty of space to hold your guitar.
You also need to understand the cargo/storage area of the particular plane you will be traveling on. Some planes don't have much storage and you will need to gate check it, but if your guitar is packed properly you should be ok. You can see how much of a hassle this can be be for a musician who needs to travel all the time with his/her instrument. I wonder if Harmonica players have to worry about all this.
