Thursday, 05 December 2024
Thursday, 05 December 2024
Air India has recently started enforcing a rule requiring passengers to book an extra seat for carrying certain musical instruments as hand luggage. And that includes a guitar – something that most airlines in India allow. While some international flights do impose restrictions, most usually let a guitar go.
Zubin Balaporia, keyboardist for the veteran Indian rock band Indus Creed, pointed out on Facebook that Air India had started applying a new rule: “WHY does Air India have this new extremely discriminating policy towards musicians ? Earlier we were allowed to carry a guitar on board. Now they have stopped this and are asking musicians to pay for an extra seat for the guitar. This is ridiculous. Vistara used to allow Guitars on board and INDIGO still does. Come on AIR INDIA - TATA Group. Why have such a mercenary attitude. Surely you help in promoting the arts. Have a heart and regain your soul.”
The post was shared by Indus Creed guitarist Mahesh Tinaikar, who wrote: “This "no carry-on musical instrument" policy is arbitrary, unfair to musicians and also puts at risk the fragile musical instruments that are the tools of our trade. Some of these are very expensive and cannot be trusted to be checked in and mishandled by baggage handlers and loaders. For years we have had no problem carrying our guitars on board but now for some reason @Air India refuses to let musical instruments on board UNLESS THE PASSENGER BUYS A SEPERATE SEAT FOR IT! Is this how you encourage musicians /artistes? Many who struggle to make a living and make sacrifices following their passion. Is the bottom line all that matters to you Air India ? What a shame!!”
Contacted for comment, an Air India official said: “There has been no change in Air India's policies on carriage of items, including musical instruments, inside the cabin conforming to the stipulated dimensions. Small musical instruments, which adhere to the specified dimensions, and which are not likely to inconvenience other passengers or create any safety hazard during turbulence, are allowed to be carried onboard free of charge. Any musical instrument, which exceeds the specified dimensions, is allowed to be carried in the cabin but only by booking an additional adjacent seat. Large, bulky or odd-sized musical instruments are to be carried as checked in baggage only."
The Telegraph Online spoke to some of India’s top guitar players from across India and Kolkata, who shared their disappointment and concerns.
‘This rule is difficult’
“For musicians who travel frequently, this rule is very difficult,” said Ehsaan Noorani of the Bollywood composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
“When I travel with Shankar and Loy, we take proper flight cases for our instruments and that can travel from here to New York with no problem [as check-in baggage], but the thing is that a lot of musicians cannot afford that kind of stuff,” he said.
“To get these heavy-duty cases made or get an extra ticket for your flight is impossible. This is what happened in America also, they later then allowed a rule that musical instruments on planes is fine, provided they are not so huge that one can’t take them on a plane.
“I think in India also it should be a rule that should be looked into and modified,” he added. “A guitar can easily be kept in a soft case in the cabin luggage compartment and it does not interfere with anybody else’s luggage.
“I have seen people walk in with more shopping bags and according to me that is wrong. Just a few days ago, I was travelling from Bombay to Varanasi in an Air India flight. The guy at the airport allowed me to go, saying ‘Okay, this time you did not know the rule so I am letting you go, but that’s not how it works.’ What about the long run? I think when an airline comes in the position of power then they demand whatever they want. It's all income stream, I hope in future there is some dialogue between the DGCA and other airlines and things will be sorted.”
‘A struggle for young musicians’
Kolkata’s resident guitar god Amyt Datta pointed at the challenges faced by emerging musicians.
“Only twice, I have faced issues while travelling with guitar. I was allowed after negotiations; but now if they have imposed a rule, it's sort of an unfair deal for us. If I am travelling for a show and the organiser is booking my ticket, at my stage of life I am sure they will book a ticket for my instrument, but generally it is unfair on the young musicians,” he said.
Amyt also added that he has been travelling with guitars for years without major issues, but this new rule adds unnecessary pressure on an already struggling community
“This is completely an unfair decision, as it is as musicians we are not having the greatest support, or the greatest time here or the monetary gain. Then they are pressured with these kinds of things. I am a guitar player and if I travel with a guitar I carry it in a soft case which is light and soft to be kept in the cabin of a plane. All my years I have been travelling with a guitar, only of late they started this nonsense” he said.
‘A disappointing policy’
Mumbai-based composer and guitarist Dhruv Ghanekar called the rule “unfortunate.”
“There are so many countries that take great care of musicians, like Japan,” he said. “They take great care of fragile items. The music industry is quite large and I am not happy about this rule of Air India. I faced the issue only once, as the flight I was travelling in was very small and then they checked in my instrument in the fragile category list. The issue is that a lot of times musicians travel with very expensive instruments and they need to be hand carried and one cannot just let it be checked in. People carry large heavy items in bags and those are passed, but musical instruments have to face this, it is very unfortunate,” he said.
‘An additional burden’
YouTuber Yashraj Mukhate said baggage handling is not the strong point of airlines in general. “For instruments I am very particular, I would definitely want it to be safe and not mishandled by any airline staff,” he said.
Ritwik Bhattacharya, who works with the singer Prateek Kuhad, pointed at the lack of empathy towards musicians.
“As musicians we do not do ‘normal, regular’ jobs and our requirements are also very specialised. I take 100 flights a year. I understand airlines have to streamline their operations but as a result it is just sad that as musicians we have to take the hit,” he said.
‘A sudden inconvenience’
Vikramjit Banerjee of the Kolkata band Krosswindz said he was shocked at Air India’s decision.
“All these years it has been absolutely convenient to travel with instruments and now suddenly there is a new rule? We do shows all over the world and this is going to be very inconvenient for us. We used to carry guitars with us in the cabin and now having to pay for an extra seat is not going to be feasible. I take roughly 50 flights per year and I am hearing this rule for the first time in the local sector,” he said.
‘A costly requirement’
Bangalore-based composer Bryden Lewis pointed at the financial strain the rule puts on musicians.
“Personally I check my guitar as I put it in a hard case which is secure but I understand that not every musician will have the right equipment to do so. It is definitely very expensive if one has to buy another seat. I take 200 flights per year as I do 80 to 100 shows a year. I think it is unfair as it has only got more expensive and being a musician itself is so expensive as we are hit the highest” he said.
‘Flexibility needed’
John Paul, Kolkata guitarist and music producer who has played and plays with a wide range of bands and musicians including super stars like Arijit Singh, emphasized the need for flexibility in the policy.
“If this rule can be revoked in some way then it will be convenient for a regular travelling musician. It should not be a hard and fast rule, there should be some flexibility. I don’t think we eat up too much space in the cabin. If the airline can provide some sort of packaging arrangement or responsibility to look after the instrument even if it's a paid thing then it’s anyway not a hard and fast rule,” he said.
‘As musicians we are already at the bottom of the food chain’
Kolkata guitarist Bodhisattwa Ghosh expressed his frustration, calling the rule "terrible."
He said, “I take at least 50 flights a year. I have faced issues in Europe while travelling when I had to pay extra money but in India, I have been able to negotiate and people were actually nice enough to understand my point of view, so far domestic travel was easy for me. It's very unfair to musicians like us, and one seat is a whole lot of money. As musicians we are already at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to the economy.”
Another Kolkata guitarist, Rohan Ganguli, described the inconsistency of the rule.
“They are just taking advantage of the situation. Recently, when I was coming back from Mumbai, I was travelling by Air India. Their people at the airport stopped me and they said that it's a new rule and we cannot allow you to travel with the instrument. The strange thing is that when I travelled from Kolkata to Mumbai I did not face this issue. They asked me to buy a new ticket as the flight was full and passengers would face problems. But if the flight was full, from where are they asking me to buy a new ticket?”
He added, “Musicians are a minority on flights, and our instruments don’t take up much space. This policy feels unnecessary.”
