If you’re traveling by plane and wondering if you can bring your musical instrument(s) as carry-on, the U.S. Department of Transportation has issued its “final rule” on traveling with instruments. These guidelines were issued on January 5, 2015 so they’re the very latest word.
The guidelines were issued after a year of discussions with musicians and representatives of airlines and industry associations, as well as a review of the results of a member survey conducted by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM) identifying problem areas when traveling by air with instruments.
The Department has a Web page that provides useful information on air travel with musical instruments, including the entire rules document, as well as a shorter “tips” document.
The web page:
http://www.dot.gov/airconsumer/air-travel-musical-instruments
The “tips” document:
http://www.dot.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Musical%20instruments%20tip%20sheet.pdf
The complete rules document: http://www.dot.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/Musical%20instruments_FR_final%20rule.pdf