Airline compensation - your experiences?

General discussion, shit shooting, banter and sexual innuendo

Moderator: The Captain

Post Reply
User avatar
welshchris
Posts: 704
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:33 pm
Location: Belfast, Rock City

Airline compensation - your experiences?

Post by welshchris »

We were supposed to play a festival in Germany on the weekend but the airline (Lufthansa) lost my guitar on the way over, a direct Dublin - Frankfurt flight. They had no idea where it was.. just not in Dublin or Frankfurt, in fact no record past me handing it to them, in fact there was also no record of our other guitarist guitar past Dublin, it did somehow appear in Frankfurt though.. As a knock on we were unable to play, we’ve a weird setup and no time to setup another loan guitar from other bands and make our slot, the fest was live on Rockpalast which prevented some slot shuffling.

The festival themselves were amazing and really cool folks they treated us really well and looked after us for the day nothing but praise and love for those folks.

I’ve lodged some complaints with Lufthansa seeming full refund of flights, loss of earning (no fee for the festival and loss of merch sale etc).

Has anyone here had any joy with this sort of thing in the past? Know quite a few of you travel a bit with instruments.

I’m hoping for full band flight refund as a minimum and something for the inconvenience/ loos of earnings would be good as well. Their customer service has been useless so far a few automated messages and the one person I did speak to in another department say they outsourced customer service and may take 4-6 weeks to resolve.

As a follow up.. guitars all safe and back with us now.. it turned out my guitar never left Dublin they didn’t put it on the flight. On the way back they lost our other guitarists SG, it was left in Frankfurt and never put on the flight. How hard can it be to do your job!


While I'm here asking, any of you experience with case GPS trackers and use on flights?
... No I can't turn down
User avatar
rootfifthoctave
Posts: 249
Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2017 8:37 pm
Location: UK

Re: Airline compensation - your experiences?

Post by rootfifthoctave »

God damn. We're playing in italy next month and were planning on taking a couple of guitars neck-off in a hold bag but i guess anything you surrender to them is at their mercy.
User avatar
welshchris
Posts: 704
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:33 pm
Location: Belfast, Rock City

Re: Airline compensation - your experiences?

Post by welshchris »

I’ve been flying for years with guitars and this is the first real cock up, the fact guitars lost both legs of the flight sucked and missing the fest slot was crap.

All my guitars go in a Hiscox case and airlines have damaged 2 or 3 cases over 20 or so years but they guitars inside have always been fine. This included a cracked case with Les Paul inside, the case was pretty screwed but guitar still in tune when I pulled it out. So a big Hiscox recommendation from me if you are flying.

Was a little concerned with this when they couldn't even find the guitar for a few days. I do seriously wonder if it was "stolen" and when the saw it was an oddball and going to be hard to shift if it appeared again after... no proof of that though. When I got it back all tags still on it so no excuse not to know where it was.
... No I can't turn down
User avatar
Jim Goad
Posts: 3457
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2008 4:23 pm
Location: Oxfordshire UK

Re: Airline compensation - your experiences?

Post by Jim Goad »

I hope it all works out. Surely they have to at least refund your flight costs. Did you have travel insurance? That can sometimes cover loss of earnings etc.
It's like an orange on a toothpick
User avatar
welshchris
Posts: 704
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:33 pm
Location: Belfast, Rock City

Re: Airline compensation - your experiences?

Post by welshchris »

We’ve all got our own travel insurance but not band insurance. I’d hope Lufthansa will at least refund all the flights. That seemed to be the minimum staff on the ground indicated we’d be in for.

His has also made me realise I should prob take out separate insurance for my guitars at some point soon. They’re all covered at home but I’ve nothing for our and about at the mo. I’ve heard that allianz are decent enough for the UK.
... No I can't turn down
User avatar
devnulljp
Posts: 7159
Joined: Sat Sep 13, 2008 10:02 am
Location: Gulf Islands, BC, Canada

Re: Airline compensation - your experiences?

Post by devnulljp »

Man, that sucks.
Air Canada damaged my classical guitar years ago, and I got a grand out of them to fix it. Still not the same though (handbuilt custom for me by luthier in Spain, cost a bomb, the lock on the case had been jimmied and my guess is someone in the baggage handling bit had a wee go playing Wondewall on it or something),
Dear Bongo, No.
Good deals with all these guys
User avatar
welshchris
Posts: 704
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2008 5:33 pm
Location: Belfast, Rock City

Re: Airline compensation - your experiences?

Post by welshchris »

ah that blows, B@@tards

I've just taken out worldwide instrument insurance for both the main guitars I travel with. It didn't cost as much as I feared just over £10 a month.
... No I can't turn down
User avatar
Jim Goad
Posts: 3457
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2008 4:23 pm
Location: Oxfordshire UK

Re: Airline compensation - your experiences?

Post by Jim Goad »

Yeah. I’ve got my gear insured as an add on to home insurance. I think I’m covered for £2000 loss/ damage outside the house and it cost about £40 extra per year.
It's like an orange on a toothpick
User avatar
1bottlerocket
Posts: 8559
Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 8:45 pm
Location: The Land of Milk and Honey

Re: Airline compensation - your experiences?

Post by 1bottlerocket »

I am a little late to the party but I do have some experience with something similar. I used to race triathlon professionally and had sponsors. I checked my bike in for my flight to the East coast of the US and when it arrived it was stripped down to the frame. Someone took off every single component of my bike down to the handlebars.

The airline compensated me for rebuilding my bike and the lost components, but they did absolutely nothing in regards to lost earnings and potential prize money. In their view they were not responsible for lost wages. I would have had to go to court and hire a lawyer, which I did not have the money to pursue.
Never argue with an idiot, they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience
-Garfunk M. Rafferty
_________________________________________
For all things stomp: http://www.effectsdatabase.com/
Big Muff History Page: http://bigmuffpage.com/
MEH!
Posts: 377
Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2019 8:32 am
Location: Australia

Re: Airline compensation - your experiences?

Post by MEH! »

I found Lufthansa excellent when traveling from Miami to Strasbourg. I spoke to the check in staff and basically said you don't want to fuck this up as the guitars were worth more than the flight. An Avalon shaggs bass from 69 and a pre CBS 65 mustang. They advised me to retain possession of the guitars and meet the captain at the plane door. He checked them into the suit compartment and joked, if these g we t lost they're probably going to be as t my house. That was business class tho but I went around the world with both guitars. 1st request, overhead locker. 2nd, suit compartment. 3rd, don't fuck this up.
Miami to Strasbourg to Porto to Lisbon to Athens to Dubrovnik to Seitz to Bangkok to siem reap to Changi to home. No problem, no insurance, just a twinkle in the eye and very, very clear expectations
,
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Jon and 6 guests