Cellist’s $1m instrument barred from flight: musicians ask for carry-on clarity

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason was barred from taking his 300-year-old instrument as carry-on. Photo / Ollie Ali

Virtuoso cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has added his voice to the ensemble of musicians asking for more clarity on airline rules for instruments.

Earlier this year the musician was barred from taking his prized 300-year-old Matteo Goffriller cello onboard a flight home from Romania.

Despite turning up early for the British Airways flight from Bucharest, and booking an additional seat for his instrument, Kanneh-Mason says that he was unable to take the case as carry-on.

This was a surprise to the musician, who had flown out to play with the Hungarian National Philharmonic carrying the string instrument, just days earlier.

“Why are there these inconsistencies?” he tweeted in frustration at the carrier. After not being allowed to board BA Flight 885, he told Classic FM that he had to spend three-times the price on new fares home, for him and the cello.

“So often somewhere along the line, something breaks down,” Kanneh-Mason told the radio station.

The cellist, whose music found popular appeal after performing at the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in 2018, has now added his voice to a collection of unions trying to address the issue.

Dear @British_Airways
Please can you explain your approach to customer service? I was booked on the 08:20 BA885 from Bucharest to LHR this morning. I arrived early at the airport with my cello, with my two confirmed tickets, one for me and one for the cello. The bookings were

— Sheku Kanneh-Mason (@ShekuKM) September 20, 2023

In February, a violinist refused to let Polish airline LOT put his $10 million Stradivarius in the hold of his flight home. Instead, he opted to take the precious object on an eight-hour coach journey home.

“Sadly, this is a common problem for me and my fellow professional musicians who travel with instruments that, for many reasons, cannot go in the hold,” said Kanneh-Mason.

Benoît Machuel from the International Federation of Musicians says musicians under time pressure face unpredictability every time they travel between performances by air.

“Most of the airlines do not have a policy for musical instruments,” he told the radio station. “And when there is a policy sometimes it is not applied consistently.”

Musicians travelling with some instruments are forced to pay an additional fare for these objects, so to be barred from a flight is doubly frustrating.

British Airways has very specific instructions for passengers wishing to take instruments up to 140cm-long as carry-on. Their website asks for at least 24 hours warning, saying these instruments cannot be booked online.

“It is important that you have adequate insurance for your musical instrument,” the BA website says.

This can be difficult for irreplaceable, ancient string instruments. The last time a 1700s Matteo Goffriller cello went up for auction it fetched over $1m with some insurers valuing examples at over $2.7m.

Air New Zealand’s terms of carriage allow musicians to travel with instruments in the cabin, with prior warning.

“Cellos may travel in the cabin with you if an extra seat is purchased to accommodate it,” reads their advice. “Onboard, our crew will safely secure the instrument in the seat next to you.”

A statement from a British Airways spokesperson said they were aware of the problems experienced by Kanneh-Mason and that the airline was working with ground handlers for greater consistency.

“We are speaking with our third-party handling agent to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”