When a €2 million, 244-year-old violin flew on her lap on ‘spooky’ flight

“It was spooky and I died 10,000 deaths,” says musician Carolin Widmann, recalling a flight from Helsinki to Leipzig with a shudder. At the airport in the Finnish capital, on reaching the Lufthansa check-in counter, she was told she could not take her 244-year-old violin, including its case and bows, onto the plane as hand luggage. So she unpacked the valuable instrument, made by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini in 1782, and wound up cradling it on her lap like a baby during the whole flight. The 49-year-old professor of violin at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig, Germany, was constantly afraid that her precious instrument would be damaged and did not even dare to go to the toilet. As meals were served, she broke out into a sweat. After brief deliberation, she hid her instrument under her jumper, fearful at what might happen if tomato juice, red wine or mashed potatoes were to splash onto the violin or if there was turbulence during the flight. The violin does not belong to her but is provided by a London foundation. “The insurance company requires me to never let the violin out of my sight or even leave it in the hands of strangers,” Widmann says. “And certainly not to throw it into the luggage compartment of an aeroplane like a conventional suitcase.” Its market value is €2 million (US$2.3 million), but as a cultural treasure it is priceless, she says. She has flown hundreds of times with her violin case as hand luggage on countless concert tours. “There were occasional discussions at the check-in counter, and on several occasions the flight captain gave his OK,” she says. “But this one time it did not work out.” Lufthansa changes its rules On landing, she dashed off a letter of complaint but received an unsatisfactory response. She then took to social media to spell out her objections. Still no joy, so she decided to write an open letter to Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr. “I then received a call from a very understanding Lufthansa manager,” Widmann says. “She said that the problem had not been apparent until now and that she was grateful for the information.” That led to change. Lufthansa now makes an exception to its strict hand luggage rules for musicians. A new rule applies to violins, ukuleles, trumpets and similar instruments, with the total measurement meaning the height, width and depth of the case added together may not exceed 125cm (49 inches) in total, letting longer instrument cases also travel in Lufthansa, Eurowings, Austrian and Swiss cabins. The musical instrument replaces another piece of hand luggage. Otherwise, the maximum length of 55cm for luggage allowed in the cabin on Lufthansa Group flights still applies. “The manager told me that she was particularly impressed by the polite tone of the letter and really wanted to help,” Widmann says. Once Lufthansa changed the rules, she received words of thanks from musicians all over the world. “We all tremble when we check in,” she says. “Now we have something reliable.” She is now a familiar face at Lufthansa, too. “Since then, crew members have repeatedly recognised me and mentioned the incident,” she says. At first, she had little hope that her complaint would be successful. “Many people told me that I did not stand a chance against such a large corporation,” she says. But her success has shown her two things. “You don’t always have to escalate things to get what you want. Good manners and politeness are also helpful in getting your voice heard,” she says. “What’s more, there are people in management positions who are willing to listen and solve problems.” How airlines handle big instruments As of March, the following rules apply to larger instruments on Lufthansa flights. You must either book a separate seat if you want to take say your tuba with you in the cabin. Or the instrument must be transported in the cargo hold. “Passengers are responsible for providing suitable transport packaging,” Lufthansa says. But elsewhere, uncertainty reigns, with no consistent rules in the European Union for the transport of musical instruments on planes. Airlines are often accommodating to travellers with instruments, but some strictly enforce the dimensions in the rules. If in doubt, musicians are advised to inquire before they depart. This is not news to the musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. “This is nothing new for our orchestra when we’re on tour,” a spokeswoman says. “Larger instruments and those that are not needed immediately upon arrival are flown as cargo.” The orchestra has its own special transport cases for this purpose. Instruments brought on board the aircraft with the players are either given their own seat – meaning cellos – or are placed in the luggage compartment above the seats.

When a €2 million, 244-year-old violin flew on her lap on ‘spooky’ flight

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Carolin Widmann had to cradle her priceless violin in her arms during a flight: she complained to the Lufthansa boss, who changed the rules

Carolin Widmann had to cradle her priceless violin in her arms during a flight: she complained to the Lufthansa boss, who changed the rules