traveling with tuning tools

[Clyde Hollinger]

Tom,

Several years ago I flew to Guatemala City to do a week of volunteer piano work
(my expenses were paid, however).  I don't recall all the specifics, but they
gave me special attention.  I also remember being paged in the Guatemala airport,
where the pilot and a couple other people wanted to look through my tools right
at the door where we walk out to the plane.

I impressed upon all the airline personnel I talked to that I couldn't afford the
risk of losing them in transit; they are my livelihood.  I don't think I ever had
to put them with the baggage, although one time when I boarded the stewardess
stowed them in a separate location.

Regards,
Clyde

Tvak@AOL.COM wrote:

> I'm off to Reno tomorrow, and just to be safe, I called United Airlines to
> inquire if I would have any trouble taking my tuning kit on the airplane.
> The woman at United asked me what kind of tools was I planning to take on the
> airplane?  I told her I had screwdrivers, pliers, a tuning hammer...  She
> interrupted, "How many screwdrivers?"  OK... "I have two big ones, a phillips
> head and a standard, and two small ones, also a phillips and a standard."  I
> was put on hold until she could talk to a supervisor.  She came back a minute
> or two later and said she wanted a complete list of all the tools that I
> wanted to take on the plane.  However, if I wanted to stow the tools in my
> baggage, it was fine.
>
> I told her I would just take my hammer, mutes and tuning fork, and stow them
> in my luggage.
>
> That's all I'll really need in Reno, but what if I was taking the technical
> test and I needed my tools?  I guess I'd just have to stow them in with the
> baggage.
>
> Anyone else ever experience any difficulties traveling with your tools?
> Never having flown anywhere with my tools before, I was just lucky that I had
> the sudden impulse to call the airline and check.
>
> Tom S.