Breaking arms over carry-ons

As international authorities strive to harmonize a myriad of rules for carry-on flight luggage, a Russian-American jazz musician is nursing a broken arm he said he suffered in a struggle with French airport police over his right to board with a prized trumpet.

The musician, Valery Ponomarev, 63, a former member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, was preparing to board an Air India flight on Sept. 9 from Paris to New York City, where he lives, when a routine airport ritual erupted into a fierce dispute over his 1961 Constellation trumpet. . .

The airport authorities and the police confirm that the episode took place as Mr. Ponomarev was boarding the flight at Charles de Gaulle airport. But in the view of the police, the musician bears responsibility for his injury.

Sounds like a nasty break, too. Full article in the NY Times.

Airline policy on carry-on luggage also has had a major impact on collectors. I was recently talking to a California dealer about an accelerating decline in sales at better shows there over the past few years. Buyers who used to fly in from all over the country have increasingly been staying away. Air travel is a much bigger hassle for everyone, but especially for those carrying large amounts of cash (which, though entirely legal, has led to confiscations by the TSA) or bringing home valuable and delicate items that cannot safely be packed in checked luggage. In most cases, to be sure, there are no problems, but when there are problems word gets around -- and many clearly don't like dealing with the uncertainty of it all. Delicate items (musical instruments included) are a special case, yet the airlines could do much to ease the burden of dealing with excess carry-ons by doing more to provide an alternative. Were checked luggage less roughly handled, better protected against theft, and more promptly delivered upon arrival, much more would get checked instead of carried.

Posted by David on October 13, 2006 10:05 AM