am planning to fly back home this january and i'm thinking of taking my bass with me as a hand luggage. i've seen people carrying guitars every now and then, but i'm a little worried as it is a bass guitar and i'm flying on a smaller plane. my bass is around 49cm long and weighs about 6-7kgs.
A little late I know but it's usually not a problem at least with an acoustic. No reason why it should be for you....some airlines have rules saying you need to inform them beforehand. I would recommend taking it in hand luggage and lining up for your seat early so you can hog luggage space which was meant for other people too. You might feel a little uncomfortable because of the glares of your copassengers but at least you get your guitar home safely!
Just be careful - the airlines has a clause in their tickets that say that in case the hand luggage is large - you may have to buy additional seat. Other than that - just threaten them with dire consequences (in case the stuff breaks because of check-in) if they don't agree when you ask sweetly.
