It's always good to know your rights:
You CAN Carry On Your Guitar. It
This only applies to the US, though.
In the european union, the right to carry or not to carry an instrument as hand baggage depends on the airlines, so make sure to make your calls before you book! However, there's something going on in terms of having a unified european law:
http://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/wp...FIM-recommendations-Instruments-on-Planes.pdf
I have done some traveling with Axe, but travel with guitars all the time. The Axe I have packed in suitcase padded very well with clothing and checked it. I have put it in a carry on, and taken on plane. I have used a gator rackbag with wheels and carried on. Never on tour so not as critical as the guys actually getting paid for this stuff.
As far as guitars, I pretty much always get to take it on board. Regional Jets or turboprops the guitar will not fit. I have gate checked in those cases and crossed fingers.
You are correct that those rules apply only to US flights. On wide body planes the guitar usually will not fit in overheads and definitely will not fit in business or first class. That makes closet room essential. So far I have always had luck in finding closet space.
The one almost issue was flying LAN from Buenos Aires to Chile. The gate attendant was a luggage nazi. I checked in and gave my american airlines card to get credit for miles and priority boarding pass since I am exec platinum on American. LAN and American are both one world. Great. Get to gate and when they start boarding I get up to enter as they are boarding first class. The grumpy gate attendant tells me to sit down and wait till the rest of the plane boards. I say I am priority. She says, but I need to make sure your guitar fits. I say. . "if you make me wait till last, it probably won't, that is why I am boarding now". She refuses. I make it clear that I am a VERY good one world customer and if Guitar doesn't get on plane, neither do I.
She literally checked every carry on suitcase in the rack they have to measure baggage. She had a look on her face as if she hated her job and customers. Finally, they allow me on last. I sit down, and she takes my guitar in the back to stow it. There is now no room for my rolling laptop bag. Woman comes back with my guitar and says no room, she will gate check it. I grab guitar and laptop bag and walk off the plane. I then tell gate agent to get me on another flight. She was also in a bad mood so I head to admirals club and ask for manager.
LAN manager shows up and apologizes profusely. He agrees with me 100% and gets me on next flight, with first class upgrade. When I board next flight the baggage nazi was fuming. I decided to take the time to explain her stupidity to her. On the prior flight there were a bunch of people literally running to make the flight in time. I asked her, how mad someone that just made their flight would be if their carry on with socks and underwear had to be checked. She replied, not much, they do it all the time. I said so you pissed off a really good customer who was at the gate 2.5 hours before flight, so that you have room for people that arrive late and would not get mad if you gate checked their bags?
Funny part is two days ago I flew buenos aires to santiago chile again and that same idiot was working ticket counter. Same ticked off look on face and I think she remembered me andlooked even more pissed when she saw gig bag on my back. This time the gate agents and flight crew were great. The plane was wide body and guitar didn't fit in overhead so flight attendant found space in closet and had it out and ready when I was getting off plane. LAN is usually great in Peru, Colombia, and Chile. Crappy in Argentina and crappy in Ecuador.
Basically you can be at the mercy of what mood the airline folks are in. If possible, fly same airline or at least same frequent flyers group so as to reach a higher status. They are more likely to accommodate a customer that has flown millions of miles with them or an elite level customer.
Midi board, toothbrush, and everything else then goes under the plane.
