Longrider

Although it looks as if this situation probably wasn’t handled very well, I can’t say that I have much sympathy for the passenger in this quarrel.

A Cheshire music student was ordered to buy an extra seat for her violin after an airline refused to let her take the instrument as hand luggage.

My first reaction was why wasn’t it booked in with hold luggage? Apparently, according to the girl’s father:

He said the air pressure and low temperature in the hold would have ruined the instrument, which belongs to the Manchester music school Chetham’s, where Francesca is a pupil.

Okay, fair enough. I don’t know any different, so will have to take his word for that. Assuming that is the case, though, Francesca was allowed though check-in without any quibble. The problem with this story seems to have been that Ryanair didn’t make it clear when the tickets were purchased that the violin would incur an extra charge – and that being so, there is a reasonable complaint. It looks to me as if whoever took the booking (or their mediocre website) didn’t pick up that it was a violin and that it would be bigger than normal hand luggage.

When we checked in, Francesca was carrying the violin on her back so they must have noticed it but they let us through.

But when we got to the gates they refused to let us go.

They said we could pay extra to put the violin in the hold, but because of the temperature and air pressure difference, the wood can crack and completely ruin a violin. The insurance also becomes void.

This was an absolute disgrace. Their policy appears to discriminate against violinists, the vast majority of whom simply can’t afford to purchase an additional seat.

Well, I would hardly say that they were discriminating. Incompetent, maybe. Ryanair are pretty clear about hand luggage requirements. They tell you how big it can be and how much it may weigh. If you have a musical instrument that just cannot go in the hold, you have to think again, but consider this; other people will also have hand luggage that does comply. They will want to be able to take their seats and put their bags in the overhead lockers. If you have an item that takes up extra room, why shouldn’t you pay extra?

The Ryanair website says small musical instruments can be taken on board their flights but customers have to purchase an extra seat if they are larger than standard baggage.

Given the amount of extra room that may be needed, this seems perfectly reasonable. A violin may not be very big, but in a case, it is bulky in the confines of an aircraft cabin, will take up significant space in an overhead locker, won’t fit under a seat, so may need to be placed on a seat instead.

David Abrahams, head of legal services at the ISM, said: “The idea that musicians should be forced to purchase an additional seat on board an aircraft because they are carrying an instrument that can be stored safely in the overhead lockers is unfair, discriminatory and irrational.”

“These airlines are punishing musicians for being musicians.”

Don’t be silly, of course they aren’t. If it goes in the overhead locker, other luggage can’t and has to go somewhere. If the instrument doesn’t go in the overhead locker, it has to go somewhere. If it goes on a seat, then the airline cannot sell that seat to a passenger.

I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s something that people just don’t seem to get. Ryanair is a cheap airline. You get a seat at a low price. That’s it. Anything else comes at a premium. Caveat emptor and all that.

As it turned out EasyJet were happy to take it as hand luggage, so it worked out okay. But, then, in my experience EasyJet are generally more expensive than Ryanair. You get what you pay for in this world.

Apparently the M6 toll road has been deemed a failure.

Traffic jams around Birmingham are at least as bad as they were before the road was opened as motorists refuse to pay to use the 27-mile stretch which was intended to end gridlock on the M6.

Well, yes, if you take the M6 down to the M5 junction, it’s pretty atrocious, especially during the rush hours. What this doesn’t mention is the roadworks that are currently exacerbating the situation.

The price of the toll road has risen from £2 originally to £5 now. If I have to go south around Birmingham, I will always pay the fiver and enjoy the easy drive. It’s when I’m heading south west that I have to put up with the misery of the M6 as the toll road takes me away from the M5 unless I take the M42 and I gain nothing from doing that.

If there is any failure for me, it is that I know the relief from the congestion is temporary as once the two motorways rejoin, you are again caught up with the general clog getting to the M1.

What strikes me as odd about this report is the assertion that people aren’t willing to pay so therefore it is a failure. Surely, the whole idea is that the payment will deter many, making the drive clearer for those who value the time more than the money. In which case, it’s working precisely as planned. Or am I missing something?

I’m staying with my sister at the moment.  Early morning across the Somerset levels is beautiful at this time of the year. Taken from above Axbridge, somewhere in the misty distance is Glastonbury.