Methodology
Every verdict on this site is computed from three source-locked inputs and stated as calibrated risk, never a guarantee.
1. The statute
US air carriers must let a passenger carry a small musical instrument (violin, guitar, or other) into the cabin as carry-on if it fits safely in an overhead bin or under the seat and space is available at boarding. A larger instrument may be carried in the cabin if the passenger buys it a seat and the instrument plus case weighs no more than 165 pounds. An instrument may be checked if its outside linear dimensions (length + width + height, including the case) are 150 inches or less, within the carrier's weight rules. The statute states the limit as '165 pounds' and does not itself state a kilogram figure.
49 U.S.C. §41724; 14 CFR Part 251.
2. The airline's published policy
Each airline's own cabin, extra-seat, and checked rules, captured verbatim with a URL and access date. Where a US carrier publishes nothing, we say so and fall back to the statute.
3. The instrument's cased size
Representative cased dimensions from a manufacturer or retailer spec page. Where a source publishes only "package dimensions," we label it a proxy, not the true case exterior.
How the verdict is decided
We bucket an instrument by its cased dimensions. Overhead bins are long but shallow at the opening, so the binding constraints are the two smaller dimensions plus a length beyond which a case will not lie in a bin:
- Cabin likely — the two smaller cased dimensions are ≤13 in and the longest is ≤34 in. Fits an overhead bin or under the seat; on US carriers the statutory carry-on right applies when space exists at boarding.
- Gate-check risk — larger than that but still one-person carriable (longest under 45 in). Often fits a mainline bin, but a real gate-check gamble on full flights and regional jets.
- Extra seat required — longest cased dimension ≥45 in (e.g. a cello) and the airline sells a cabin seat. The statute's extra-seat right (≤165 lb) is the standard path; checking within 150 linear inches is the alternative.
- Checked only — too large for a bin and the airline publishes no cabin-seat option. Checked/cargo is the published path; the federal extra-seat right may still apply.
The interactive guide mirrors this exact logic; the authoritative implementation is scripts/compute_verdicts.py in our repository.
Affiliate disclosure
We may earn a commission when you buy a case through certain merchant links. We choose case picks by published fit and specification, not by commission, and case links are plain merchant links until affiliate programs are approved. See the disclosure in the footer of every page.
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