To a professional musician, their instruments are as precious as a child. When traveling, they pay for extra seats so that their instruments can travel safely and avoid damage.
These precautions become essential when the instrument is a priceless treasure!
Sheku Kanneh-Mason owns a cello worth millions. He and his sister Isata were forced to cancel a performance in Toronto after Air Canada refused to allow Kanneh-Mason to board with his cello – for which he had purchased a seat. The cello was constructed by Venetian luthier Matteo Goffriller and is over 300 years old.
After having to cancel a sold out performance at the last minute, the duo posted a message on Instagram stating, “first we had delays, then a cancellation, and the day concluded by being denied boarding with the cello – despite having a confirmed seat for it — on a new, final flight into Toronto.”
The added, “we can only dream of a time when all airlines have a standardized, global and carefully considered approach to the carriage of precious instruments that are booked to travel in the cabin.”
Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a sensation after performing at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
A spokesperson for Air Canada responded to the CBC via an email stating that they do allow instruments in the cabin providing they have been booked ahead of time. Saying that they are investigating, Air Canada responded, “in this case, the customers made a last-minute booking due to their original flight on another airline being cancelled,. We are still reviewing what happened including why the cello was not successfully rebooked.”
According to Air Canda’s policy…”an extra seat must be purchased for a musical instrument that doesn’t fit in the overhead bin or under the seat and that the instrument must not exceed 162.5 centimetres (64 inches) in height or length or 36 kilograms (80 pounds) in weight. It also states that the number of musical instruments that can be accommodated on each flight is limited.”
Unfortunately for Kanneh-Mason, this is not the first time he has had trouble flying with the cello. In 2023 British Airways refused to allow the cello in the cabin even though a ticket had been purchased for the cello. This is an issue frequently encountered by musicians whose valuable instruments cannot be checked and stowed with the luggage.
The duo say that they are working hard to reschedule a new date to perform in Toronto next year.
The Royal Conservatory of Music has a rescheduled date of June 3, 2025 for Kanneh-Mason to perform.
Air Canada has issued a refund to Kanneh-Mason but has not issued an apology for the incident or depriving over 1,000 music fans from attending the concert.