How to Transport Your Pedalboard through the Airport Security Check

I think this is a topic that is often overlooked until you must deal with it. If you are a musician or guitar player and you need to travel with your gear, what do you do? Is that possible? How do you transport your pedal through the airport security check?

I’ve traveled a lot with my guitar (once the flight crew from Lufthansa asked me to play “Happy Birthday” in the plane to a girl who was having her birthday during the fly :)) and never had any issues with that. I’ve had also bought effects pedals and took them from one country to another. And I’ve also once received as a gift a guitar pedal that was carried from one country to the other. So far, I’ve never had an issue.

But carrying a complete guitar pedal board might be a different thing. I’ve done some research, and this is what I’ve found: Yes, you can fly with your pedalboard and in most cases, you will not have any problems if you carry it with you (as hand luggage) and you take the batteries off your pedals. Keep in mind, your pedals WILL go through the x-ray machine; it’s always so much better if you’re around to explain any doubts the security officers may have, as if it would be to just put them on your luggage and have them examined later on, because “they looked suspicious”; and remember, later on, you might not be around.

How the TSA Handles Musical Instruments

Just so we have an official governmental opinion, let’s check what the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) has to say regarding musical instruments. On September the 14th 2014, the TSA posted an official blog with some tips for passengers traveling with musical instruments. You can read the blog post here (and some of the comments, ahem…), but I will just brief it to you:

• You have the option to check your instrument or to carry it on the plane (ALWAYS check with the airline). As we mentioned before, try to carry it on the plane!
• When your instrument is fragile, just carry it on the aircraft. They say that brass instruments could be checked as baggage, provided you have the proper case. Let’s be honest guys, we’ve all seen the baggage handlers… Try to carry it on the plane!
• The security officers will examine your instrument (physically or through x-ray), keep that in mind. They say you can give proper advice about how they can handle your instrument, so they do it the right way.
• Your instrument may need to go through the famous explosive detection test. They will run a soft cotton or paper swab either on your case or your instrument.
• They say that nowadays it’s not uncommon to check instruments as baggage; they suggest you should use a travel case for that.
• If you decided to check your instrument as baggage, they suggest that you include a short-written note on how to handle your instrument. You should write this note so anyone without a musical background can read and understand it.
• They encourage you to stay with your instrument through the inspection provided that’s possible.
• Make sure your case it’s unlocked when your instrument is carried as baggage (or that you have the special TSA lock); if the instrument needs to be inspected and they cannot open the case, they will break the lock :/

I find this guideline not complicated and they give you the big picture about what to expect if you’re traveling with your musical instruments (and eventually, your pedals). Nonetheless, I think there are some other things that you should decide before taking your board on your journey.

Tips and Tricks for Travelling with a Pedalboard

As I mentioned before, the TSA (or any other transport security administration) will examine your instrument. That means they will take a look at your pedalboard. You may be lucky every now and then and run into a guitar aficionado as your security checker, and he or she may decide to make it simpler for you, but that will not always be the case.

From what I’ve heard and read, often, you will not have big issues traveling with your board if you follow these simple guidelines:

• Try to travel just with the essentials. If you have a big board, try to travel with a strip-down version of it. If you show up with a Pedaltrain Novo 32, chances are you may have to check that as baggage. So, pick your essential pedals and travel with a small pedalboard that you can use as hand luggage. This way you can always be present at the inspection moment and properly explain everything to the inspectors.
• If you have a big rig, get a travel case. Sounds obvious, but if you must travel with a big pedalboard, maybe it’s time for you to invest in a proper travel case/hard case for your pedals. Chances are they will have to go into the aircraft as checked luggage.
• Always call your airline. It is in your best interest to call the airline and properly ask them if there’s a possibility for carrying your pedalboard with you. This is your best shot to still get it into the aircraft if you have a huge rig. Explain to them the gear is very important (an expensive) and that’s a vital part of your job as a musician. They may be able to give you the opportunity to put your pedalboard on one of the front cabinets (they did that once with my guitar).
• Remove the batteries from your pedals. Save yourself some trouble and do this. I know pedals don’t usually use lithium battery types, but as you may be aware by now, they are not allowed inside the plane. Nonetheless, make sure you have a power source available (like a 9 Spot power supply) so you can demonstrate when necessary, that your equipment is just musical devices. Also, I would recommend disconnecting all the patch cables. It will make the pedalboard look less weird, and this leads to another point…
• Know this: they will inspect your pedalboard. Just armor yourself with patience and try to help them through the process. Also, you may be asked about what your pedals do. I know it sounds silly, but some inspectors may find your tuner or your wah pedal weird/interesting and for the sake of security issues, they will ask you how they work. They may also run the explosive test on your individual pedals, so be aware of that. 

How the CATSA Handles Effects Pedals

We’ve seen how the TSA may handle your instrument, but what about the northern counterpart, the CATSA (Canadian Air Transport Security Authority)? A few years ago, someone from the forum of diystompboxes.com was bold enough to pose the question and actually, he got an answer! So, in essence, they stated pretty much the same things that you read from the TSA procedures but in order to give it to you all digest, here’s the most important part:

In order to facilitate your passage at the pre-board screening checkpoint with such
items, we suggest the following options:

1. Sending said items by courier service is obviously the best way to avoid problems
   at security checkpoints.
2. Another option is to place it in checked baggage. Ensure that the item is not
   cluttered together as much as possible (i.e., remove batteries  – if batteries are
   lithium then they are not permitted in checked baggage-  external cords and wires,
   etc. and place them in distinctly different parts of the bag), and do not place
   organics in the bag such as peanut butter, rubber, fruitcakes, etc.
3. If you do wish to carry these items in your carry-on baggage, declare them to a
   screening officer before they go through the X-ray machine, remove them from the bag and place them in the trays provided for screening, on their own.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

Client Satisfaction / Satisfaction des clients
Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) /
Administration canadienne de la sûreté du transport aérien (ACSTA)
Toll free 1-888-294-2202 (8:30-17:00 ET)
Facsimile / télécopieur: 613-949-2725
www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca <http://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/>

You can read the whole thing on the link mentioned above, but I just wanted to show you that yes, traveling with your pedalboard is possible but unfortunately, a little bit tedious.

Real Life Footage

Ok, to wrap everything up, how about some footage from people that actually went through that? I did some YouTube research and found three videos that illustrates pretty much what you can expect.

• • Video #1. Here see a group of musicians who were traveling from India to the Republic of Maldives (yeah… poor guys ;)). As you will notice, the inspector at the Mumbai airport was very meticulous about what the guitar player was carrying. Again, if this happens, be patient and try to explain everything properly so you leave the security check-point as soon as possible.

• • Video #2. Ok, how do you think the people of Southwest Airlines will handle a checked pedalboard that suddenly it’s open and on its way to the tray? This video may give light up your hopes!

• • Video #3. Well, bad things can also happen! But traveling with a proper hard case for your pedals will always be your best shot to get them safe. This guy did that and saved his gear!

Some Final Thoughts

Thanks for reading the article, I hope you’ve found the information here helpful.

There’s no way to predict what type of things will occur during the security check of the airport, but there are some actions you can do in advance to go through the less hassle as much as possible. If you follow the guidelines mentioned above, you will minimize any hard issues concerning traveling with your board.

The main two things to remember are to travel light (just take the essentials) and always call the airline prior to the journey (do this and you may be even able to get a big rig inside the plane). Doing these two things will save you a lot of frustration and will help you (and the other passengers) to save time during the inspection process.

I would love to hear your experiences on this topic. Feel free to leave a comment to share your piece of information, it sure will be helpful to everyone.

Until the next time,

M.M