A renowned musician says he was kicked off a flight because he brought his cello on board — even though he'd bought an extra ticket for it
A renowned cellist says he was kicked off a flight because he brought his instrument on board.
Santiago Cañón-Valencia said he bought a business-class seat and an extra seat for the cello.
He said the captain would not allow him to keep the cello in the cabin, per multiple outlets.
A renowned cello player says he was kicked off a flight because he brought his cello on board, despite purchasing an extra ticket for the instrument.
The musician, Santiago Cañón-Valencia, was traveling from Bogotá to Caracas on a Copa Airlines flight when staff refused to let him keep his cello with him in the cabin, The Strad reported.
Cañón-Valencia told The Strad that he had bought a business-class seat along with an extra seat for the cello.
Copa Airlines did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside normal working hours.
"Everything from the check-in until boarding the plane went smoothly as usual," Cañón-Valencia told the UK music magazine.
"I sat there for about five minutes until someone from Copa Airlines came up to talk to me. At first, I assumed that they wanted to give me the seatbelt extension in order to secure the cello on its seat, but instead, this person said to me that I couldn't fly with the cello on board due to captain's orders," he said.
After a back and forth with the captain, Cañón-Valencia said a flight attendant suggested that he place his cello in the overhead lockers or the hold. He opted not to do so.
"There is no way my cello would fit into one of those," he said of the overhead lockers. "And even if it would, why would I have to put it there if there is a seat that was specifically paid for my cello? And not just a regular seat but a business class one?"
Classical music site Slipped Disc, which also reported the news, quoted Cañón-Valencia as saying: "Unfortunately Copa Airlines airline has dropped me off my flight this morning. Sadly all my activities in Venezuela are postponed, thanks to the ignorance, disrespect and stubbornness of this airline! I don't recommend any musician using it!"
The incident resulted in the musician postponing his performance, scheduled for October 16, and masterclasses in Venezuela until 2023, per the Strad.
Representatives for Cañón-Valencia did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside normal working hours.
Copa Airlines' website states that passengers have the option "to purchase an additional seat to increase their comfort while traveling or to take a special item." However, the website does specify that the special item must be packaged correctly so it doesn't cause harm to other passengers.
In 2018, American Airlines kicked a musician off a flight from Maimi to Chicago after it said her cello did not meet the size requirements for the plane. Like Cañón-Valencia, the musician, Jingjing Hu, had also purchased an extra seat for the instrument.
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