In Wednesday’s (6/20) The Stage (England), Natalie Woolman reports, “Musicians across the globe have launched a petition demanding European legislation be updated to ensure fair treatment for performers travelling on planes with their instruments. The International Federation of Musicians (FIM) has launched the petition, which calls on European Union commissioner Siim Kallas to take musicians’ concerns into account with regard to regulations on air passenger rights, which are currently under review. As it stands, each airline can set their own policy about musical instruments. … MU general secretary John Smith, who is also president of FIM, said the issue needed to be tackled at both European and international level. He wants to see a standardised policy on instruments on planes similar to the one that already exists in the US. He added: ‘Musicians need to know that, wherever they travel to and whoever they travel with, the same rules are going to apply. We therefore need to have international agreement on a reasonable policy for taking musical instruments on planes.’ ” In February, the U.S.’s Federal Aviation Administration introduced a provision to ease difficulties of air travel for musicians flying with instruments. To read more, click here.
Posted June 21, 2012
