[Harp-L] Flying Your Gear

[Shirley Rowe <robertrowe2@xxxxxxx>]

For those of you that fly to gigs and events, how do you fly your gear?  You harps?  Your amp if you use one?  Carry on?  Baggage check?  How does TSA treat you at US airports?

I have two friends that suffered major losses this year by what I believe to be felonious baggage handlers. One is a former women's national champion skeet shooter that checked her $30,000 Krieghoff shotgun on a flight from Dallas to Jacksonville. The other is a country blues guitarist that checked his '32 National Duolian resonator guitar on Delta, never to be seen again. 

Are you aware that this happens all the time?  How do you guard against it?  Do you take any special precautions to ensure your gear arrives with you?