Traveling with Music Instruments
JAL offers special services to make it easier for passengers to bring their favorite instruments along for the trip.
This page provides information for passengers traveling with music instruments. Passengers hand-carrying instruments that exceed the allowable size for carry-on baggage must pay a special fee and purchase a separate seat.
Loaner cases are available on domestic flights for some types of instruments (e.g. violins, guitars.)
Instrument cases whose total liner dimensions do not exceed 115 cm. (100 cm for smaller aircraft with less than 100 seats.)
If the total of the three dimensions of your instrument case does not exceed 115cm, you may carry it on board as carry-on baggage.However, if the length of each side exceeds 55 cm, 40 cm, or 25 cm, please check it in at the baggage counter.
(For small aircraft with less than 100 seats, the total of the three dimensions is 100 cm, and the length of each side is 45 cm, 35 cm, or 20 cm)
Please store your instrument in the overhead compartment.
Instrument cases whose total liner dimensions exceed 115 cm. (100 cm for smaller aircraft with less than 100 seats.)
Instruments may either be checked as baggage or hand-carried on board.
Passengers hand-carrying instruments on board must pay a special fee.
Passengers who wish to check in their musical instruments.
Please check in your musical instrument at the baggage counter.
Passengers who wish to carry their musical instruments on board.
Passengers may carry an instrument on board by purchasing a seat for the instrument.
(A special fee applies.)
Once on board, instruments must be secured in a seat. Passengers carrying multiple smaller instruments such as violins or violas may secure them all in a single seat as long as their combined width is 43 cm or less.
Contact the JAL call center (Domestic Reservation and Information) to reserve an instrument seat.
Please note that some instruments may be too large to carry on board.
Loaner Instrument Cases (free service)
Loaner cases are available free of charge for some types of instruments.
- Please note that the numbers are limited, and may not be able to correspond to your request.
- This service is unavailable for codeshare flights.
Carry-on violin cases
Violin cases of a size allowed for carry-on are available for passengers who wish to carry their violin on board.
Even if your personal violin case exceeds the size restrictions for carry-on baggage, you can carry your violin and the bows on board if you carry them in this particular violin case lent to customers for this purpose. Please stow the borrowed violin case in the overhead compartment and check in your personal violin case.
They are built to accommodate full-size (4/4) violins.
Availability
Tokyo (Haneda/Narita), Osaka (Itami/Kansai), Sapporo (New Chitose), Nagoya (Chubu), Fukuoka, Okinawa (Naha)
Eligible flights
JAL Group domestic flights operated by aircraft with 100 or more seats
How to request a loaner case
Please speak to a counter representative at the departure airport on the date of flight.
(Cases cannot be reserved in advance.)
Please do replacement by yourself.
Rental violin case
outer dimensions
Width: 25 cm
Length: 76 cm
Height: 13.5 cm
Guitar and small instrument containers
JAL provides special containers with shock-absorbent cushioning for transporting guitars and small instruments.
These containers cannot be carried on board.
Availability
Available at all airports served by JAL Group domestic flights
Eligible flights
All JAL Group domestic flights
How to request a loaner case
Please speak to a counter representative at the departure airport on the date of flight.
(Cases cannot be reserved in advance.)
Rental guitar case
Inner dimension
Length: 137 cm
Depth: 21 cm
Width: 44 cm
Small instrument case
Inner dimension
length: 90 cm
depth: 30 cm
width: 40 cm
Large instrument case
Large cases for musical instruments as double basses and bass fiddles available for passenger use.
These cases cannot be carried on board.
- Please arrive at the baggage check-in counter at least 60 minutes prior to departure as loading these cases will need extra time and care.
Eligible routes
Available at all airports served by JAL/JTA domestic flights
- This service is unavailable for RAC/JAC/HAC/J-AIR flights.
How to request a loaner case
Large instrument cases must be reserved in advance.
Contact the JAL call center (Domestic Reservation and Information) at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled departure time.
Large instrument case
Inner dimension
Length (Top): 58 cm
Length (Bottom): 87 cm
Depth: 201 cm
Width: 75 cm
