Violinist Denied Boarding Flight with 200-Year-Old Instrument (4 photos)

World-renowned French violinist Esther Abrami was denied boarding on a flight because her instrument was 1cm outside the carry-on baggage allowance. She was also refused a seat for her violin.





Classically trained violinist Esther Abrami, who graduated from the Royal College of Music in London and holds a master's degree from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, has slammed Ryanair for allegedly mistreating her as she attempted to fly from Marseille, France, to Berlin to record her third studio album.



As it turned out, just before boarding the flight, she was stopped and told that she could not board with her violin. The violinist admitted that she offered to pay any price to take the 200-year-old instrument of master Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume with her, but the company refused.

The 27-year-old native of France said that she offered to buy an extra seat on the plane, but Ryanair employees told her that the flight was already closed, and she, despite the fact that the cabin was not full, would not be able to buy it.





Abrami claimed her violin was fragile and valuable, while the airline issued a stern ultimatum to check the instrument in with the rest of her luggage or leave the airport.

Ryanair staff, the classical singer claims, forced her to put her case on the floor, remove the violin and place it in a "suitcase measuring area".

"The length requirement for the carry-on baggage that I had already purchased was 55 cm. My violin is 56 cm, it fit diagonally, and otherwise it was 1 cm longer," the musician shared.



Abrami also said that she was "incredibly lucky" to have booked another flight on another airline that did not cause her any trouble with transporting her beloved violin, since missing a flight often means missing opportunities.

After the incident became public, the airline said that "violinists travelling with Ryanair must adhere to the same rules as everyone else: if the baggage fits, it can be carried on board, and if not, it goes in the hold."

However, fans of Abrami and her fellow musicians expressed outrage over the incident, vowing never to fly with such a customer-unfriendly company again.