Read more news stories here
South African cellist Peter Martens was sprung with a fee of €240 to check in his cello flight case on a recent trip on Air France.
Martens, the principal cellist of the Cape Town Philharmonic, was on a multi-city trip abroad which included a concert in Devon and a holiday in Newcastle in the UK, followed by a long-haul flight from Paris to Johannesburg.
He was travelling with his Lockey Hill cello contained in a BAM Hightech case with a flight cover, which he uses when a concert promoter does not have the budget to buy the cello and extra seat.
All legs of his trip were booked on KLM, apart from the Paris-Johannesburg leg, which was on Air France. There was no issue checking in the BAM flight case on any of the KLM flights.
At the airport in Paris however, Air France airline staff refused to let Martens check in the flight case unless he paid a fee of €240, claiming that the case was 4cm too long.
Martens claims that Air France is the only airline that has ever charged him an extra fee for the flight case, and states that he has never been charged on SAA, Emirates, Qatar, Lufthansa and all of South Africa’s smaller local carriers when travelling with the flight case.
According to the BAM website, the outside dimensions of the flight case are 145 x 62 x 42cm. Air France states the total dimensions of standard baggage can measure up to 158cm/62.2 inches.
For oversized baggage, Air France states: ’If your baggage’s dimensions exceed 158 cm/62.2 in., but not 300 cm/118 in., you will need to pay an additional fee at the airport. The fee amount depends on your booking.’
In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.
In the second volume of The Strad’s Masterclass series, soloists including James Ehnes, Jennifer Koh, Philippe Graffin, Daniel Hope and Arabella Steinbacher give their thoughts on some of the greatest works in the string repertoire. Each has annotated the sheet music with their own bowings, fingerings and comments.
The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.