Soloist forced to travel with ‘naked’ 1782 violin as airline refuses her boarding with case

2 December 2025, 17:18 | Updated: 2 December 2025, 17:27

The German soloist, who said she had “tears rolling down her cheeks” in shock, had to check in her empty case as extra baggage.

Violinist Carolin Widmann joined the swelling ranks of instrumentalists encountering airline trouble earlier this week when she tried to board a Lufthansa flight at Helsinki Airport with her 1782 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini instrument.

Despite frequent flying experience and previous compliant travels with the same airline, the German soloist claims that the staff in Helsinki applied sizing rules in a way not encountered previously.

The musician’s only solution was to travel holding the violin outside of its case, after being forced to check the empty case as extra baggage, to avoid risking damage or loss.

Widmann said the Lufthansa staff onboard were sympathetic but ground staff maintained the strict interpretation of rules.

Widmann said on Instagram, “Despite my pleading, arguing, and despite my tears: They had no mercy and insisted that the rule had to be followed.”

Lufthansa told Classic FM that its hand baggage limits are in place “to distribute the loading capacity to each passenger in an equal way”.

Read more: Violinist accuses airline of ‘complete injustice’ for refusing boarding

The flight crew helped her file a complaint and in response, Widmann said, “I have received a standard answer email, giving me the link where I can check in skis and snowboards…”

The violinist, who is a professor at the University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig and had been playing with the Tapiola Sinfonietta in Espoo, Finland, said she had, “tears rolling down my cheeks because I felt so protective of my instrument and was so shocked at the completely stubborn and nonsensical insistence on ‘rules’ that seem to be brutally implemented at Helsinki airport only…”

Widmann added, “We violinists depend on our instruments being treated securely and with respect – namely, traveling in a safe violin case from A to B.”

In an email to Classic FM, a spokesperson for Lufthansa said: “Generally speaking, musical instruments are carried free of charge in the cabin. They must not exceed the dimensions of 55 x 40 x 20 cm. Standard violin cases typically exceed the 55 cm limit. In these cases we can offer the option to purchase a cabin baggage, that reserves a neighbouring seat to fix the instrument (e.g. a cello) on this seat.

“This is in accordance with company regulations and the communication outlined on our website. Or the instrument is taken out of the case to meet the allowed dimension on board. The safety of our flight has the highest priority.”

By chance, Carolin bumped into leading Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta on the plane. She added on Instagram that seeing Gabetta “was the sunshine of my otherwise awful day”.