French violinist and TikTok sensation Esther Abrami faced a distressing experience when she was refused boarding on a Ryanair flight due to her violin. Abrami was traveling from Marseille to Berlin to record her third album with Sony Classical when airline staff insisted she either check her 200-year-old Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin or leave it behind.
Abrami, who boasts a TikTok following of over 425,000, reported that her violin, which was 1 cm over the 55 cm baggage allowance, could fit diagonally in the overhead compartment. Despite her efforts to resolve the issue—offering to purchase an extra seat, check the case while carrying the violin by hand, or pay for additional space—her proposals were all rejected. Abrami said she was instructed to “get out of the way” if she refused to check her instrument and felt “completely humiliated” by the encounter.
“This is the first time I have experienced such rudeness and public humiliation,” Abrami shared in an Instagram post.
She also noted that this was the first time she had faced such a problem with Ryanair, despite having flown with the airline numerous times before. Ultimately, Abrami had to book a last-minute flight with another airline on the same day.
Abrami’s experience highlights a recurring issue faced by musicians traveling with their instruments. Many have encountered similar problems, as checking instruments as luggage poses the risk of damage or destruction.
In mid-August, Slipped Disc reported that violist Florian Peelman, son of Sydney-based conductor and pianist Roland Peelman, was prevented from boarding a Brussels Airlines flight because his viola case exceeded the baggage allowance, despite previous flights posing no issues.
Earlier this year, Melbourne musician Mark Elton had his $13,000 double bass severely damaged on a Qantas flight.
