Pipers in Ireland are lauding a major victory over European airlines after the EU drew up plans to compel carriers to allow them to bring small instruments on board.
The proposals are contained in proposals to strengthen passenger rights, due to come into force in early 2015.
The enhanced rights for musicians comes following a stream of complaints over the stance taken by a number of airlines over bringing instruments on board.
A set of bagpipes can cost several thousand pounds, and pipers on the short hop from Belfast to Scotland for the major championships are often loathe to place their prized instrument in the hold.
One Belfast piper I know told me a horror story recently of his bagpipes being so mangled on a trip back from Italy - where he was playing at a concert - that it cost more than £1,000 to repair.
"I wasn't allowed to take them on as hand luggage and when I saw the case coming round on the carousel I couldn't believe my eyes," he told Piping Digest.
The enhanced rights for musicians comes following a stream of complaints over the stance taken by a number of carriers over bringing instruments on board.
Under the revised regulations airlines must accept smaller instruments and clearly state the terms and conditions under which they are put in the hold.
On many occasions musicians have been refused permission to bring instruments on board, even when they are of considerable value.
Deborah Annetts of the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) welcomed the proposals for EU regulations.
"Musicians have long been sending us horror stories of broken instruments and while we have had success with individual airlines such as easyJet, the proposal for regulations will come as music to the ears of many musicians travelling around the EU,
"These regulations, if they go ahead, will be of huge benefit to musicians."
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