Best Way to Travel with Digital Stage Piano

Best ways to travel with a Digital Stage Piano, how to safely transport your 88-key piano when traveling by airplane.

• Check-in your 88-key piano with other luggage
• Make sure you are using a hard shell case for your keyboard
• Carry a lightweight keyboard instead (if it doesn’t make much of a difference to your performance)

Question:
Hi, What’s the best Way to Travel with my Yamaha P-115 Digital Stage Piano? I will be moving from Japan to Hong Kong and was wondering what’s the best way to move my digital piano – carry it myself or ship it? I have checked with a couple of shipping firms but their charges are just exorbitant so I am afraid I have to rule it out unless somebody knows of any affordable options. I have even checked with various Airways, and only British Airways seems to have a musical instrument policy.

There is no additional allowance for musical instruments, but they can be carried as part of your free checked baggage allowance. If the instrument is in addition to your free checked baggage allowance, you will need to pay an extra bag charge. We will accept a musical instrument between 23-45kg and up to the dimensions: 190cm x 75cm x 65cm (75in x 29.5in x 25.5in) only if that piece cannot be broken down. A double bass will still be accepted even if it exceeds the maximum dimensions.
You must notify us at the time of booking, or at least 24 hours before your flight, if you are travelling with a musical instrument. American Airlines and Iberia have different allowances for the carriage of small musical instruments. Please follow the links on this page to ‘Information if you’re travelling on American Airlines and Iberia’ for more information about their allowances.

So how do I pack my digital stage piano for the Flight? Do I need to use an ATA case? What if I use semi-hard case for my piano? Will the carriers still allow it or they would not know the difference anyways? I could buy a good flight case now but then my previous experiences with Gator have not been pleasant, with handles breaking off. So please let me know if there are good shops in the US that can ship a flight case to Japan (the shipping rates need to be decent though). Thanks all for hearing me out any all responses will be much appreciated. – Mill

Answers:
Depends on for how long you are going. If it’s for long term I would sell off the digital piano and buy something else at the new place. In any case, a hard case should be fine. They are all very tough; I haven’t encountered any experience of handles breaking off. – Gerome

Why do you even want to consider a semi hard case for travelling? As it is you will have other luggage with you, besides you don’t want the added stress of things breaking or falling off. I would only use an ATA flight case. If cost is a concern, you don’t have to buy a new one. You can definitely get good used flight cases from any music store. – Abby

Read: Best Keyboard Hard Cases reviewed here.

If it’s just a onetime move as opposed to musicians who do gigs very frequently, then you should just pack it yourself, take insurance and check it in with the other luggage. Just ensure that the packing is robust. Put it in a box and wrap your P95 piano in bubble wrap so that it is covered with at least 2 inches thickness on all the six sides. Once done, put it in another box and repeat the same. I think this is a much cost-effective approach than buying a high end flight case, which could cost anything around $500-$600. I really don’t think it is worth so much just for one time move. Alternatively if you want to ship, remember that shipping via airline is more expensive. Shipping it through freight forwarding companies (Fedex, UPS) can be comparatively cheaper. Check out with them. – Plammy

Hey, was wondering what did you actually do, and if it worked out fine. I’m in a similar situation, and was thinking of doing the double boxing thing, as I couldn’t find a case for the model (privia px 135)and will definitely take it from the UK to Brazil, where I live, as there the same model is twice the price. – Gabriel

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