Published: 2 December 2025, 17:18 | Updated: 2 December 2025, 17:27
German soloist and violinist Carolin Widmann found herself confronting airline travel difficulties this past week when attempting to board a Lufthansa flight at Helsinki Airport with her valuable 1782 Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin.
Widmann, an experienced traveler who had previously flown without incident on the same airline with her instrument, reported that staff at Helsinki applied baggage size regulations in an unusually strict manner, unlike her past experiences.
Faced with being denied boarding if she carried the violin in its case, Widmann was forced to travel holding the violin itself outside of its protective case, while the empty case was checked in separately as extra luggage. This was her only option to safeguard the instrument from potential damage or loss, as she explained.
Although Lufthansa flight crew aboard were reportedly understanding and sympathetic toward Widmann’s situation, the ground staff who enforced the baggage rules insisted on adhering rigidly to the protocols.
Widmann expressed her distress on social media, stating, “Despite my pleading, arguing, and tears, the staff showed no mercy and insisted the rule had to be followed.” She described the experience as emotionally painful, with “tears rolling down her cheeks,” feeling protective over her precious instrument and shocked by the inflexible enforcement of seemingly unreasonable rules.
Lufthansa clarified their baggage policy by informing Classic FM that the hand luggage limits are designed “to distribute the loading capacity to each passenger in an equal way.” The airline stated that musical instruments are usually allowed onboard free of charge if they do not exceed the dimensions of 55 x 40 x 20 cm, which standard violin cases often surpass.
To accommodate larger instruments, Lufthansa offers passengers the option to purchase an additional cabin seat to securely place the instrument onboard, commonly used for larger items such as cellos. Alternatively, passengers can travel with the instrument removed from its case if it complies with size restrictions. The airline emphasized that passenger and flight safety is their highest priority.
Following the incident, Widmann filed a complaint with assistance from the flight crew. However, she received a standard response email providing information on checking in skis and snowboards, which she found unhelpful.
Widmann, who serves as a professor at the University of Music and Theatre in Leipzig and had been performing recently with the Tapiola Sinfonietta in Espoo, Finland, underscored the importance of having instruments transported safely and respectfully in proper cases throughout travel.
On a positive note during her difficult day, Widmann coincidentally encountered renowned Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta on the flight, describing the meeting as “the sunshine of my otherwise awful day.”
— The Violin Post Editorial Staff
