Dispute with airline has musicians fiddling on the tarmac

A dispute over two violins on a US Airways flight ended with a musician fiddling away his time on the tarmac at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The feud resulted in a YouTube video that already has more than 200,000 views.

The musicians, Zach De Pue and Nick Kendall, from the group Time For Three, were making a connection in Charlotte, N.C., on their way to a music festival in Arkansas.

According to De Pue and Kendall, the pilot told them that federal laws require that all musical instruments be checked into the cargo bin.
When the musicians refused to check their instruments, they were directed off the plane and onto the tarmac, where De Pue played his violin in protest as Kendall documented the performance on a video camera.

According to US Airways, the violins would not fit in the overhead bin. Still, the carrier issued a statement, apologizing to the musicians and booked them on a later flight.

For the record, FAA officials say federal law allows musical instruments as carry-on items as long as they fit under the seat or in the overhead bin.

“You can even bring a guitar if it fits in the overhead bin,” said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor.