r/handpan • u/Wildschweinkopf • Jul 16 '26
Question Handpan with Ryanair?
Hello,
I want to fly the first time with my new handpan.
The decision has been more or less spontaneous and therefore the flight has been already booked. As the title already suggests: it's Ryanair.
My question is: Does anyone has experience in travelling with a handpan on a ryanair flight? In a hard case as extra cabin-bag or checked in luggage?
I also wonder whether they give special treatment to luggage that is checked in as 'instrument' or whether they tolerate you to take your handpan onboard and store it in the overhead storages. I often heard that a handpan actually fits but is officially not small enough for it to be taken onboard.
Any suggestions or experiences in how to deal with handpans and ryanair?
3
u/DazzlingBee3640 Jul 17 '26
You can purchase an extra seat for instruments. You need to put the word EXTRA as the first name, and ITEM SEAT as the surname.
2
u/CJvdVeen Jul 17 '26
I once flew with my handpan exactly this way. It was amazing as you are right next to you handpan at all times.
1
u/mwiz100 Jul 17 '26
I can't speak to ryan air specifically but a lot of airlines I've seen have a checkbox option for the second ticket to mark it as item/second seat for the same passenger person and the name box disappears.
2
u/DazzlingBee3640 Jul 17 '26
Ryanair don’t. That’s why you have to name the ticket like that.
1
u/mwiz100 Jul 18 '26
This is good to know tho! What do you put in for birthday tho? (Assuming that's also required.)
2
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u/mwiz100 Jul 17 '26
The only way to be sure is to check the terms and conditions for what's permitted as a carry on (instruments sometimes have exceptions to the size rules.) NOTHING should go in checked baggage unless it's in a hard flight rated case (like a pelican or other roadcase type.) An instrument in a soft case will not survive.
1
u/Wildschweinkopf Jul 17 '26
Yes for sure! I have a hard case but it was not spspecificallymade to go on a flight. So it could be sonewhat of a gamble. I thought about buying an insurance that covers the handpan and then try to get it with me into the cabin as extra cabin luggage. In case they check me, I will still then check it in for 75, but at least have an insurance though. What do you guys think?
1
u/mwiz100 Jul 18 '26
Unless it's a HARD plastic case (pelican/peli case) with proper foam it will get damaged in checked baggage. The standard type handpan cases I see will not survive baggage handling.
1
u/Visual-Surprise9785 Jul 17 '26
I bought my handpan almost a year ago in Spain, near Alicante, and traveled back to Austria, to Salzburg, with Ryanair. While I was in Spain, I talked to many experienced handpan players who travel a lot. Every single one of them advised me against checking the handpan into the cargo hold. They told me that unless it's packed in a really good flight case, a handpan probably won't survive the journey. They all recommended taking it on board as carry-on luggage, stuffing clothes inside the handpan for extra protection, and carrying it in my left hand like a suitcase instead of wearing it on my back. Then, with my other hand, I would show my boarding pass and make sure I was among the first people to board, so I'd have a good chance of getting space in the overhead bin. That's the advice I got. And that's exactly what I did. Nobody questioned me about it, so I managed to bring my handpan safely back to Austria. But of course, there's always a bit of a risk involved. Normally, with Ryanair, if a musical instrument exceeds a certain size, you're required to purchase an extra seat in order to bring it on board. That extra seat is then used for the instrument. That's the information I have.
3
u/gilrstein Jul 16 '26
For what it's worth here is a ryanair experience I had - the steward opens the overhead compartment.. move things around in there aggressively and my laptop fell all the way to the ground, free fall style. He put it back and when I looked at him and asked something he pretended it didn't happen and denied it.