[kika1802]

Last year, I was due to travel with AF/KLM and was expected to carry a musical instrument with me (64cm x 34cm x 23cm). I contacted AF/KLM who applied their rules (maximum overall size of 115 cm) to the letter and told me that I was not allowed to carry this as a hand-luggage (since the overall size was 121 cm, that is six cm above the limit).

I agreed with this and made alternative arrangements for the instrument (despite having flown with the instrument on other, more open-minded, airlines before - on many different planes - and having had many opportunities to check that it fits easily in the overhead locker, with the length fitting in the depth of the locker).

However, I was very surprised, during the AF/KLM flight, to see somebody carrying a guitar as a hand-luggage (stored in the overhead locker), despite it being well over the overall maximum size.
I therefore looked at AF/KLM policy on hand-luggage and saw that, as an example of a musical instrument being allowed (i.e. with an overall size of less than 115 cm) was the guitar (when guitars are clearly above that overall size).

It seems that, since then, AF/KLM must have realized the incoherence in their policy since this has now been changed to "violin". It is nonetheless still common to see guitars being carried as hand-luggage in overhead lockers.

It is therefore extremely disappointing to see that AF/KLM applies different standards to different passengers.
I can only advise against traveling with AF/KLM as they appear to apply their policy in a rather random way and one cannot be sure about what happens to them until check-in, when it is too late.
I have since then regularly flown with BA which seems to have a more sensible approach to this issue.