Musician denied boarding with baroque instruments at Cork Airport

A professional musician was stopped from boarding two flights at Cork Airport with his baroque instruments, forcing him to travel via Dublin Airport to reach his destination.

Pablo Zapico arrived in Cork on 2 July with a theorbo and a baroque guitar for the West Cork Music festival, travelling on KLM. He normally books an extra seat for the theorbo and carries the guitar as cabin baggage.

At the boarding gate, a staff member told him the two instruments could not fit on one seat. Zapico refused to place either instrument in the hold, citing their fragility and values of €9,000 and €12,000.

Denied boarding, his checked suitcase was unloaded and he had to purchase a new flight to Billund with Lufthansa for the following day, incurring €564.42 for two seats and €163.37 for a hotel.

The same issue recurred the next day with a different airline, prompting Zapico to reroute via Dublin. Lufthansa changed his origin to Dublin, but he still faced extra costs of €110.94 for seats, €65 for checked baggage and €43.20 for a bus from Cork city centre.

Zapico’s experience highlights difficulties faced by musicians travelling with specialised, high‑value instruments.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: AirTeo | Air Travel / Pexels.