‘I never expected this reaction’ – Esther Abrami refused boarding with 200-year-old violin on Ryanair flight

10 September 2024, 15:22

Esther Abrami denied boarding on Ryanair flight over violin

TikTok virtuoso Esther Abrami claims she was ‘spoken to like a piece of garbage’ as Ryanair staff insisted her fragile instrument be hold luggage.

A leading young violinist says that she experienced public humiliation and had to hold back tears as she was denied boarding on a flight from her family home in Marseille to Berlin for a recording session.

British-French violinist Esther Abrami, who is one of classical music’s leading lights on social media, says that she was “spoken to like a piece of garbage” as Ryanair insisted she could not bring her instrument with her for the European flight.

“I was refused boarding on a Ryanair flight with my 200 years old violin today,” she said in an Instagram post on Tuesday evening. “On my way to Berlin, departing from Marseille to record my third album with Sony Classical, this is the first time I have experienced such rudeness and public humiliation.”

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A post shared by Esther Abrami (@estherabrami)

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Abrami was named as one of Classic FM’s Rising Stars in 2021. In April 2022 she made her Royal Albert Hall debut playing Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending at Classic FM Live. As a recording artist, she made her Song Classical debut in 2022.

It is on social media where she has made her biggest impact, with over one million followers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Her posts and videos are credited to inspiring a new generation of string players.

“Just before boarding the flight I was stopped and told I could not board on with my violin,” she explained in a post and story. “I offered to pay whatever it would cost to take it with me, they refused. I offered to buy an extra seat, they said the flight was closed already and I could not buy an extra seat anymore (despite the flight not being full).”

“I explained the price and the fragility of the violin. I begged them, explaining I was recording this very same day for my album, telling that I had flown an incredible number of times with this company and never experienced this.”

“They made me open my case on the floor, put the violin in the place to measure suitcases. The requirements for the cabin luggage -which I had paid for already- is a length of 55cm. My violin measures 56cm, it fitted diagonally, and otherwise was 1cm over. Even this was refused.”

The violinist said that staff then told her to “get out of the way” if she was not willing to check her fragile instrument into the plane’s luggage hold.

Esther Abrami plays Clara Schumann Romance No. 1 | Classic FM’s Rising Stars

Abrami says she feels incredibly fortunate that she was able to book a last-minute ticket on another airline. “Not every musician can have this opportunity,” she said.

“Missing a flight often means losing a vital work opportunity, whether it’s a gig, a recording session, or an important meeting.”

“In an industry where every opportunity counts, such an incident can have a ripple effect, impacting reputation and future prospects. This is simply unacceptable.”

‘It’s a painful subject for a lot of people’

Abrami has told Classic FM that the response she received to her story has been “incredible”. As of Wednesday lunchtime, her Instagram post has over 900 comments.

“It feels like it’s a subject that’s very painful for a lot of people. It sounds like so many are experiencing similar things in the musical world,” she told us.

The violinist called on airlines to be clearer about musical instrument policies, and more flexible around an individual musician’s requirements.

“This is our job – professional musicians need to travel with instruments. Maybe if we’re all speaking up something will happen,” she added.

‘Thank you for all the support I have received’

A week after she posted her story, Abrami returned to social media with a statement. “I never expected such a huge reaction to my last post,” she wrote. “Firstly thank you for all the support I have received...I know this subject has sparked a lot of comments and opinions.”

In her post she added: “I am lucky and grateful to have a community and a platform where I have a voice and I am able to express myself when I feel there is something unfair or when a change is needed. I am happy to see how much coverage this has got in the hope to see some positive change in the future.”

Abrami said she was never asked to buy an extra seat when travelling with Ryanair, and had been travelling with the airline for years with her violin as hand luggage. “I wasn’t aware of their last policy. I was ready to pay anything, including any price for a seat to get my violin on board,” she said.

Ryanair responds to Esther Abrami’s story

Classic FM contacted Ryanair for comment following Abrami’s first post.

In a statement sent to Classic FM the company said: “This passenger was not refused travel from Marseille to Berlin (on 3 September).

“Ms. Abrami booked her flight on 5 July and at the time did not opt to pay for an extra seat fare for her violin as per Ryanair’s terms and conditions when travelling with musical instruments.

“When this passenger checked in her bag at the check in desk prior to her flight she was advised by the check in desk agent of her option to purchase an additional bag where her violin would be put in the hold. The passenger refused and proceeded to the gate.

“This passenger’s violin exceeded the cabin bag dimensions permitted for her flight, and therefore she was required to pay a standard gate baggage fee at the gate. This passenger refused to pay the standard fee and instead chose not to travel on this flight.”

A spokesperson for Ryanair added that the airline permits music equipment to travel on board as long as it fits within the cabin bag allowance. For smaller music equipment like guitars or violins that exceed cabin baggage dimensions, passengers can opt to pay an extra seat fare.

As this flight was fully booked at the time of boarding, the spokesperson added, Abrami could not purchase an additional seat. Ryanair said it advises passengers to do so in advance when travelling with musical instruments.