NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville singer-songwriter's heartfelt Christmas surprise for her father turned into a travel nightmare when Frontier Airlines allegedly broke the guitar she planned to give him, despite federal laws protecting musicians' instruments.
Kaylin Roberson had hoped to give her dad his first guitar for Christmas, planning a special father-daughter music lesson. But after flying Frontier from Nashville to Philadelphia, she discovered the instrument's neck was completely broken off, making it unplayable.
"I want to be able to sit down, play a few chords with her. She let me sing with her a long time ago," Roberson's father said.
The gift held deep meaning for both musicians. Roberson's father has been a longtime supporter of her music career.
"He's been a champion of my music. I've come out dancing and singing, and when I wanted to pursue music, there was no question about it," Roberson said.
Her father shared the family's musical connection: "I've always loved music, and so obviously you see what I've done. She's in Nashville playing the guitar. I can't even play the guitar, but I want to."
Airline allegedly violated carry-on policy
Roberson says Frontier Airlines told her to check the guitar instead of allowing her to carry it on as originally planned.
"We were told we could not bring any of our carry-ons that we had paid for, that we had to check everything," Roberson said.
She documented finding the damaged instrument after the flight.
"Of course it would be the time I'm trying to give my dad a gift — a brand new guitar," Roberson said.
Federal law and FAA rules require airlines to allow passengers to carry on instruments if there's adequate bin space available on the plane.
Hours of calls yield no resolution
After spending hours on the phone with airlines, airports and the Department of Transportation, Roberson was told she was out of luck due to various policies.
Despite the broken guitar, she still managed to surprise her father with the damaged instrument.
"They got me. I choked up pretty good," her father said. "She came back with a guitar. It was like, 'Here you go.' What do you mean? I have no idea why, but I just grabbed me. It wasn't about the guitar — the thought of it, that was cool."
He reflected on their shared musical journey: "It could be the journey of her in music and me always loving music. You kind of live vicariously for your kids a little bit."
Musicians union steps in to help
Dave Pomeroy, president of the Nashville Musicians Association AFM Local 257, says his organization has worked with the airline industry for more than a decade to improve instrument travel conditions for musicians.
"The new carry-on rules we got approved in 2012 have allowed musicians to carry their instruments on the plane if they fit in the bin and they board early enough to have room in the bins for their instrument," Pomeroy said.
He noted that when instruments are checked, airlines bear responsibility for careful handling.
"Unfortunately that doesn't always happen, and we've often had to intervene in order to get the airlines to accept responsibility for their actions," Pomeroy said. "Overall, we've had good luck with getting them to do the right thing, but every case is unique. We will be working on this with the owner of the guitar to see what we can do to get appropriate compensation for the damage that was inflicted."
Pomeroy said Nashville has more musicians traveling with instruments than any other airport in the country. While they've generally had success working with Nashville's airport on problems, current issues exist with TSA security agents mishandling instruments due to new scanners that don't accommodate most instruments.
The union is now working with BNA, the FAA and TSA to address these ongoing issues.
After I began investigating this story for Roberson, the musicians union got involved to help get the guitar repaired.
For Roberson and her father, the broken guitar represents more than monetary loss.
"It's not so much about the monetary value of them as it is the sentimental value and the stories they tell and the journey that guitar goes through," Roberson said.
Their broken guitar may just be the beginning of a good song.
Are you a musician who has had instruments damaged during air travel? I want to hear from you. Email me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
