Vintage Guitar Crushed By Delta Airlines In Service Elevator

A vintage guitar, a 1965 Gibson ES-335, was accidentally crushed by Delta airlines employees in their service elevator. The musicians involved say they are not “greedy dudes” and simply wish to be refunded the $1,980 necessary to repair the guitar.

In what can only be called a musician’s worst nightmare, Dave Schneider, guitarist and singer for Hanukkah-themed rock band The LeeVees, described how his prized vintage guitar was crushed in an elevator by baggage handlers at a Detroit airport. According to Yahoo News, he started the day with a bad feeling, and he requested that Delta employees not check the guitar in:

“I’ve always carried it on. Never been a problem before.”

Delta officials refused so he even offered to pay for an extra seat on the airplane in order to allow his prized vintage guitar to fly in style. Schneider says as justification for this request he even showed Delta a link to a New York Times story about Congress passing the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 that made it easier for musicians to fly with their instruments. This reasonable request was also denied.

So the lead singer took the flight with trepidation rocking out a party in his stomach. When the rockers arrived at the gate for their checked guitars, Schneider asked a member of the Delta flight crew to check on his prized vintage guitar and he was told it would be fine. But as the musicians waited for the luggage to appear, they could hear a screeching noise coming from the elevator:

“It was this crazy sound. Metal on metal.”

The case carrying Schneider’s vintage guitar was lodged between the mobile service elevator and a rail on the loading dock, shaking the elevator door. The case even bent a steel beam where the guitar was pinned, requiring workers an hour to dislodge it. The guitar sustained damage to the bridge, neck and tail that would cost an estimated $1,980. But so far the rocker claims Delta has given him the “runaround.” Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant said in an emailed statement that they were attempting to rectify the situation:

“This instance is certainly not indicative of the high regard we hold for our customers’ property when they travel with us, and for that, we apologize. We look forward to making a direct and sincere apology to the customer as we work with him to rectify what happened.”

Doesn’t exactly make you eager to trust airlines like Delta with your precious cargo, now does it?