Nord User Forum

I hardly ever take my Electro 5 out of the house, but I'm flying internationally soon and I'm hoping I will be able to take the keyboard as carry-on luggage on my plane, ideally standing it upright in a suit closet or similar.

I'm therefore looking to buy a cheap, lightweight carry case/bag for my Electro 5 HP (73 keys). I don't care if it's Nord-branded (in fact for the price I'd rather it wasn't!), but I would love to find a bag that has one of those lightweight hard moulded foam inserts that perfectly fits the Electro 5 HP and would protect particularly the keys/buttons/screen, rather than the kind with just a kind of soft 'fur' inside that doesn't look like it would offer much protection.

Any suggestions? Ideal price would be around £50, rather than like £80 for the Nord one that doesn't seem it would protect much...!

Hm, I flew very often worldwide for business reason but I can hardly imagine or remember that there was one single airline that would have allowed me to take a bag sized as big as a nord inside the cabin. I would recommend checking this first. Good luck.

I flew with the 61 key Yamaha np12 which is smaller than the Nord. I wouldn't risk having to gate check it. I will be flying with it in a 61 key gator flight case which does fit 73 keys since the Nord doesn't have pitch bend etc.

A great choice would be a bag from a company called fusion bags (https://www.fusion-bags.com/)..check their stuff out and see if something suits your preferences! they are good quality bags in different sizes and characteristics!

I've got a NE5HP, I use a Fusion 06. Fits really nicely lengthwise, and it does come with foam blocks. But it's not a full hard case, so definitely not suitable for a hold. If you can find an airline that would let you take it in the cabin then great...but I have my doubts...!

I think you will need to do some research and make some phone calls, to really understand that the possibilities are. Since you are in the UK, this might be a starting point, for your first flight which will depart from the UK: https://www.musiciansunion.org.uk/Home/ ... Instrument

(I don't know if the above site is correct; I mention it here only because it seemed reasonable after I did a web search).

But whatever rules exist in the UK will not matter when you board your return flight, when laws in the other country may matter. I will mention the US as an example. In the US there was a law passed to ensure that *certain* musical instruments could be brought on board a plane as carry on luggage - I am not up to date on the details, but in the US you still need to call the airline to confirm the details of what you hope to bring on as carry-on luggage. An individual airline may have a policy which is better than the law, but in the US this law has influenced what the airlines are willing to do.

No matter what, you will be at the mercy of whoever is at the gate - they may know or not know what the rules are. And if the person at the gate says you can't take the instrument on as carry-on luggage, you as the passenger could be in a difficult position. I would want to be prepared ahead of time with printouts of the airline's written policy, and notes from any phone calls I had with representatives of the airline.

Regarding the idea of a suit closet: don't count on this existing, or being made available to someone who has less than premier status on that airline. The airlines don't have extra space lying around in an airplane: they are squeezing people in to make money off of every square inch and every cubic inch of space in each plane.

Your keyboard will likely be classified as "oversized" if you plan to check it. I traveled with a NE5 61 key with a custom hard case and barely met the dimension requirements. It quickly gets much cheaper to rent equipment at your destination than pay overage fees. But good luck!

Thanks all, very useful information. I'll take a look at those Fusion bags, and perhaps more importantly the Musicians Union UK link as I will be flying out of the UK but likely not back with it....!! As I'm actually moving to the USA! And trying to avoid having to courier anything (I've heard a pallet can cost upwards of £1,000...!).