(WSVN) - An American Airlines passenger said she was taken off a flight because of the size of her cello, even though she purchased a seat for the instrument.
Musician Jingjing Hu’s husband, Jay Tang, posted to Facebook following the news detailing the situation. Tang said he was told by American Airlines that his wife buying two round-trip tickets — one for her, one for her cello — was “absolutely allowed.”
“When I flew from Chicago to Miami, I didn’t have any trouble with that,” Hu said to WMAQ.
Hu was met with trouble when she boarded her return flight to Chicago. Fox News reported that Hu said she was told her cello was too big for the seat.
Hu said, however, that the cello met seat size restrictions. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. airlines must accept musical instruments as carry-on or checked baggage on commercial flights.
Tang wrote on Facebook that he thinks Hu was removed due to an overbooked flight.
Fox News received a statement by American Airlines that reads in part, “Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication about whether the cello she was traveling with met the requirements to fit onboard the particular aircraft she was flying, a Boeing 737. We rebooked our passenger on a flight the next morning on a larger aircraft, a Boeing 767. We provided her a hotel and meal accommodations for the inconvenience.”
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