Proms conductor slams airport security
Musicians are currently banned from taking their instruments onto aircraft as hand luggage
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Sunday, 10, Sep 2006 09:26
A Proms conductor has criticised new airport security measures which prevent musicians from taking their instruments onto aircraft as hand luggage.
Under current rules, introduced by the government in the wake of last month's alleged terror plot to blow up transatlantic airliners, airline passengers are permitted to carry just one item of hand luggage which must be no larger than a laptop bag.
But Mark Elder, a guest conductor for the BBC Symphony Orchestra at yesterday's Last Night of the Proms, claimed that performers were facing "enormous difficulty" as a result of the policy.
His comments follow claims by the Musicians' Union that its members are reporting a loss of earnings because of the ban on taking their instruments into aircraft cabins, with performers claiming that many instruments are too fragile to be placed in the holds of airliners.
Addressing the audience at last night's Albert Hall show, Mr Elder said: "The one aspect of the situation that really affects us here on the platform is the enormous difficulty that so many musicians are having at the moment in travelling by plane into this country and out of it."
The conductor, who said that the present state of affairs was "greatly to be regretted", added: "I think we would all agree that the time has come really to put an end to this unfairness."
"Otherwise it seems to me that next year we should all look forward to 'Concerto for Laptop and Orchestra'," he lamented.
Responding to the comments, a Department for Transport spokeswoman said that instruments would continue having to be checked into the hold of aircraft until the current security situation at airports was downgraded.