As we’ve previously covered at Tone Deaf, our homegrown musicians have something of a tumultuous relationship with Australian airlines. They obviously need their services, but they don’t always feel as though the airlines are looking out for them.
For whatever reason, it seems that certain airlines don’t have the kind of respect for musical instruments that they perhaps warrant, especially seeing as most instruments are as expensive as they are delicate and often sentimentally treasured.
About a year ago, we wrote about the fallout that ensued after Blue Mountains hip-hop outfit Thundamnetals posted a video of a Virgin Australia baggage handler roughly throwing their live equipment onto a conveyor.
Now, Perth band Miles Away have expressed their own dissatisfaction with how a Virgin employee ‘handled’ their instruments, sharing a video of a baggage handler taking one of their guitars off a conveyor and throwing it onto pile of hard-cases on the ground.
“We were greeted very nicely upon arrival at the airport. And the best of care was taken with our guitars,” the band wrote in a tongue-in-cheek missive posted to their official Facebook page.
“Thank you Virgin Australia and Perth Airport for taking great pride in selecting employees who are great at their job while having the utmost respect for fragile musical equipment. Unnecessary and disappointing.”
We were greeted very nicely upon arrival at the airport. And the best of care was taken with our guitars. Thank you…
Posted by MILES AWAY onSaturday, December 19, 2015
“You dog,” one of the band members can be heard saying on the video, which has racked up 3 million views and accrued more than 17,000 likes and 22,000 shares. Check out the video above.
The clip is particularly disappointing in light of Virgin Australia’s past support for Aussie musicians. Along with QANTAS, the airline came on board with the Australian Music Industry Network’s (AMIN) musician baggage allowance proposal several years back.
In March, they went one step further, joining AMIN’s new preferred supplier deal, which provides Australian musicians with a dedicated travel portal where they can get discounted Virgin Australia fares and other benefits.
