Hong Kong Airlines apologises to award-winning artist for damage to guitar
Hong Kong Airlines forced performer René Izquierdo to check his designer instrument in
Hong Kong Airlines has apologised to an award-winning classical guitarist whose designer instrument was broken after the flight crew insisted he check it in.
According to his friend Chris Wong's posting on Facebook, the guitar - which cost over HK$100,000 - had its headstock broken after the flight arrived in Taiwan.
"René has the experience of performing around the world, and he knew the guitar should be hand-carried," Wong said, adding that the airline had refused to compensate Izquierdo properly for the damage.
A spokeswoman for the airline said that the company was seeking a solution with the passenger and had apologised for the inconvenience it caused.
But she added that it was the general policy for passengers to either check in a heavy musical instrument or to purchase an extra flight ticket for it.
The spokeswoman said the cause of the damage to the guitar was being investigated.
Izquierdo, who has a master's degree from the Yale University school of music, had come to Hong Kong for a performance at Baptist University.
Wong said Izquierdo had only owned the guitar for a month. It was crafted by Spanish master guitar maker Antonio Marin Montero, after he heard one of Izquierdo's performances. Montero reportedly only makes a few instruments each year.
