If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re a fairly frequent user of the fantastic modern mode of transportation, the aeroplane. If you count yourself as one of those rank, chances are good you’ve also partaken in the modern amenity of having something valuable broken while in transit. Like the poet said, you haven’t really flown if you end at your destination with all your personal belongings intact.
If you have had the frustration of travelling over oceans and landmasses in a flying metal tube and finding out at the end of it your prized musical instrument or trophy or similar sentimentally-valued item has had a slight mishap with itself, the floor, and the shoddy inside and poor padding of your chosen container, why not invest in a flight case?
Contrary to the name, flight cases are not solely for use of aeroplanes and other flying vehicles, but also can be used for trains, boats, large cars, pretty much anywhere you need to put them, although 3,000 feet in the air is definitely one of the top places you want to keep your favourite things safe. Not many commercial airline pilots are professionals at repairing priceless family heirlooms or authentic Stradivarius violins, so probably best to work on keeping them all together for the duration of your flight.
Like dogs, you can get many different types of flight cases, each suited for your specific needs. Padded cases for the journeys where you’ll be jostled about a lot, waterproof cases for those intrepid travellers in the damper climes of the world, aluminium flight cases for when you don’t only want to look stylish, but keep whatever is in the case safe and sound, and of course, dozens of customizations, including locks, shaped foam fittings, separate compartments for the traveller with several things to store, even removable trays and drawers!
Many companies only do specific types of flight cases (as an example, some may only provide cases with locks, cases with paddings, cases with wheels, and cases with trays, but none with all four of those features), but more and more companies are taking custom requests. Finally, you can buy a flight case with the features that suit you, down to the amount of padding, number of individual locks, whether you want it with wheels or without, and in some cases, even the colour and style of the case. Nobody wants to be dragging around a drab, ugly-looking case, do they?
Some people complain about flight cases, claiming they’re too expensive for the usual traveller, but nowadays this is simply not true! Flight case manufacturers in recent years have managed to knock their prices down so much, you’re potentially wasting more money on broken personal items than you would simply buying a case and saving yourself the hassle.
