Image Credit: Stephanie Ervin

Getting kicked off planes.

First, it was United Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville when the doctor was dragged off the plane.

Then, it was the American Airlines flight with the mother and the stroller.

Next, it was a family on a Delta flight, and now a musician on another American flight.

What do these folks all have in common?

They were all thrown off their flights.

In the most recent case, a professional musician was kicked off an American Airlines flight after his cello was deemed a safety risk.

No, he wasn’t trying to place it in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of him—that would have been physically impossible.

Instead, like many other professional musicians have done for years, he purchased an extra ticket so he could strap his $100,000 cello into the seat next to him for the trip from Washington, D.C. to Chicago.

But the airline said no.

Unlike the dentist, neither the musician nor the cello was injured when they were thrown off.

One small consolation: at least the airline promised to refund the cello’s ticket.

One additional consolation: thankfully, the musician did not check the cello.

We all know what would have happened.

For more information about air travel, check out:

• How Rules Could Change After Recent Airline Incidents
• The Amount of Money Airlines Can Offer You on Overbooked Flights
• How Airline On-Time Performance is Measured

Keep reading for more travel tips.