U.S. Airways refused to let two musicians carry their violins on a flight out of Charlotte Monday.
In response, the musicians shot a video and put it on YouTube. Just a day after posting, the video already had nearly 100,000 views.
Zach De Pue and Nick Kendall are two members of the classical music trio Time For Three. They said they travel all the time for concerts across the country. They told TV show "Right This Minute" that they had never been told they could not carry their instruments on a plane.
"We were just greeted by a steward who said, 'You have to check those instruments,' and we said, 'These are violins,'" said De Pue.
The pair said they were just making a connection in Charlotte on the way to an art festival in Arkansas.
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When the captain told them their violins were not allowed on the flight, they said they were left alone on the tarmac with no direction from U.S. Airways. As they waited, the two made the video of De Pue practicing his music.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration's rules, a small instrument as carry-on baggage includes a violin. The rules also state the instrument can be stowed safely in a suitable baggage compartment in the aircraft cabin or under a passenger seat.
"We may be a little more outgoing and willing to make a stance in the most surprising circumstances, like out on a tarmac with the jet engines, but this happens so many times," Kendall said.
Kendall said the instruments need to be carried on because they are so fragile. Combined, both violins are worth a half million dollars.
U.S. Airways put them on a later flight and allowed them to bring their instruments.
