A world-renowned violinist claims she was publicly humiliated when she was denied boarding her flight over her 200-year-old violin that she tried to bring onto the plane.
Sony Classical-signed musician Esther Abrami slammed Ryanair on Instagram Wednesday for allegedly treating her poorly when she tried to travel from Marseille, France, to Berlin, Germany, to record her third studio album.
“This is the first time I have experienced such rudeness and public humiliation,” Abrami wrote in a fired-up post to her over 300K followers.
“Just before boarding the flight, I was stopped and told I could not board on with my violin. I offered to pay whatever it would cost to take it with me, they refused.”
The 27-year-old French native said she offered to buy an extra seat on the flight for the centuries-old instrument but was told by the Ryanair staff that the flight was closed and she could not “buy an extra seat anymore (despite the flight not being full).”
Abrami pleaded that the violin was fragile and valuable while the airline issued a harsh ultimatum — check the instrument with the rest of the luggage or leave the airport.
“I begged them, explaining I was recording this very same day for my album, telling them that I had flown an incredible number of times with this company and never experienced this,” Abrami said.
She risked taking the violin out of its case, only using its fabric protection to guard it from damage and hold it tight to her the whole flight.
The young classical artist claims the Ryanair staff then “made” her put the case on the floor, take the violin out, and place it into “the place to measure suitcases.”
“The requirement for the cabin luggage -which I had paid for already- is a length of 55cm [21 in]. My violin measures 56cm [22 in], it fitted diagonally, and otherwise was 1cm over. Even this was refused,” She wrote.
Seeing no choice but to get to Berlin for her recording session, Abrami said she was “incredibly fortunate” to book another flight with a different airline that did not give her the same trouble carrying her cherished violin.
“Not every musician can have this opportunity. Missing a flight often means losing a vital work opportunity, whether it’s a gig, a recording session, or an important meeting,” Abrami pointed out.
“In an industry where every opportunity counts, such an incident can have a ripple effect, impacting reputation and future prospects. This is simply unacceptable.”
Ryanair told the Post that “Violinists traveling with Ryanair have to obey the same rules as everyone else; if it fits it can go onboard, but if it doesn’t it goes in the hold.”
Fans of Abrami and fellow musicians quickly flooded the comments of her post to express their outrage over the alleged incident.
“Absolutely unacceptable @ryanair I will never fly with you again!” wrote fellow violinist Tiffany Laurén.
“Shame to you @ryanair!!!!!! Instead of supporting the artists that you might be listening to, you make their lives harder!” Musician Alexandra Hauser commented.
“@ryanair losing business. Most musicians I know refuse to fly Ryanair with instruments because of instances like this,” Pianist Eliane Correa wrote.
The talented violinist plays “a fine Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin, kindly loaned to her through the Beare’s International Violin Society,” according to her website.
Abrami is a classically trained violinist who graduated from the Royal College of Music in London and completed her master’s degree at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
The young artist signed with Sony Classical, was listed as a “Rising Star” by BBC Music Magazine in 2021, and debuted at Royal Albert Hall in 2022.
Abrami won first prize at the Vatelot Rampal violin competition, The Arts of Instrumental Performance Concert Series “The Arts of Strings,” and the IMKA International Music Competition.