These musicians bought a seat for a cello worth $4.5M. Air Canada wouldn't let it on board

A pair of classical musicians, including famed British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cancelled a sold-out show in Toronto after Air Canada refused to allow them to board their flight with a cello, even though they'd purchased a seat for the instrument.

Kanneh-Mason and his pianist sister, Isata, were scheduled to perform at Koerner Hall on Wednesday but had to cancel at the last minute, the pair shared in an Instagram post.

"First we had delays, then a cancellation, and the day concluded by being denied boarding with the cello — despite having a confirmed seat for it — on a new, final flight into Toronto," they wrote.

Although they didn't specify the airline responsible in their statement, the post included a hashtag for Air Canada and also tagged Air Canada's account.

Kanneh-Mason hit the global spotlight in 2018 at the age of 19 when he played the cello during the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle, a performance that was watched by more than two billion people worldwide.

WATCH | Problems with transporting instruments persist for many artists, say musicians: 

Cellist says $4.5M instrument rejected on flight shows fundamental flaw in system

15 hours ago

Duration 5:33

Even though they'd purchased a seat for the instrument, British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and his pianist sister, Isata Kanneh-Mason, explain why they were forced to cancel a sold-out show in Toronto after Air Canada refused to allow them to board their flight with a cello that is more than 300 years old.

A spokesperson for Air Canada told CBC News in an email that the airline has a policy of accepting cellos in the cabin when a separate seat has been booked.

"In this case, the customers made a last-minute booking due to their original flight on another airline being cancelled," the spokesperson said. "We are still reviewing what happened including why the cello was not successfully rebooked."

The cello in question is more than 300 years old, constructed around 1700 by famous Venetian luthier Matteo Goffriller. According to a short film about the instrument, it's worth more than three million euros, or about $4.5 million Cdn.

Air Canada's policy states that an extra seat must be purchased for a musical instrument that doesn't fit in the overhead bin or under the seat and that the instrument must not exceed 162.5 centimetres in height or length or 36 kilograms in weight. It also states that "the number of musical instruments that can be accommodated on each flight is limited."

This isn't the first time that Kanneh-Mason has encountered problems trying to transport his cello by air.

In 2023, he called out British Airways on social media, alleging that he was not allowed to board with the cello despite having purchased a seat for it.

At the time, Kanneh-Mason stated that this was "a common problem" for professional musicians who travel with instruments that can't be treated as checked baggage.

In the Instagram post this week, the siblings, who hail from a family of musicians, urged airlines to come up with clearer policies for musical instruments.

"We can only dream of a time when all airlines have a standardized, global and carefully considered approach to the carriage of precious instruments that are booked to travel in the cabin," they wrote.

"In the meantime, we are working hard to find a new date to come to Toronto next year and we both look forward to seeing you then."

Wednesday's performance was to include cello sonatas by Felix Mendelssohn, Gabriel Fauré and Francis Poulenc, as well as the Canadian premiere of a piece by British violinist and composer Natalie Klouda.

Now it will be months before Canadians hear the duo's music. According to the Royal Conservatory of Music's website, the concert has been rescheduled for June 3, 2025.