Craic On

One of the main bugbears of the DylanFest and BeatlesFest is the amount of money that Ryanair charges for musical instruments.

They have to go in the hold and Ryanair charges £100 an instrument.

And that’s per journey so a return journey costs €200.

Too Much

If there is a lead guitar, rhythm guitar and bass in the band that’s an extra £600 – and don’t even talk about the drums.

The instrument, e.g. a guitar, often costs more than a person. In fact it usually does.

This is a huge downer for the DylanFest and BeatlesFest and has often been a killer when we attempt to bring top bands from abroad.

New Proposals

Now, there are EU proposals which come into effect in 2015 which will force airlines to allow small instruments like violins and guitars onto planes.

Other changes will see airlines being forced to provide water and open lavatories if the plane is stuck on the ground for a while before take-off.

It will also entitle them to compensation if they are delayed for more than an hour because of technical difficulties.

This will make a major difference to the DylanFest and BeatlesFest and it will bring the cost of bringing bands and musicians from abroad over here for the festivals within our price range when previously we had to say no.