Air Canada denies world-renowned musician from boarding flight with cello

Sheku Kanneh-Mason, a British cellist who rose to international fame after performing at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, had to cancel a highly-anticipated Toronto concert following a dispute with Air Canada over his cello’s pre-booked seat.

Kanneh-Mason, currently on tour in North America with his sister and pianist, Isata Kanneh-Mason, detailed the incident in a heartfelt Instagram post.

“We were deeply saddened not to be able to perform for you at Koerner Hall last night,” they wrote Thursday.

The siblings were scheduled to perform at the Koerner Hall on Wednesday, but a series of travel mishaps with the airline, resulted in the denial of boarding with his valuable instrument.

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“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,” the siblings wrote.

“After nine anxious hours at the airport, we realized our journey wasn’t going to be possible.”

According to the musician’s website, his cello is on an indefinite loan to him, which requires special care and arrangements due to its historical value. In a statement from Air Canada, they said they regret that the customers were not able to travel as expected and will be in contact with them.

The airline’s policy states that passengers may buy a seat for a musical instrument as long as they meet specific size and weight requirements.

“In this case, the customers made a last-minute booking due to their original flight on another airline being cancelled.  We are still reviewing what happened,” the statement further read. It is still unclear why Kanneh-Mason’s cello, was denied.

“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,” said the siblings.

The siblings expressed their disappointment and promised to reschedule the Toronto performance for next year, thanking fans for their understanding.