| Composite Acoustic Guitars new Xi with RT finish | | | | linear inches maximum. |
| gives air travelers another option for travel guitars. | | | | So, you may be thinking that you can not get either |
| To begin with, let's compare the Cargo and the Xi | | | | one on as a carry-on. Not necessarily. It depends on |
| dimensions: | | | | two major factors. First, how full is the flight? If it is |
| Cargo - Overall length: 35", Scale length: 22.75, Body | | | | a full flight with the overhead bins and other storage |
| Width: 13.3", Body Depth: 3.75" | | | | areas packed, it doesn't matter whether you've got |
| Xi - Overall length: 41", Scale length: 25.5", Body | | | | a Cargo or a jumbo acoustic bass guitar, it's going |
| Width: 15.25", Body Depth: 3.25" | | | | into checked baggage as far as the airlines are |
| Obviously, the scale length is probably the biggest | | | | concerned. However, if you've got a flight that's |
| concern for many guitarists, with the Cargo's short | | | | about 1/2 to 3/4 full, there's a bit more room and the |
| length, which is quite noticeable beyond the first | | | | airlines folks will be a bit more generous. Second, how |
| position. You can get used to it fairly easily, though. | | | | are your persuasion skills? I lived in Korea for nearly |
| Yet, for getting your guitar as a carry-on to an airline, | | | | five years and was regularly toting back the |
| we need to look at the case dimensions. Because the | | | | maximum carry-on and checked baggage that I could. |
| cases are soft, you've got a little bit of wiggle room, | | | | I often exceeded it, but I have a big smile and kindly |
| but here's what the airlines will see: | | | | asked the folks at the airlines whether it would be |
| Cargo - 37 x 15 x 5 - 57 linear inches | | | | alright if I squeezed on just one more little bag. The |
| Xi - 43 x 17 x 5 - 65 linear inches | | | | answer was almost always yes, and when it was no, |
| Many airlines will typically allow a maximum of around | | | | they didn't charge me extra to check the bag. |
| 45 to 51 linear inches. As such, both the Cargo or the | | | | To conclude, the CA Xi model is also a consideration |
| Xi will exceed that. To the eyes of a guitarist, the | | | | for those doing frequent airline travel, particularly for |
| Cargo and the Xi in their cases look vastly different. | | | | those who go beyond the first position. It will be a |
| However, the airlines don't see a difference. For | | | | bit longer and thus a bit harder to carry, but also |
| either the Cargo or the Xi, the airlines see a guitar | | | | provides you with a full scale length. |
| that's about 3.5 feet long and that exceeds their | | | | |