Local musician says Southwest made her get off plane due to guitar. Video goes viral

In a now-viral interaction, a Southwest Airlines gate agent called sheriff’s deputies after a local musician attempted to bring her guitar on a flight from Sacramento International Airport on Thursday evening.

Samantha Henson, a Sacramento-based vocalist and guitarist, was boarding a 6 p.m. flight to Portland for a friend’s wedding when a flight attendant stopped her — her guitar was too large to bring on board as a carry-on, the attendant said.

Henson deboarded and returned to the gate, where the agent told her she could try to take the next flight to Portland that evening. However, according to Henson, the agent said the later flight was full and that she would not be able to board with her guitar.

Southwest Airlines’ written policy on its website for flying with a musical instrument states that passengers may bring instruments on board if they will fit in the overhead bin or under a seat, even if they are larger than the size limit of 24 by 16 by 10 inches, unless the instrument and its case weigh more than 165 pounds or the dimensions add up to more than 150 inches.

“Instruments transported in soft-sided cases or other packaging that is not strong enough to protect it under normal baggage handling conditions will be subject to limited release: Southwest assumes no liability for any damage to the item during transport,” Southwest’s musical instrument policy continues, in part.

A Southwest Airlines spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Saturday.

After speaking with the gate agent, Henson decided to wait for the next flight and called Southwest customer service. According to Henson, the customer service agent on the phone told her she would receive a voucher after she completed her flight.

A few hours later, Henson attempted to board a second flight to Portland. A different gate agent stood by the jet bridge entrance, checking passengers in. While Henson was waiting in line to board the flight, she said the gate agent who turned her away earlier that afternoon “ran up” to her. According to Henson, the woman said, “You’re not going to get on that flight. You know that, right?”

Henson continued to wait in line, but when she reached the gate the agent behind the desk turned her away. Henson stood by the gate and waited until everybody had boarded, at which point the agent said he would call the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office if she did not check her bag and board the plane.

When the sheriff’s deputies arrived, Henson said they appeared “confused as to why they were there.” The gate agent for her second flight said Henson had stopped people from boarding the plane, a claim that she disputes.

“I wasn’t throwing punches,” Henson said in an interview. “I wasn’t raising my voice. I just wanted to get my guitar on the plane.”

While Henson was talking with the second gate agent, the first gate agent rebooked her on a flight that left just after 4 a.m. the next morning. Henson said the agent did so without telling her.

In a video on Henson’s Instagram page that had garnered approximately 1.8 million views by Saturday evening, the deputies can be seen standing by the gate with Henson as the gate agent from Henson’s first flight said, “You should be ashamed of yourself. We want you to get on the next flight. There’s 98 people. But let me tell you…if this happens tonight, you won’t be able to fly for 24 more hours. So be prepared.”

After the incident, Henson decided to spend the night in the airport and successfully boarded the morning flight on Friday to attend her friend’s wedding that afternoon. She said she was able to do so with her guitar as a carry-on and that Friday’s flight was less than halfway full.

Henson said she has flown Southwest — and carried her guitar onto the plane — successfully for the last five years. According to Henson, her guitar would likely be damaged if it were checked into the plane’s cargo compartment and she is unable to afford a hard case that could adequately protect it.

“This (guitar) is my baby,” Henson said. “If anything happened to it, I’d be devastated.”

A Southwest credit card holder since 2021, Henson says the experience has left her “worried and nervous” about her return flight Sunday, which she also booked with Southwest. Thursday’s events have caused Henson to consider changing to a different airline credit card.

In a follow-up video posted to Instagram on Saturday afternoon, Henson said she was speaking as part of a broader community of musicians and that she posted the video more to shed light on an musicians face than to condemn any specific employees. “With that video, I wanted to make light that this is an issue we’re all facing,” she said in the video. “It’s not unique to me.”

Henson said in the video that she had not heard back from Southwest at the time of filming.

“More than anything, I just want this issue to be solved,” Henson said in an interview. “This is not just about me, this is for millions of other musicians who are flying, and who are trying to bring their music…to the world.”