Airline strikes sour note for star cellist
IT is her pride and joy and has brought her huge success – so Sarah Ayoub was shocked when her cello was at the centre of a bizarre health and safety row on a British Airways flight.
The acclaimed musician from Bearsden, Dunbartonshire, has toured the world with her instrument at her side, performing with her violinist sister Laura as The Ayoub Sisters.
Yet last week she was told she had to strap the cello in upside down on a BA flight from Edinburgh to London Heathrow.
The 25-year-old, who had been travelling south with her sister ahead of their BAFTAs television debut tonight, told The Scottish Mail on Sunday: ‘I fly regularly and always buy a seat beside me for my cello. I had travelled only 24 hours earlier on the same BA flight with the cello strapped in upright.
‘This time, I was told the upright position was against health and safety regulations and either I stow my cello upside down, not touching the floor, or it goes in the hold. Three crew members tried to defy gravity by attempting to suspend it in mid-air using nothing but a flimsy seatbelt. ‘The final result was a pathetic circus and, after 45 minutes, a pillow was placed on the floor under the cello head as a lastresort solution. ‘I do not see how it was any safer and it created chaos on board as the captain delayed the flight. ‘I was worried because of the weight it would place on the scroll, which was potentially detrimental to the expensive and fragile instrument. ‘My cello is my life, I have had it for eight years. Thankfully it survived the trip as we are going to be recording our album at Abbey Road this week.’ A spokesman for BA confirmed yesterday that staff had followed the correct safety procedure, adding: ‘We’re glad that our team went the extra mile to make sure this cello was properly protected so that there wasn’t any damage during the flight. ‘The flight landed within 12 minutes of its scheduled arrival time.’ The Ayoub Sisters were discovered by superstar producer Mark Ronson after they recorded a classical version of Uptown Funk, his hit with Bruno Mars.