A guitar, violin, cello, etc. would never survive being checked. Most of them are fragile wooden instruments, many of them handmade by skilled luthiers. Unfortunately, baggage handlers are not exactly known for their gentle handling of passenger luggage - including guitars (many, many stories of instruments worth thousands of dollars broken in two by airline baggage handlers and airlines refusing to pay for it). If you’re a touring musician and you play, say Detroit one night, and have to be in Atlanta the next morning to set up for a show, your only choice is to fly with your instrument. Many touring musicians, from symphonic artists to country, rock and pop, tour up to 200 cities per year, most of them via commercial airlines. I hope that helps explain why you see guitars allowed on planes.
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