Taking it as a carry on would be the best option but , in our recent travels (FEB) you can NOT be guaranteed to be able to 'carry' it on board. Once the plane starts loading and they feel there is no more room over head they will give you a tag and you HAVE to ck it ( happens almost everytime if you are in a later zone to board) !!! People are taking alot more carry on's since they started charging for bags. I still would pack it well and UPS or Fed-Ex it, you have a better chance of getting any compensation if you buy insurance for it if something happens to it in shipment!! Also they might not let you take anything else as a carry on but your purse, a few thing to think about. I personally wouldnt want to take the chance that I wouldnt be able to put in an overhead and will have to ck it anyways....I have had my Bernina shipped from Texas to NY and it arrived perfect....