When I travel with my guard, we put flag poles in skiboard bags and rifles and sabres in "hard-sided" gold club bags. If you put it under the plane in a box or in a bag....they usually don't have a problem.
The Academy winter guard (IW) has a direct connection with Arizona State University. They are very fortunate and have been given a great deal of support from the University and can offer scholarships for marching ASU field season and The Academy winter guard.