A Guitar worth that kind of money, carried in a “bag” (probably what is called a “gig-bag” isn’t a bright idea. I have a $125 guitar I carry in a padded gig-bag, but my other guitar, worth somewhat more (but still a tiny fraction of the one crushed in this incident) goes in a hard-shell case just going in my vehicle!
But the airlines often insist on a soft case. And if it is in a soft case, they are less likely to try to ship it as luggage.