Flying With Beer

[dpadden]

evening all,

I am flying down to Melbourne this week, and promised I'd bring a couple of brews down for a mate of mine. Are there any issues with taking a couple of bottles in your hand luggage? My worry is will the change in pressure have any effect on the bottles? Last thing I want is a bottle bomb (for want of a better word h34r: ) on the plane

 

[caleb]

evening all,

I am flying down to Melbourne this week, and promised I'd bring a couple of brews down for a mate of mine. Are there any issues with taking a couple of bottles in your hand luggage? My worry is will the change in pressure have any effect on the bottles? Last thing I want is a bottle bomb (for want of a better word h34r: ) on the plane

You obviously haven't flown for a while...

Security will absolutely not let you take anything over 100ml on the plane with you. All 'liquids' under that have to be x-rayed - including moisturizer/shaving cream/gel and other 'liquids'.

Basically, they are worried you will LITERALLY have a bottle bomb! h34r:

Any liquids will need to be packed in your checked in luggage and hope the baggage handlers don't smash or steal it.

 

[caleb]

BTW There WOULDN'T have been any technical problem with it... until airport securty went on the current bad LSD trip that is modern air security.

 

[dpadden]

You obviously haven't flown for a while...

Security will absolutely not let you take anything over 100ml on the plane with you. All 'liquids' under that have to be x-rayed - including moisturizer/shaving cream/gel and other 'liquids'.

Basically, they are worried you will LITERALLY have a bottle bomb! h34r:

Any liquids will need to be packed in your checked in luggage and hope the baggage handlers don't smash or steal it.

Yup, stupid question. I actually fly a fair bit and this didn't even cross my mind.....sounds like ti should be OK in check in though....

 

[mwd]

That only applies to International Transfers.

I came in from Singapore with 1.7L of malt whisky transfer to domestic Jetstar hand carried no problems whatsoever.

Aircraft Pressure will not affect the beer in bottles it may make your ears pop on descent.

 

[Insight]

Liquid restrictions apply on International flights only. I flew back from ANHC in Melbourne with 6x750ml beer bottles in my hand luggage. No problem. Don't forget the cabin is pressurized. If you were going to have an issue with bottles blowing up it would be in your checked-in luggage stored in the cargo hold. That said, I've also traveled with beer in the suitcase and no problems so far.

 

[glennheinzel]

As per Insight, I've flown back to Sydney with a treasure trove of beers (in my hand luggage) from various bottle shops in Melbourne. It was not a problem.

By the way, I have flown international a couple of time with obscure items in my handluggage. One flight (returning from the UK) I had a Tetley's beer font and a couple of beer glasses. The beer font is mostly composed of metal and one end is kind of angular and would make a reasonable battering ram. The security people were inquisitive, but it wasn't prohibited so I was allowed to take it on the plane.

Just recently I flew with a (empty) Gose bottle. You could easily smash the end off it and use it as a weapon (if you were so inclined), but luckily I was allowed to bring it back to Aus.

Re: Resilience of beer bottles. I've bought a number of full beers home via checked in luggage without any problems.

 

[mwd]

Cargo holds on Commercial Aircraft are also pressurized just colder than the passenger cabin to keep the fish fresher.

 

[fergi]

couple of months ago we were coming back from washinton DC to los Angeles and i had bought a new 5 wood golf club, tried to take it on as carry on luggage and they wouldnt have a bar of it, they said i could use it as a weopon when i got on the plane, had to have it as checked luggage, because we were at the limit with luggage we had to pay an extra $30 dollars, that was american airlines, quantas put it through at LA with no charge
fergi

 

[Whistlingjack]

I checked this out, as I'm travelling soon.

Virgin Blue and Pacific Blue allow 5 litres of alcohol in hand luggage or checked baggage. However, they do stipulate that it must be retail packaged (and not to be consumed on the flight)

WJ

 

[mwd]

Makes you wonder what planet the regulators are on.

Nearly as much high octane spirit in the overhead lockers than in the fuel tanks.
Plastic knives for International flights into Australia and big 1litre glass bottles on the trolley, then they take your nail clippers off you at security.

Those terrorists must be pissing themselves laughing at us dumbshits. They still have all metal cutlery on flights in and out of the Middle East but you do have to check in your AK47 and ammo as checked baggage.

Check out the movie Idiocracy to know which way we are going. ( gone ). :icon_offtopic:

 

[jonocarroll]

You obviously haven't flown for a while...

Security will absolutely not let you take anything over 100ml on the plane with you. All 'liquids' under that have to be x-rayed - including moisturizer/shaving cream/gel and other 'liquids'.

Basically, they are worried you will LITERALLY have a bottle bomb! h34r:

Any liquids will need to be packed in your checked in luggage and hope the baggage handlers don't smash or steal it.

On my '07 trip to the USA I remembered to put all fluids (< 100ml) in a zip-lock bag for the international legs. At Sydney they went through most of my carry-on, had to remove my shoes, laptop, and the zip-lock bag was scanned separately. At LAX on the way back however, I (honestly) forgot to mention the zip-lock, or that I had any fluids. Shoes off, laptop out, carry-on scanned, off ya go.

Carry-on at this stage contained all my power cords, thermal-pad with fans for the laptop, and a reasonable bunch of electronic gadgets (I'm a nerd). I saw the x-ray screen - contents looks pretty dodgy.

Maybe it's just that I was leaving their country rather than entering, but they seemed more concerned about doing their half-hourly 'everyone freeze!' routine, where security go running through the crowd pretending to look for someone so that everyone thinks the security are the ones in control. I had a cleaner standing next to me when it happened the first time and she started laughing at everyone to herself - "they do this all day, for practice" she said. I heard it a couple more times from the gate.

For a while they didn't let you take batteries on a flight (for fear of using as a detonator) but they have power outlets in the seats. You can't take nail clippers, but they give you a knife. The make you take off your shoes for screening because one person had explosives in their shoe (they should have put something in a bra... that'd make flights more interesting). Then, despite all the concern they have, they are lazy about screening anyone who isn't wearing a turban. There's really no point doing this half-arsed. Either scan everyone properly, or don't scan anyone.

What was my point? Oh yeah - the 100ml limit is just for international flights. I came back from Cairns with a bottle of wine in my hand luggage. Wasn't even questioned at screening. Change in pressure isn't significant enough to worry about (they have cans of soft drink/beer on the flights, and the popping in your ears is just because ears are very sensitive to changes in pressure).

 

[NeilArge]

I checked this out, as I'm travelling soon.

Virgin Blue and Pacific Blue allow 5 litres of alcohol in hand luggage or checked baggage. However, they do stipulate that it must be retail packaged (and not to be consumed on the flight)

WJ

As has already been established, it's ok to carry grog on flights in your carry-on gear but I can also echo WJ's point about commercial packaging. A couple of years ago my dear ol' mum came across and knowing my penchant for a good port, brought some they had had made out of their grapes (she's from the Barossa). The bottle was unlabelled and got confiscated at the first security check. Must have been some after-work party for those guys....

ToG

 

[Jase71]

My understanding is that you can take grog with your carry on luggage if it appears to be a duty-free purchase from your point of origin (or transit stop). So pack an empty duty free bag and bottle your beer in new-looking commerclally labelled bottles.

 

[mika]

I've taken homebrew to Sydney in checked luggage before, but then my bag never got searched. If you've got a vacuum sealer I'd seal the bottles in individual bags, failing that, a garbage bag with lots of tape. My bottles survived and like others have said, think you've got more to worry about with the baggage handlers tha change in pressure. If the bottles were to pop, better to try and contain the contents than having your jocks swimming in 3Ltrs of Saison.

 

[fergi]

My understanding is that you can take grog with your carry on luggage if it appears to be a duty-free purchase from your point of origin (or transit stop). So pack an empty duty free bag and bottle your beer in new-looking commerclally labelled bottles.

yes jase the only way you can get anything over 100ml with carry on is you have to buy it once you have gone through security, then you can buy it from duty free inside the airport security area, you cant buy outside of the airport and carry it on even if it is a commercial bottle .they will take it away as you go through security, same with perfume etc, has to be bought once your inside the secure zone then you cant go back outside with it and bring it back through,"WONT HAPPEN" lax AIRPORT i was body searched and scanned all my carry ons with a swipe, but in WhashingtonDC they were paranoid, even when we went into a downstairs off the street eating mall we had to go through scanners just like the airport, though i must say this place was in the same building as the FBI.
fergi

 

[mwd]

My understanding is that you can take grog with your carry on luggage if it appears to be a duty-free purchase from your point of origin (or transit stop). So pack an empty duty free bag and bottle your beer in new-looking commerclally labelled bottles.

The only way you can 'Transit' Internationally with hand carried grog is in a clear sealed tamperproof bag with numbered receipt clearly visable from the Airport Duty Free you purchased it from.

Does not work for Australia or most of Europe Amsterdam, Paris, London though.
They are quite happy to sell you as much as you can carry knowing it will be taken off you if you 'Hand Carry' through INTERNATIONAL Transit. The rules vary from country to country.
Different set of rules regarding perfumes liquids and gels.

You should only buy duty free at your last transit point or just get robbed buying it at Australian Arrivals.

BTW you can carry 5 litres of Duty Free Spirits into Abu Dhabi no problem ( although it states 2 litres duty free limit).

None of these rules apply to Domestic Air Travel within Australia (back to OP)

 

[RussTaylor]

I recently took a dozen PET bottles in 2 six pack wine boxes to Qld from Adelaide. Had it weighed at checkin and they put it through oversize luggage. Arrived fine and didn't cost a cent. :icon_cheers:

Just check the airlines weight restrictions.

 

[stillscottish]

Can I just say I was flying with beer last night. :chug:

Campbell

 

[winkle]

Can I just say I was flying with beer last night. :chug:

Campbell

Instruments only? B)