Airline Liquor Transport Rules

Since I travel a lot (and I don't live on the west coast where they seem to understand the need for stocking a plethora of good rums and such) I have taken to buying my tiki potions while on business trips. Of course the "can't carry it through security" rule really makes things difficult, but in the past I have had good luck wrapping my bottles in bubble wrap, boxing them, and checking them on United as baggage.

My last trip to LA though was a fiasco. I had bought a couple of bottles of Rum and a bottle of Macadamia nut liquor for the flight home at BevMo in San Fran. Checked in at SFO, declared when asked there was liquor in the box, and signed a damage waiver. No problem. When I tired to check the same box in LA I was told I could not check it unless all bottles were in shape conforming Styrofoam containers. Well, needless to say I didn't have any with me and beside the point the Macadamia bottle was oval and so you would never find one. I tried to use my top status with United, my years of previous experience doing this without issues, I would be willing to sign a waiver, the fact that SFO checked it no problem etc. No joy. I won't bore you with the details of the heated arguments (I really wanted to become a headhunter that day) but they refused and instead sent me to the post office in a cab. Of course after waiting in a 30 minute line at USPS they also refused to take it (flammable liquid) and so after returning and pitching a fit, United finally agreed to put it onboard but "never again".

I have decided from now on just to bring an extra duffel, put my clothes in it, and put the wrapped bottles in my suitcase.

I'm curious though, has anyone else had problems like this with United or other airlines? Any better ideas on how to transport precious cargo?

Lee

(I-Tiki)

my brother in law is a hardcore oenophile. he always flies with his bottles of wine in a styrofoam container or sometimes just a padded wine-picnic bag, and sticks it in his hard-case suitcase which is checked in. I don't think he declares anything. he's never had a problem. I've travelled a couple of times with a bottle or two of wine wrapped in some t-shirts and put in my hard-case suitcase that is checked in. no breakage, yet. I've never had to declare them.

This isn't a solution, but....

If they'd put you in a cab to UPS or FedEx I think you would have been more successful

On 2008-02-15 13:41, arriano wrote:
This isn't a solution, but....

If they'd put you in a cab to UPS or FedEx I think you would have been more successful

That would have been my first choice, but it was 11PM and both were closed.

We have never been asked to declare liquor in luggage before either, is that new?

For our next trip I purchased a couple of "Bread Buddy" containers which are basically tupperware in the share of a loaf of bread and exactly the correct size for a bubble wrapped 750ml bottle of booze.

Before the 'can't carry it through security rule' I was bringing home a bottle of 151. Needless to say I was stopped. And asked: "Is that in case the jet runs out of fuel?" :lol:

Then asked to not carry it on board, nor pack in my checked luggage because of the dangerous level of flammability. There was a discreet suggestion that I could buy something in the duty free, pour it down the pan (Bacardi was suggested by the guard!) and refill the empty bottle!