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Bottles or cans of soda or beer in checked luggage @ 30,000 ft [Merged threads]

Bottles or cans of soda or beer in checked luggage @ 30,000 ft [Merged threads]

Old Oct 7, 2008, 8:32 am
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Bottles or cans of soda or beer in checked luggage @ 30,000 ft [Merged threads]

Hi
I'm going to visit friends in the US tomorrow, and want to take them some "English" soda (a litre bottle or two), but don't want them to explode in my luggage!

Does anyone know if it is safe to take bottles of carbonated drinks in your hold luggage please?!

(I'm flying on Continental, and I've done various google searches, but can't find a definite answer!)
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Old Oct 7, 2008, 8:38 am
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Yes, it's safe. The baggage compartment is pressurised to the same altitude as the cabin (usually equivalent to about 8000 ft.), so it's no more risky putting them in your hold baggage than it is risky for the the flight attendant to put them on the beverage cart.

I would be more worried about the knocking about your bags will receive from the automated baggage systems and the baggage (mis-)handlers - this would be a far more likely cause of a soaked suitcase than the pressure difference.
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Old Oct 7, 2008, 9:11 am
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Originally Posted by Sludge82
Hi

Does anyone know if it is safe to take bottles of carbonated drinks in your hold luggage please?!
Yes, it's safe as posted above, and I can confirm because I've checked (several) 2L bottles and not had issues.

(When the airlines came out in favor of TSA's war on water and against common sense, I figured I'd dole out a little punishment in the form of extra fuel costs by checking bag a bag full of 2L bottles on my way home a few times.)
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Old Oct 7, 2008, 9:43 am
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If the hold weren't pressurised, there'd be a lot more exploding ink pen disasters (as well as exploding pet disasters).
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Old Oct 7, 2008, 12:12 pm
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Originally Posted by csdf
If the hold weren't pressurised, there'd be a lot more exploding ink pen disasters (as well as exploding pet disasters).
Fluffy might break wind in case of decompression, but I doubt hell explode.
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Old Oct 7, 2008, 12:45 pm
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Is the cargo hold pressurized to the same level as the cabin? I have had bottles of cologne leak substantially in checked luggage and I theorized that it was because the cargo hold was not pressurized (or to the same level as the cabin).

When I put cologne in my carry on luggage, I have no leakage issues.
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Old Oct 7, 2008, 1:55 pm
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I remember reading somewhere that it is pressurized to about 8000ft, the same as the passenger cabin. The soda will be fine...I've packed a six pack (or more) of .5l bottles or larger of Coca-Cola (I really like non-US Coke) and they've managed to survive the trip just fine in the past.
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Old Oct 7, 2008, 2:32 pm
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Yes, the pressure in the hold is identical to that in the cabin. Otherwise, the cabin floor would be under enormous pressure due to the difference.

You're still at 8000ft, so you can see some leakage from bottles -- I squeeze out excess air from lotion bottles, but this won't work on a hard cologne bottle. You may see less leakage when it's in your hand luggage because you keep them upright.
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Old Oct 7, 2008, 3:25 pm
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Originally Posted by AnalogMan
Is the cargo hold pressurized to the same level as the cabin? I have had bottles of cologne leak substantially in checked luggage and I theorized that it was because the cargo hold was not pressurized (or to the same level as the cabin).

When I put cologne in my carry on luggage, I have no leakage issues.
It also depends on how well the bottle is sealed (ie leak proof rubber seal cap) as well as how well the bottle can handle pressure.
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Old Oct 8, 2008, 4:47 am
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I have lugged cheerwine on AS via DCA-LAX-SEA-ANC... The 6 packs made it ok... with one being damaged... but the glass bottles I had checked all made it fine (in the same bag). Be sure to pad around the container well... that was the primary problem with my bag...
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Old Oct 8, 2008, 5:35 am
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I carried a twelve pack of a US regional soda (Vernor's Ginger Ale) back to Dubai and it survived the trip just fine. Expect to find a TSA inspection card inside your suitcase.
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Old Oct 8, 2008, 7:53 am
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This may be common sense, but I figured that I'd post it anyway

Any items should be ok as long as they have air in them which can expand and contract and the container itself is strong enough to withstand the inner and outer pressures.

Really the only thing you need to watch out for is bottles cracking or breaking, I had a friend that had a rather unfortunate experience with a large bottle of marmite, so pack well!
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Old Oct 8, 2008, 3:07 pm
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Originally Posted by AnalogMan
Is the cargo hold pressurized to the same level as the cabin?
Yes. It would be very expensive to have separate pressure vessels and separate controls. More complexity and more weight.

Originally Posted by RockoHorse
Any items should be ok as long as they have air in them which can expand and contract
Actually, just the opposite. It is the air that expands and contracts, not the liquid, so the less air in the sealed container the better. The liquid does not expand.
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Old Oct 9, 2008, 4:40 am
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
The liquid does not expand.
[PEDANT]It does, just not very much compared to gases.[/PEDANT]
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Old Oct 9, 2008, 4:54 am
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Have transported Champage with no problems in the hold luggage.
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