TennisNoob

Hi All,

Being in Houston TX, finding Fresh Durian is very rare and on occasion when we have it, it's not fresh at all.

I was debating bringing back a Durian last time but I figured the smell was too strong and decided to eat it at San Francisco.

I was wanting to know what exactly is United's policy for putting smelly fruit into the under carriage.

Would United throw the fruit away? Would TSA have the right to throw it away?

Other than the smell, there shouldn't be any reason it can be denied because it's a domestic flight.

Wanting to see what other FT's had on this.

P.S. I also called the Premier desk and they said unless TSA takes it, there shouldn't be any issue. But she wasn't aware what a Durian was >.>

sinoflyer

Are you talking about an unopened durian? If so, wrap it in something with sufficient padding. But either way, I really don't think anyone will ever raise a stink about it here in the U.S., because hardly anyone can identify a durian let alone knows that it has a bad reputation. (Personally I love the taste of it.)

added: I've seen fresh durians in the Hong Kong Supermarket on Bellaire. They didn't look any less fresh than the durians we have here in California. They are all airfreighted from SE Asia, so I can't imagine the quality to be that drastically different.

revigik

Isn't this the point where you can just use your judgement? Come on don't be that guy- even if there is no official policy, durian stinks. Don't make someone else's experience really unpleasant. Maybe checked luggage is the way to go?

TennisNoob

Unopened for sure, it was actually still raw the one I had.
We left it overnight in the garage parking. Luckily the vallet person was not afraid of the durian because my companions started flipping out when they smelled the Durian that sat overnight in the trunk. The Durian left overnight was inside an empty luggage inside my trunk. I could smell it all the way in the front passenger seat. Taste good but smells bad, it reminds me of Stinky Tofu.

Regarding the Durain @ HKM, I tried it once and it was triple the price and was horrible.

docbert

Every Asian airline has a policy stating no Durians. To put this into context, in Singapore you aren't even allowed take them on the subway.

If United doesn't have a policy, it's only because it hasn't come up enough. Attempting to check one almost certainly isn't going to end well.

The exception would be if it's been frozen, in which case it might be allowed - they generally lose their smell (and most of their taste) when frozen.

Kacee

You must have an import permit from USDA to bring durian into the U.S. from Thailand. USDA APHIS

tanglin

The CBP doggy will certainly find that! You cannot legally bring into the US as a returning traveler.

kettle1

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/asi...ssion-20140922

Talk about free time on your hands. Now this is a major cause. Come on.

How about sealing it in several zip-lock bags or trash bags. Clear if possible.

Kacee

And if the pooch can't find a durian, it's time for a new canine!

docbert

Reading between the lines I'm presuming he's trying to bring one from San Francisco to Houston, in which case this wouldn't be relevant.

Odds are the dogs in International Arrivals will still pick up the scent - even if he is on a domestic flight and it's 3 terminals away...

Mike Jacoubowsky

How many scents can a dog be trained to find? Just curious, I really don't have any idea, but it must take some time for each one, and is a Durian really worthy of being on a Top-50 or whatever list? When we've got all kinds of drugs and explosives that would seemingly be of greater importance?

On the other hand, it could be that the smell of a Durian is so strong that it could be used as a masking agent for other things. But this assumes that a dog actually finds it objectionable, and that might not be the case.

Kacee

You're talking about different dogs. The beagles you see walking around customs are USDA trained and are sniffing for agricultural products.

sinoflyer

LOL. You definitely have a "good" one on your hands, and not one that was previously frozen. I would proceed with checking it as normal, and let them stop you if they ever detect something funny (which I don't think they will).

Back to durians in Houston, I distinctly remember seeing them fresh and not frozen this past July in Hong Kong Market (and other places no doubt). IIRC they come in season around that time, so you might give it a try again.

The beagle at SFO once sniffed out a fuji apple that I had taken from the NRT RCC with the intention of eating it onboard but forgot. I'm sure the beagle would have gone right after the durian.

But that's OT, because OP is already in possession of the durian in the U.S.

tanglin

Maybe they pick up all sorts, I don't know, but the cute one which I see often at LAX found an orange last time I was there in a woman's bag. No big deal made of it, she had to just trash it.

But hey, a durian? I could probably smell that one from 100 yards.

docbert

Generally there are different dogs for different purposes. The "Beagle Brigade" you see doing the rounds of the customs and immigration areas are generally trained to detect foods, in particular fruit and meat products. They aren't trained for a specific scent as such, but more generic types of scents, so I'd be fairly sure they would detect on a durian even if they had never smelt one before.

Drug dogs and the like, who you rarely actually see at airports as they normally work behind the scenes (eg, on luggage before it comes out onto the belt), are more so trained on specific scents.

But in the case of a durian, even if the dog misses it, the handler will likely detect it. Or the guy on the security camera when he notices everyone looking around trying to work out what the smell is...

Just hope the smell doesn't set off the cargo fire alarm. Yes, this has happened before...

Or cause the flight to be delayed as happened on a Virgin flight last year