Flying with champagne bottle - thoughts/tips?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 11
Flying with champagne bottle - thoughts/tips?
Hi all,
My fiancé and I are traveling to Hawaii next month for our wedding. As a wedding gift to him, I have bought him a bottle of Armand de Brignac (Ace of Spades) champagne. I am very nervous about flying with this in my luggage.
I bought a Wine Diaper off Amazon, but after purchasing the champagne, it looks like the wine box itself may be sturdy enough? It is padded inside, no wiggle room, and hard on the outside.
Has anyone had any luck in traveling with expensive bottles of alcohol before? How did you successfully travel with it in your checked bag?
I’ve attached pictures of the wine box. Let me know what you think. Any suggestions are appreciated!
My fiancé and I are traveling to Hawaii next month for our wedding. As a wedding gift to him, I have bought him a bottle of Armand de Brignac (Ace of Spades) champagne. I am very nervous about flying with this in my luggage.
I bought a Wine Diaper off Amazon, but after purchasing the champagne, it looks like the wine box itself may be sturdy enough? It is padded inside, no wiggle room, and hard on the outside.
Has anyone had any luck in traveling with expensive bottles of alcohol before? How did you successfully travel with it in your checked bag?
I’ve attached pictures of the wine box. Let me know what you think. Any suggestions are appreciated!
#2
Moderator: Delta SkyMiles, Luxury Hotels, TravelBuzz! and Italy
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 26,540
Welcome to Flyertalk, Cdanner09. I often bring California wine to friends in Europe and pack them in this product: Wine Mummy - Wine Travel Bag
Works very well. Have yet to have anything spill or break.
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding,
Works very well. Have yet to have anything spill or break.
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding,
#4
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: YOW
Posts: 1,024
I use wine diapers when flying with wine and I have never had an issue. If the box does not fit in a wine diaper or mummy. You could create your own by wrapping the box in bubble wrap and taping it. When you pack it make sure it is surrounded by soft items and is securely in place.
#5
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: on the path to perdition
Programs: Delta, United
Posts: 4,782
I would be tempted to put the bottle in the wine wrapper sans box and pack that well in my baggage. Then put some lighter items in the box and pack that well in my baggage.
FWIW I have done the elcheapo method and wrapped bottles in cardboard surrounded in paper in a big ole box but with nothing else.
FWIW I have done the elcheapo method and wrapped bottles in cardboard surrounded in paper in a big ole box but with nothing else.
#7
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: MidSouth
Programs: AA; Delta GM
Posts: 728
I've brought back wine from Europe very safely with those padded suitcase shipping products, but before I had those, I did well with just a really good packing job. That box looks pretty good, but just to play it safe I'd still cushion it on all sides.
One thing to note - if you pack it well, you should be fine, but you may want to but a plastic bag around the champagne OR whatever else is in the suitcase...just in case the worst should happen.
Congratulations, and have a great time!
One thing to note - if you pack it well, you should be fine, but you may want to but a plastic bag around the champagne OR whatever else is in the suitcase...just in case the worst should happen.
Congratulations, and have a great time!
#8
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: London, UK
Posts: 163
Hope you have a great time... not a fan of Ace of Spades but I know its a trendy brand with big marketting budgets to cover.
We often carry fairly expenses bottles of wine/spirits with us in our checked luggage. To date we've simply wrapped the bottles in something like a t-shirt and ensured its in the middle of the suitcase. Thankfully to date we've had no breakages. We did used to put them in plastic bags too just in case but have become a little lax after so many years of no incidents.
We often carry fairly expenses bottles of wine/spirits with us in our checked luggage. To date we've simply wrapped the bottles in something like a t-shirt and ensured its in the middle of the suitcase. Thankfully to date we've had no breakages. We did used to put them in plastic bags too just in case but have become a little lax after so many years of no incidents.
#9
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,882
I had a bottle of Jameson Distillery Reserve stolen out of my checked bag somewhere between when I checked it at JFK and when I retrieved it from the carousel at PDX. It was packed in a cardboard tube inside a plastic bag, packed in the geographic center of our largest suitcase, firmly surrounded by 2 weeks worth of dirty clothes from our trip to Ireland. When we opened the bag at home, we had the plastic bag to remember it by.
It wasn't crazy expensive - $60-$70 iirc, but it was the principle. And the fact that you can apparently only buy that bottle in one place in the world.
It wasn't crazy expensive - $60-$70 iirc, but it was the principle. And the fact that you can apparently only buy that bottle in one place in the world.
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 11
I had a bottle of Jameson Distillery Reserve stolen out of my checked bag somewhere between when I checked it at JFK and when I retrieved it from the carousel at PDX. It was packed in a cardboard tube inside a plastic bag, packed in the geographic center of our largest suitcase, firmly surrounded by 2 weeks worth of dirty clothes from our trip to Ireland. When we opened the bag at home, we had the plastic bag to remember it by.
It wasn't crazy expensive - $60-$70 iirc, but it was the principle. And the fact that you can apparently only buy that bottle in one place in the world.
It wasn't crazy expensive - $60-$70 iirc, but it was the principle. And the fact that you can apparently only buy that bottle in one place in the world.
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2018
Posts: 11
Thank you all for your input and suggestions!
I’ve decided that I will use the original box it came with, pack in any extra space with bubble wrap and packing paper. I’m going to wrap the box itself in bubble wrap, tape it up, and pack in the center of my suitcase surrounded by clothes.
This has been extremely helpful. Thanks again!
I’ve decided that I will use the original box it came with, pack in any extra space with bubble wrap and packing paper. I’m going to wrap the box itself in bubble wrap, tape it up, and pack in the center of my suitcase surrounded by clothes.
This has been extremely helpful. Thanks again!
#12
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Tumi
Programs: DL DM
Posts: 473
Thank you all for your input and suggestions!
I’ve decided that I will use the original box it came with, pack in any extra space with bubble wrap and packing paper. I’m going to wrap the box itself in bubble wrap, tape it up, and pack in the center of my suitcase surrounded by clothes.
This has been extremely helpful. Thanks again!
I’ve decided that I will use the original box it came with, pack in any extra space with bubble wrap and packing paper. I’m going to wrap the box itself in bubble wrap, tape it up, and pack in the center of my suitcase surrounded by clothes.
This has been extremely helpful. Thanks again!
#13
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,882
I'm pretty sure that there is no such thing as a "non-pressurized cargo hold" on any of the US domestic carriers anymore (and hasn't been for quite some time). It's why your shaving cream can doesn't explode (or at least spit the plug out and vent a couple cubic feet of foam into your suitcase).
#14
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
I don't believe that there are any aircraft servicing a Mainland-HI route which have unpressurized holds or that there have been any such aircraft on those routes for the past 35+ years.
#15
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 789
I'm pretty sure that there is no such thing as a "non-pressurized cargo hold" on any of the US domestic carriers anymore (and hasn't been for quite some time). It's why your shaving cream can doesn't explode (or at least spit the plug out and vent a couple cubic feet of foam into your suitcase).
Don't believe it? Take the bottled water you get on the plane, drink the water so bottle is full of air whilst at cruise altitude. Screw up the top tightly and watch what happens to the bottle as you descend...