pattse

I have transported many bottles of wine, both domestically and internationally, both as carry-on (in the old days) and as check-in. I've never told them it was wine. I've never asked for fragile stickers. I just pack it tight with lots of shirts protecting the bottle(s). And I've never had a problem with breakage or quality as a result. Travelling with wine internationally is easy. Checking it in makes it even easier - and unless it's spent extensive time in the cargo hold (where it is very cold), it should be fine.

Marno

I've been checking wine almost weekly, for the past 3 years (3 years ago marks when I moved to Canada and first experienced the sight of a bottle of Yellowtail going for $15.99). Never has a single bottle broken. I go for the big "wrap in clothing" trick, and that seems to be enough.

Anyhow, I guess it was a temporary lapse in judgement, due to the fact that the excellent cab was a gift for a picky friend and I was concerned this would be the one time it would not "make it". I blurted out "Fragile", and it all went downhill from there. I hate being punished for honesty.

Regardless, I did speak to the agent in the RCC regarding the "rule" (after calling my mom, an ex-UA flight attendant -- but not enough years to earn us lifetime buddy passes, grrr -- and she had no knowledge of the rule). RCC agent informed me that "last week" a bottle broke and ruined some suitcases so that's why the agent told me that, and that she was right in doing so.

Whatever. I say if its not in writing, its not a rule. Moreover, when I asked if we could just forget I mentioned the wine in my suitcase, the agent said "Even if I let you check it, the TSA would find it and remove you and your bag from the plane".

That was the kicker -- TSA scanning for wine bottles in checked baggage, and then removing the bags? I think not.

Anyhow, I did hand the bottle of wine to the agent (there was not a trash can in sight), so I'm sure she had a nice Thursday evening, sipping a 1998 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23 Napa Valley Cab.

hawkxp

In KOA tonight with a full bottle of a good Chardonnay that I can not carry one tomorrow. Oh well, life could be worst-Kona-Chard-balcony overlooking ocean and FT edit: Add to good life-upgrade cleared for tomorrow

Flyer420

Many years ago I flew from ORD to SEA with a checked bottle of run of the mill Scotch in my luggage. Appaently the seal broke on descent to SEA or in the luggage handling. There was no mess on the conveyer belt, but a tell-
tale drip of Scotch created a trail from baggage claim to the parking lot. Mrs. Flyer 420 was only mildly amused. But I have checked wine and spirits many times since (plastic wrap and clothing keeping it from bouncing around) and have had no troubles.

BUT, FT pax arriving in MSP will want to be aware that a number of the local Somali taxi drivers have announced that "in their view" it is against their religion to carry alcohol--even in luggage. There was a news item on this the other day in the Seattle papers. But apparently this occurs only if you ask them to treat the bag carefully--a NW FA was quoted as having mentioned some wine she was carrying home and had a long wait for a taxi.

Flyer 420
in Boulder

DigbyFox

Flying out of PDX we asked for fragile stickers because we had four bottles of wine in our checked luggage. Thankfully the agent checking us in was so proud of Orgeon Pinots that she was more than accomodating giving us giant plastic bags to encase our luggage.

What surprised me was that one of the bags (practically brand new) had a piece ripped of it yet the plastic outer bag remained totally intact. How this piece could have been wrenched off with no damage to the plastic bag mystifies me. Still the important thing is, the wine made it safely.

I wrap the bottle in a t-shirt, put the t-shirt covered bottle in a plastic bag, then nestle the bottles in other clothing for extra padding and make sure that it is in the most rigid part of the bag. I also try and place it between shoes or other items that might provide a little extra ridigity.

sam123

I've had no problems with breakage and wine will travel just fine. I usually take a half-a-dozen bottles of nice CA, OR and WA wines with me when I go to Europe as gifts and like others will pack them carefully in the center of my checked bag inside clothing. Make sure they can't bang directly against each other.

Although I haven't had a problem, last time I got extra-paranoid, and used a FoodSaver vacuum sealer to individually seal each bottle in heavy-duty freezer plastic first.

roadkit

I am sick of these UA retards making up rules.

Sorry it happened to you, but if it were me, I would have insisted on speaking to a supervisor and having them show me the rules IN WRITING. If they couldn't do it, then politley state that your ticket is a contract of carriage and there is no writtne rule prohibiting wine in checked luggage. Therefore, they will be in breach and held liable for breaking the contract.

This "LAX-only" rule bit is a total crock.

NC Flyer

I thought some states had crazy laws about shipping alcohol between states?

Why not write to UA asking for confirmation of this unpublicised local rule? If WHQ knows nothing about it tell them you want your $90 back.

Rice

I remember coming back from France a few years ago with almost a dozen bottles crammed in my backback. Made for a heavy carry on!

Have been concerned about checking champagne, wondering if there was any chance of damage were it to be in a non-pressurized hold. Sounds like you've got plenty of experience checking it, with no problems?

Cheers!

Paubri

Since I've had wine packed in checked bags that were opened and inspected by TSA, I can attest that this isn't an issue. They even did a pretty good job of re-packing the bag for me.

NC Flyer

This is simply not true. I have put bottles of wine in checked luggage countless times.
Wrap them in some clothes in the middle of the bag. I have yet to have one break.

jgreen1024

Most of the time, it doesn't matter. Except for some of the small commuter turboprops, all cargo holds on commercial aircraft are pressurized. The plane is in the shape of a tube for a reason - it is easy to pressurize that way. If you had a passenger cabin that was pressurized and a cargo hold (down below) that wasn't, the floor of the passenger cabin would have to be tremendously strong, with enough bracing that there'd ultimately be very little room for cargo.

As for *heating*, that is a different story. The cargo hold, except for the front area where animals ride, is usually not heated. The front area actually gets heated by air from the avionics bay plus a small amount of engine bleed air.

Many of the small turboprops do not have a baggage area below the passenger cabin - they have baggage in the back of the plane. In some cases the baggage area is behind the pressure bulkhead.. in some cases not. These planes are not flying at 36,000 feet though - a lot of them have a typical cruise altitude of only 21,000 or so. So it ends up not being a big deal.

I don't think the typical cabin altitude on a jet of 8000 feet is going to give you any problems for a properly corked bottle of wine or champagne. That bottle of shampoo that you didn't squeeze the air out of, on the other hand... it only happened to me once, and that was enough.

Kiwi Flyer

Likewise offered wine bottles flying in to US but had to decline since I'd be stuck on the onward flights.

Rice

Aha - that's the trick for utter peace of mind, then. Just convince the check-in agent that my precious bottles are my pets.

kdeg

I run a pair of small markets that specialize, among other things, in Italian and Spanish wines. A good portion of my international travel involves visiting wineries and very often carry home samples, gifts and other bottles that I purchase for my own interest, not to mention the ocasional bottle of brandy, grappa or calvados. The only rule that exists as far as a US citizen transporting alcohol in their checked baggage is the import duty on quantities over (i believe) 2 liters. And, as long as you declare it and are prepared to pay any duties, you are home free. I've found that in the few instances where I've carried back enough that I felt it would be prudent to declare it the customs officer has normally just waved me by.

If I had a UA agent tell me that it was against UA policy to check wine, I would ask them to endorse my ticket to another, more business friendly airline and then switch my FF business over to LH in a heartbeat.