ITravelForWork

One wonders how many people were denied boarding for "appearing" intoxicated on those days??

SoManyMiles-SoLittleTime

Got caught up with this in March LAX - NRT.

Daughter had bottle of champagne for her friends in Tokyo in her carry-on. Oh, can't take more than 3oz, so asked about putting it into checked luggage.

No dice.

So...she went off without the bottle, and I had a nice one later that evening back home!

martin33

the second liter would only face 3 percent duty. if it's a good enough deal, then take it...

honmani2

Like others in here, I've checked in and carried on (in the good 'ol days) many bottles over the years. *knock on wood* None have broken and I've never encountered the "LA rule" but, then again, I never say anything about the contents of my bag.

Here's a side question: Are you permitted to bring those small bottles of liquor (like the ones they serve in first class) in your carryon as long as it's with your toiletries in the quart-size baggie?

Or is liquor in any quantity verboten?

iluv2fly

I pack my favorite "minis" in my plastic bag on every trip. Not an issue.

auh2o

FWIW - just last week the GS check in agent at LAX asked me if I had any booze in my checked back before she would tag it. When I answered "No, but what difference would it make if I did", she responded that if I did have it, it would need to be packed in those foam jobs.

jmsteiner

I have done this many times / many ways over the past few years.

Options:
1. have winery ship directly to home (if your state allows that). Depending on your state sales tax rate, the tax savings offsets the cost of shipping. Works best with case lots.
2. specialized wine packaging. If you are picking up a couple of bottles here and there in Napa, you can purchase a wine box (cardboard and styrofoam) from almost every winery and most wine shops. FYI -- BevMo in NorCal is cheaper than any winery to buy these boxes. Tape it up and check it as luggage. I have done this a number of times, TSA has investigated and retaped a couple of times. All good, never had an issue. I now have a good collection of these shippers as they are the same ones the wineries use. Thinking ahead, I check empties on my wine runs so I don't have to buy new boxes when I get there.
3. Shipping (UPS / FedEx / Etc.) -- NOT a good option. Shipper rules require shipping locations to have special training / certifications. Outside of wine regions, finding a location is next to impossible. I tried to use FedEx to ship a case from San Francisco with absolutely NO luck.

honmani2

Ah, but have you gone through LAX?

JetsetNick

So if you pack a bottle of wine in your bag but don't tell them, will TSA remove it if they search your bag? Whenever I check a bag, I always end up opening it and seeing the little not that TSA has opened and searched my bag... a little creepy if you ask me, thinking that a stranger has touched my stuff.

GoingAway

You tell "them" is the airline -- they don't communicate anything to TSA. If TSA removes your bottle from checked luggage it is nothing more than theft and should be reported as such.

The airline's concern is that if the bottle breaks, it can damage other damages and cause other issues for them.

ps It's more than a "little" creepy to know someone was in your stuff without direct consent or oversight.

ranjit

I can confirm that this policy is still in place at LAX, unfortunately from first-hand experience involving four bottles of excellent New Zealand red wine. It looks like this is United's policy elsewhere, too, though possibly their agents at other airports are more willing to help (like the supervisor mentioned in an early thread who found some bubble wrap to make the bottles ok for checking). Some apparent lessons here:

1. Don't fly United.

2. Whatever airline you're flying, carefully check their website for restrictions on alcoholic beverages.

3. If you're packing wine, pack it impeccably. Styrofoam that covers the whole bottle is best. Bubble wrap should be OK. If the wine store doesn't have much in the way of packaging, a visit to a UPS or other shipping store would be wise.

4. Don't volunteer that you have wine unless asked.

5. If the check-in agent says you can't have wine in your checked bag, ask politely but firmly to see their supervisor.

studentff

Welcome to FT ranjit!

Exactly. And even then, maybe consider not telling the truth.

I don't think UA realizes that they are increasing the potential for damage with this idiotic (but thankfully rarely enforced) policy. I have frequently flown with wine. I'd much rather have it in carry-on, but TSA's idiotic war-on-water put a stop to that, so I'm stuck checking bags. Up until this year, I would always volunteer to the agent checking my item--frequently no more than a cardboard box big enough to hold a single bubble-wrapped bottle--that it contained wine. I would happily put the whole think in one of their giant plastic bags if they wanted or were concerned about leakage/breakage. It protects them, and does me no harm.

Now I just ask them to tag the bag as fragile without saying why. I can't afford the risk of having to toss out the bottles at check-in, and it's not like you have a lot of options for re-packing the bag at the airport.

on this whole policy. If UA wants to reduce instances of wine breaking in checked luggage, they should lobby TSA to abolish the war-on-water instead of "wholeheartedly supporting" (actual quote from UA rep) that idiotic restriction.

DHAST

I used to throw bags for UAX. This was 6 years ago now (gasp!) but the incidents that stick out in my mind are the ones where people improperly pack wine.

One of our CRJ's flew in, and immediately upon opening the cargo hold, it was readily apparent that someone checked wine without wrapping it properly. I didn't feel sorry for that person; however, I felt sorry for the customers whose belongings were ruined through know fault of their own.

PTahCha

Welcome to FT, Ranjit!

The official policy is that wine bottles need to be packed in a professional wine shipper. At the same time, rule #5 may not work in LAX, since it's a supervisor that pushed out the question requirement.

trekwars2000

My experience at SNA and SFO has been that if I pack them in a cardboard box (think 12 bottle styrofoam shipping container) I can check the boxes without a problem. However, each time I have been asked to sign a release of liability in case of breakage.