chitownflyer

To be safe, try carrying and placing the bottle in some bubble wrap and 2 gallon plastic bags, and it is fairly fully proof for your packing.

gfowler-ord-1k

until the TSA opens the packing and leaves everything loose in your bag. It has happened to me multiple times, not only with wine but other fragile stuff.

jmr50

I ran afoul of this today in SFO. Wouldn't let me check a bag with a wrapped and padded but not official bottle carrier. I'm very annoyed at this but assume my only recourse was to walk? Do other carriers pull this?

SFOTurtle

Southwest will let you pack wine if its is properly packed with padding and plastic in the event it breaks. If you don't have proper packing before you get to the airport, they will sell it to you so you don't have to chuck your good wine or donate it to TSA. I experienced the same problem at LAX a year ago. I had three very nice bottles of Australian Shiraz I had picked up earlier that day, and after trying to be polite at the 1P check-in counter and informing them I had wine, I was told I could not check it unless it was "professionally packed." Well, there was no way I was going to those three bottles out. One option was to walk across the airport and buy a icket with WN to SJC and purchase the packing from WN. Instead, I decided to walk from the 1P check-in location down the hall to the regular UA check-in counter and checked my bag there. It arrived in SJC safe and sound. Lesson learned.

dartagnan

I check beer through SFO every week. Last week I brought home 2 bags, each with 8 22 oz - 750 ml bottles of beer. No one even batted an eye.

I've never made mention of it, except once when I used a box with a wine carrier styrofoam insert inside, where they marked it fragile. I figure if they don't know if won't hurt me. I make sure to super duper wrap everything and have never had a break.

higgsjoa

Ouch! I feel for ya.

I have literally checked hundreds (if not a thousand) bottles of wine over the years. The only broken bottle I've had was with AF, and yes, the bottle was French, and it only happened because they made me check at the last minute because the bag weighed too much for carry on (the is before today's carry-on restricitons). After that experience my note to self was to never wrap bottles of red wine in a white sweater for padding.

Seriously, I routinely check a case of wine and have already done it a couple times this year - in a special styrofoam box. The box is easy to get at any good wine shop and costs next to nothing. If an agent ever were to give me trouble I'd demand a supervisor and a written account of the "rules." I have never had to sign a liability waiver.

honmani2

I've traveled with many a bottle of wine over the years. As others have said, pad it well within your check-in bag, do not insist to the agent that you have fragile contents, and you're good to go.

I've never had a bottle break. Knock on wood.

Boghopper

That's certainly the case with UPS.

Boghopper

Come to think of it, a sure sign this is BS is that at IAD in the UA international transfer area as you rechecking your bag after customs there's often a guy there reminding people to put their duty-free liquid purchased INTO their checked baggage to avoid having it confiscated at the security checkpoint.