Being aware of what you are allowed to take on an international flight is an important task on the pre-packing list. Maybe you want to bring along a very expensive bottle of alcohol to join a feast at the traveling spot. Or simply love sipping on wine listening to some jazz music before going to bed.
No matter what the case is, you want to bring along alcohol. And so, you need to find out if you can bring alcohol on a plane in checked baggage for an international flight. Let me help you with that.
So, Can You Bring Alcohol on A Plane in Checked Baggage for International Flight?
According to the TSA, also known as the Transportation Security Administration, travelers can bring alcohol or any other sort of liquid but under some conditions. And the most critical one is making sure carrying bottles are sealed properly and not unopened.
In fact, for proper sealing, the liquid carriers should be put inside a sealed bag. In checked baggage, alcohol cannot exceed 140 proof which means 70 percent. You don’t have to worry about a proof-limit with carry-on booze, however.
The best thing to do is always checking one’s destination’s law. As a few countries will not allow their passengers to enter the place with alcohol. One good example is Kuwait. Passengers are completely forbidden to enter when holding any sort of alcohol.
Also, one thing that often passengers forget to take care of is paying attention to the label of their liquor. The TSA officer must be able to get the idea of liquor’s strength by reading label.
So, don’t make the mistake of bringing an unlabeled bottle to pack it inside the checked baggage. There’s a good chance that it will get rejected when officer fails to identify strength information from the label.
Also, about the limitation of how much alcohol you can carry, is a thing that varies as each country have their own customs regulations to follow. In the USA, if you are a person who’s 21 years or older, then you can carry one liter for personal use duty-free importing.
If you are underaged then even as a gift, you won’t be able to bring alcohol along. If you are carrying alcohol that is less than 24 percent of strength then there’s usually no restriction on the quantity of TSA. However, airlines can create a limit for checked baggage so it’s still best to limit the quantity as much as possible.
And also, additional alcohol will have a tax on it. Doesn’t matter if you’ve bought it duty-free. Before you leave the visiting country, tax will be applied as you try to bring it into USA. The rules for tax also vary because each state has different laws on alcohol importation.
Packing Alcohol in Checked Baggage.
Your most important concern when packing alcohol should be about making sure it does not break. As that will end your story right there and bring some serious consequences. So, the packing phase needs you to be wise and smart of course. Here are a few tips to follow that can truly help.
We are all very well aware of the robustness of luggage handlers. They are not very friendly with the baggage when handling them in a hurry. So, it’s the best idea to go for a wine suitcase if budget is not a problem. If it is a concern, then maybe invest in a wine bottle protector.
Another handy tip can be packing the liquor inside a dry bag. These are for sure not only best for storing wine and alcohol but also a lot of other things.
Now if that’s also not possible in your case, then bring gather all your fluffiest voluminous clothes. Go for those cozy sweaters and padded clothing. Let them be a surrounded by wall playing the role of protector for your alcohol bottles. And packing this way, you can hope for the best but there’s still a tiny bit of risk remaining this way. But it’s still better than doing nothing at all for preventing the break chances.
Wrap up
So now you know that bringing alcohol on a plane in checked baggage for international flight is fine to do in the general case. But you still need to be wise and smart enough to pay attention to the airlines and TSA’s guide over limitations and regulations.
Because the incidents of not being able to enter a place with alcohol aren’t very low. And so, the best thing you should try before anything at all is contacting the airlines, you’ll be flying with to be broadly aware of what the rules are on carrying liquor. And of course, even after knowing all possible rulings, packing those alcoholic bottles with care and caution.