Getting duty free liquor home when you fly

[Delta Dear]

If you buy liquor, how do you get it back home when you fly ? I can remember back in the day when you would see passengers carrying their liquor right on the plane. Now with the no liquid restrictions, how DO you get it back home? Packed in your checked luggage ? Is it packed well enougn not to break ! Rum scented clothes ? No thanks ! LOL

[klfrodo]

Packed in checked luggage. So far,,,,no breakage.

[cb at sea]

Just make sure that "cheap" liquor doesn't throw your luggage over the weight limit--it may cost you more than the tax/duty!!!!!

[BroncosFan2010]

DH and I packed some rum in our luggage and had no problem getting it home safely. We put it in plastic bags (so if it did break there would not be rum scented clothes), then wrapped t-shirts around it, and made sure it was in the center of the suitcase with lots of cushion around it. We had no problem.

 

Another option (if you are flying out of San Juan) is to purchase the liquor once you are through security at one of the kiosk's in the airport. We also did this, and were able to carry on 4 liters of rum purchased in the San Juan airport. It was duty free and cost $40 (really cheap). They put it in a bag for you, and the bag is sealed, so you cannot drink it on the plane.

[Toto2Kansas]

DH and I packed some rum in our luggage and had no problem getting it home safely. We put it in plastic bags (so if it did break there would not be rum scented clothes), then wrapped t-shirts around it, and made sure it was in the center of the suitcase with lots of cushion around it. We had no problem.

 

Another option (if you are flying out of San Juan) is to purchase the liquor once you are through security at one of the kiosk's in the airport. We also did this, and were able to carry on 4 liters of rum purchased in the San Juan airport. It was duty free and cost $40 (really cheap). They put it in a bag for you, and the bag is sealed, so you cannot drink it on the plane.

 

If I am not mistaken here, this will only work on a non-stop flight though. :confused:

[Delta Dear]

Thanks, we're doing a cruise to the Western Caribbean, then flying back to Baltimore. Thanks for the tips.

[eandj]

Agree with CB. Bottles add soooo much weight, that if you don't allow a lot of poundage when you are packing FOR your cruise, the cost of an over weight bag, usually 50$, outweighs the bargain pricing. (excuse the pun)

 

 

We recently brought a small bottle of a local drink back wrapped in bubble wrap, ziplock bag and finally wrapped in tshirts ...my dh's of course...in case of breakage;) No problem.

[Putterdude]

If I am not mistaken here, this will only work on a non-stop flight though. :confused:

 

You are correct.:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I have read where people did pack their alcohol in their luggage -- and bottles did get broken.

Not worth the risk.

JMO

[Alexis]

I have read where people did pack their alcohol in their luggage -- and bottles did get broken.

 

Not worth the risk.

 

JMO

 

You are correct, it does happen. I have seen people claim their luggage dripping alcohol in JFK.

[Shorex]

There are two scenarios for bringing back bottles of alcohol:

 

1) In checked baggage with issues of weight and breakage (search for lots of threads on tips for secure packing of glass bottles).

 

2) In carry-on with issues of security rules. You can bring your own sample sizes (within the 3.4 oz/100 ml limitations and in the one quart plastic bag) or purchase larger sizes past security. Here's where it gets sticky. If you fly from outside the US with a connecting flight within the US, you would have to re-enter security after dealing with customs and immigration at your point of entry and would not be able to take your purchases through security onto your next flight. (Yes, there are European rules about security seals that may allow this, but those rules are not in effect in the US.)

 

There are numerous anecdotes of US overseas passengers who purchase alcohol in duty free then have to surrender it before their connecting flight within the US.

 

There are FAA rules that any alcohol consumed on the plane must be served by a flight attendant. Thus even the small bottles should not be opened in flight.

[airlink diva]

I have read where people did pack their alcohol in their luggage -- and bottles did get broken.

Not worth the risk.

JMO

 

Oh so true!! I work for a regional airline and I very rarely pack any alcohol. If I know that I'm going to buy something, I purchase bubble wrap and tape and wrap it several times and write the type on the outer part. I know that some shops and ships offer the plastic casing that's great.

The most I will even bring home then is two.

But I can't tell you how many times bags come to an aircraft or luggage belt that you can smell away off. The plain packing boxes with no wrapping are the worst and those are the one that will break.

Also, you never know if a bag is going to be the first one on an aircraft and placed at the bottom of a stack.

Now when I drive to port, no limit on what returns with me!!

[Delta Dear]

Well, maybe whatever we buy, we will leave with our son who lives in FL. LOL, safer to have a drink when we visit him, than to have dripping luggage.

[Tralynn]

On our cruise in Nov. 2008, we got home to find one of our suitcases soaked in rum, including all of the clothes inside....And we didn't even pack any rum in there! Someone's suitcase, or case of liquor must have broken and leaked onto my suitcase. LOL

[DaDead]

Back in the day - when you couldn't find a really good beer anywhere in Hawaii - we used to bring an extra suitcase with us just for beer! Whenever we stopped at a port - we'd buy a six pack or two of the local microbrew - always wrapped it in bubble wrap, lots of it! Never had any breakage, but the security at the airport threatend to confiscate the luggage:rolleyes: LOL - needless to say we were really popular with our friends when we returned from our trips!:D

[arlodog]

When we had our stop in San Juan at the pier the shop had a plastic sleeve that you could purchase for $1 or $2 and it was inflated with air. The package had tubes to cushion it in case on of them sprung a leak--really a great idea! We brought it home packed in our luggage with no problems.

[satxdiver]

If you buy liquor, how do you get it back home when you fly ? I can remember back in the day when you would see passengers carrying their liquor right on the plane. Now with the no liquid restrictions, how DO you get it back home? Packed in your checked luggage ? Is it packed well enougn not to break ! Rum scented clothes ? No thanks ! LOL

 

Yes, I can remember bringing a lot of wine back from CA, beer from other areas and distilled spirits by simply bringing it onboard and putting it in the overheads. However those days are gone now. Now I take my adult libations in my checked luggage both going to the cruise port and returning. I wrap the bottles in a lot of bubble wrap and put them in my checked luggage among a lot of soft clothing. I have never had a problem. As long as they don't crush my luggage or drop it 10 feet to a concrete floor, it will be safe.

[Treven]

I bring bottles of booze home coming back from the Caribbean, flying from FLL to the West coast, sometimes one stop and sometimes two stops along the way. I simply wrap my bottles in my jeans and place them in the middle of my luggage (one bottle in each piece of checked luggage). I've never had a problem with breakage.

Last spring I flew with two bottles of wine flying from the West coast to FLL, again wrapped in my jeans.

[rjsams]

I hope that works for me. I promised my son a bottle of vodka from Russia. Since I have a flight from Copenhagen to Iceland, then Iceland to the US on my way back, do you think I can carry the bottle on?

[Shorex]

I hope that works for me. I promised my son a bottle of vodka from Russia. Since I have a flight from Copenhagen to Iceland, then Iceland to the US on my way back, do you think I can carry the bottle on?

 

No -- if you purchase vodka in Russia and fly out of Copenhagen, you can only get it to the states in checked luggage. Security in Copenhagen will not allow you to take the bottle through the checkpoint.

[impcinder]

On a different thread, someone suggested using swim wings to cushion the bottle. These are the inflatable arm band that you may see non swimming kids use in a pool. We found a couple of inexpensive pairs at WalMart. We are planning on bringing back Pineapple wine from our Hawaii cruise.

 

I will still pack the bottle in a ziplock bag then use the swim wing. I guess I will try to insert the entire thing in some jeans.

[pris993]

We don't buy any liquor except if we are cruising out of our home port, San FRancisco, RT. Or on a nonstop direct flight and buying at the airport.

[DaDead]

On a different thread, someone suggested using swim wings to cushion the bottle. These are the inflatable arm band that you may see non swimming kids use in a pool. We found a couple of inexpensive pairs at WalMart. We are planning on bringing back Pineapple wine from our Hawaii cruise.

 

I will still pack the bottle in a ziplock bag then use the swim wing. I guess I will try to insert the entire thing in some jeans.

 

 

That's a great idea! You should also bring back a bottle of Volcano Winery's Lehua Honey Blossom wine. It is so ono!

[sweetsue13]

We tried to bring some booze back from the Caribbean. I also remember people just bringing closed boxes from the airport. When we tried to do this, they required us to put it in a special plastic wrapping and check it as luggage. This definitely increased the cost of the cheap booze. I would probably get less next time and put it in my luggage, as we did that with one bottle and no problems.

[cynbar]

Does anyone know if you can get off the plane and buy duty free liquor before leaving the terminal, after your flight lands in your destination city -- then you just carry it outside with you?? Specifically, we will be flying from Boston to Venice, Italy next May, and I would rather not carry it with us.