# Can I take alcohol on an airplane? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 30, 2005, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962 "2005-03-30T16:19:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/21 "2005-03-30T23:21:02Z")
> [@aaslatten](#): > > Slight hijack: What is the penalty for carrying and using a flask onboard? Probably the same as if you tried to carry on scissors - confiscation. ---
**Author:** ![lightingtool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/57b2e6/32.png) [@lightingtool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lightingtool)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/22 "2005-03-30T23:24:38Z")
I flew back from VT a few months ago with some Magic Hat and Long Trail Ale in my carry on bag. I did tell the security folks that I had bottles of beer in the bag before they sent it through the x-ray machine, as I imagined they might be a bit surprised to see lots of bottles. They thanked me for letting them know, and one person mentioned that he wished more people would warn them ahead of time if they have something they know will look suspicious in their bag. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/23 "2005-03-31T00:01:59Z")
> [@aaslatten](#): > > Slight hijack: What is the penalty for carrying and using a flask onboard? Liquor laws (in various countries including my own) never cease to amaze me. For goodness sakes, we are _adults_. You should be able to carry and/or consume alcohol anywhere provided you’re not in charge of a vehicle or machine or underage. Let’s take the aeroplane example. I actually don’t know what the laws are in my own country on this, but it seems that if I were to take a flask of Johnny on an international flight, and somewhere over the Pacific I crack it open, and start enjoying the contents, surely the airline would be happy that I’m not drinking _their_ complimentary whisky. On a domestic Australian flight where booze is not free, I’d understand them being upset, but that should be an airline policy, not a law. Otherwise _why_? As long as I am not intoxicated and obnoxious, what’s the difference between airline booze and my own? It seems silly that on international flights I can buy a huge bottle of whisky duty-free _while I’m on the plane_ (the airline is actually selling me the stuff) and I can repeatedly summon the flight attendants for more free shots, but I can’t open the whisky they’ve just sold me. Wuh? I also don’t understand the complexity and significance of taking this-that-or-the-other across state lines in the US. My country’s constitution specifically says that there shall always be free interstate trade. This has led to the slightly humourous situation where items such as bongs and X-rated videos are illegal to buy in some states, but not illegal to own, because the more liberal states are home to thriving mail order businesses (which are quite open and advertise in the other states). ---
**Author:** ![Elvez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@Elvez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elvez)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/24 "2005-03-31T00:18:06Z")
> [@aaslatten](#): > > Slight hijack: What is the penalty for carrying and using a flask onboard? If security is doing its job right, they’ll catch the flask before you get to the plane. I got stopped at the security checkpoint at 9 in th emorning with a small hip flask full of Bushmills. The guy was cool and let me go back outside to dump it. I swear I poured the whole thing in the bushes. 😉 I’ve gotten through with wine and small liquor botttles before though. Uncorked and otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/25 "2005-03-31T00:35:18Z")
One time when I was flying home from college (1990s) I brought a big bottle of Kahlua onboard with me in my jacket pocket. One of the flight attendants was happy to keep me supplied with milk and ice, the guy next to me and I spent the flight drinking Kahlua and Cream and having a ripping good time. That was United if I recall correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/26 "2005-03-31T02:15:11Z")
> [@Elvez](#): > > I got stopped at the security checkpoint at 9 in th emorning with a small hip flask full of Bushmills. The guy was cool and let me go back outside to dump it. I swear I poured the whole thing in the bushes. 😉 You almost made me cry. I’m glad to hear it was just Bushmills and not Black Bush or (Og help us!) Jameson 1780. (I don’t even dare think about dumping a flask of Redbreast or Tyrconnel lest I suffer a brain aneurism.) I’ve taken a flask or minis a couple of times but this was before the Big Fiasco and all of the recent air rage incidents. Some people. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/27 "2005-03-31T02:48:40Z")
On long flights, I’ve sometimes taken a bottle of tawny port in my carry-on. It starts unopened, but doesn’t end that way. Better than wine, becuase you don’t need a corkscrew (the bottles are corked, but in a different manner that doesn’t need one) and you can easily recork the bottle and finish it over the next few days at your hotel without any appreciable dropoff in quality. I’ve never had a problem. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/28 "2005-03-31T03:04:40Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > Anecdote: While on training with some cow-orkers in Cincinnati several years ago, one bloke wanted to bring back a couple of cases of some beer that couldn’t be found in our state (Missouri…now there’s a place that has some screwed up liquor laws.) We were flying in some Delta puddlejumper and the crew didn’t want us to put the beer in the unpressurized cargo compartment, so we _had_ to bring it on as a carry-on. No huhu, except for all the envious passengers. You think Missouri laws are screwed up? Try Kansas. 🙂 Full alcohol beer (5% or so) isn’t allowed to be sold in grocery or convenience stores, so the major brands make lower alcohol beer (3.2%, no more) and sell it as if it were the real stuff. ---
**Author:** ![jweb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/71c47a/32.png) [@jweb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jweb)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/29 "2005-03-31T03:08:14Z")
Carrying beer on board a plane is not a problem. Just 3 days ago I had a coworker, a contractor that flies in from Denver each week, bring me a 12-pack of Fat Tire. She carried it on with no problems (she didn’t even bother to put it in her bag, IIRC). The only problem she had was resisting the temptation to sell some of the beers to others on board the plane. (Fat Tire, for those who’ve never experienced it, is heavenly). I have no idea what airline she used, but since she flew from Denver to Minneapolis, I’d guess either United or Northwest. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/30 "2005-03-31T09:15:15Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > You think Missouri laws are screwed up? Try Kansas. 🙂 Full alcohol beer (5% or so) isn’t allowed to be sold in grocery or convenience stores, so the major brands make lower alcohol beer (3.2%, no more) and sell it as if it were the real stuff. Ah, QT Beer. And I suppose you are old enough to remember the “liquor by the drink” furor fifteen or so years back. But other states are even worse. Setting aside Utah (which at least permits plenty of work-arounds to their stringent laws) there’s Massechussettes (I know I spelled that wrong), Virginia, the bizarreness that is Pennsylvania, the hideousness of South Carolina, and the abosolute topper, Arkansas, each with their own strange patchwork of liquor and beverage laws. At least in the Kansas City area you can easily hop across the state line, which is about the only good thing one can say about KCMO. I’ll take Chicago, Milwaukee, Los Angeles, or San Francisco any day. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/31 "2005-03-31T16:51:37Z")
> [@Elvez](#): > > If security is doing its job right, they’ll catch the flask before you get to the plane. You mean because of metal detectors? But they have those plastic flasks … I only asked because I did it once or twice myself before I realized it was illegal, so I was just wondering if they’ve ever punished people for it. Doesn’t seem to be that big a deal as long as you don’t become unruly. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/32 "2005-03-31T19:48:25Z")
Last September, I flew back from my wedding with two unopened bottles of champagne. No problems whatsoever, apart from my shoulder hurting from lugging it through airports. In fact, one of the bottles was given to us by the flight crew of the flight that originally took us to Vegas! If you were wondering why we still had two unopened bottles, have no fear: much champagne was consumed that week. We were about sick of the stuff by the time we had to go back home. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/33 "2005-03-31T20:12:49Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#): > > You think Missouri laws are screwed up? Try Kansas. 🙂 Full alcohol beer (5% or so) isn’t allowed to be sold in grocery or convenience stores, so the major brands make lower alcohol beer (3.2%, no more) and sell it as if it were the real stuff. Colorado is the same way. Here it’s a leftover from the days when 18-20 year olds could drink 3.2 beer. ---
**Author:** ![3.885AM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/58956e/32.png) [@3.885AM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3.885AM)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/34 "2005-04-01T01:26:51Z")
TSA screener here As far as flasks are concerned, we see them in carry-no all the time, not the sort of thing we would question unless we had reason to suspect something. Just don’t try to bring lighters on after April 14! ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/35 "2005-04-01T02:05:39Z")
thanks for the info, folks! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/36 "2005-04-01T02:39:07Z")
**norinew** , if you’re on North Michigan avenue rest assured obtaining alcoholic beverages will be no problem whatsoever. Lots of stores within walking distance, and even if you’re in a wheelchair all the curbs are cut and there are handicapped-accessible doors just about everywhere. Taxis obtainable all hours of the day or night. Busses and trains available, too. As a general rule, walking at least two blocks either due east (towards the big lake) or due west (the other way) will result in considerable price savings on any purchases. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2005, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962/37 "2005-04-01T09:20:19Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > As a general rule, walking at least two blocks either due east (towards the big lake) or due west (the other way) will result in considerable price savings on any purchases. Yeah, I was doing a little research last night on the hotel I’ll be staying at, and apparently, it’s fairly high-class, in a pretty high-class location. The hotel (The Westin, Michigan Ave.), has a lounge, but I’m guessing a lounge in such a hotel will charge maybe $8.00 for a draft, and I’m not inclined to pay that much. I’ll be on my own for about four meals, and notice that there’s a Taco Bell just a couple of blocks away. I’ll probably hike on down to the Bell on Wednesday evening, and look for beer on my way back to the hotel. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-take-alcohol-on-an-airplane/296962.md?page=1)