# Packed food in suitcase on plane **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 8, 2026, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packed-food-in-suitcase-on-plane/1029111 "2026-04-08T02:39:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lushka1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/97f17d/32.png) [@Lushka1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lushka1953)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packed-food-in-suitcase-on-plane/1029111/1 "2026-04-08T02:39:32Z")
I’m traveling by plane to visit family and want to bring their favorite dish (Greek spanakopita). It would be frozen and packed in my suitcase. Is this acceptable by airlines? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packed-food-in-suitcase-on-plane/1029111/2 "2026-04-08T02:41:12Z")
Is this domestic US air travel? International? Something else? ---
**Author:** ![Lushka1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/97f17d/32.png) [@Lushka1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lushka1953)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packed-food-in-suitcase-on-plane/1029111/3 "2026-04-08T02:46:46Z")
Domestic ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packed-food-in-suitcase-on-plane/1029111/4 "2026-04-08T02:48:51Z")
Checked baggage: yes. Carry-on: yes, but ice packs must be fully frozen when going through security. > **[Frozen Food | Transportation Security Administration](https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/frozen-food)** > > Meat, seafood, vegetables and other non-liquid food items are permitted in both carry-on and checked bags. If the food is packed with ice or ice packs in a cooler or other container, the ice or ice packs must be completely frozen when brought through... ---
**Author:** ![Lushka1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/97f17d/32.png) [@Lushka1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lushka1953)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packed-food-in-suitcase-on-plane/1029111/5 "2026-04-08T02:59:08Z")
Thank you! 😊 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpups](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpups/32/21025_2.png) [@wolfpups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpups)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packed-food-in-suitcase-on-plane/1029111/6 "2026-04-08T09:46:01Z")
I’ve done this before with homemade stuff - freeze it rock hard and double-wrap it so it doesn’t leak if it starts thawing. ---
**Author:** ![Lushka1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/97f17d/32.png) [@Lushka1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lushka1953)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packed-food-in-suitcase-on-plane/1029111/7 "2026-04-08T13:16:41Z")
Thank you! 😊 ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/packed-food-in-suitcase-on-plane/1029111/8 "2026-04-08T17:17:02Z")
Someone who worked for me went to Illinois for grad school like I did. He often brought back frozen pizzas from Poppa Del’s for himself, me, and another alum. One Thanksgiving we drove from the Bay Area to St. Louis to give a car to our daughter who lived in NJ. She flew down with her husband carrying a full Thanksgiving dinner, frozen, in their suitcases. They definitely got opened, but no problems. They were checked, of course.