# taking small bottles of booze on plane **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 19, 2015, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059 "2015-02-19T02:47:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ginman999](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@ginman999](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ginman999)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/1 "2015-02-19T02:47:07Z")
Can you still take the small bottles of booze on an airplane? International flight if that is relevant. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/2 "2015-02-19T03:03:39Z")
I’m not really sure, but you could easily fill 100ml bottles with booze and carry that on as your allotted liquid. I’ve actually purchased 100ml bottles with this in mind, but have yet to try it out. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/3 "2015-02-19T03:10:44Z")
Yes, but you’re not allowed to drink them. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/4 "2015-02-19T03:16:12Z")
For US flights: Googling suggests that it’s legal to carry booze aboard (subject to the TSA’s rules), but you cannot consume it. The FAA Rule (which I wasn’t quickly able to find) is reputed to say that “No person may drink any alcoholic beverage aboard an aircraft unless the certificate holder operating the aircraft has served that beverage.” ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/5 "2015-02-19T03:19:57Z")
[Here’s](http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=1b596ecb88aa3a1f0f128d6c27107fc8&n=sp14.3.121.t&r=SUBPART&ty=HTML#se14.3.121_1575) the FAA ruling. > [@](#): > > §121.575 Alcoholic beverages. > > (a) No person may drink any alcoholic beverage aboard an aircraft unless the certificate holder operating the aircraft has served that beverage to him. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/6 "2015-02-19T03:35:46Z")
Nope. Too lazy to look it up. Last thing an airline wants is someone bringing a flammable liquid on board, and definitely want to control the amount of booze someone is consuming. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/7 "2015-02-19T03:43:49Z")
Can’t say I’ve ever had trouble taking bottles of booze on board. Drinking it is another matter. It’s the same concept as a pub, their licence only permits patrons to consume drinks purchased at the pub. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/8 "2015-02-19T04:25:01Z")
Never had an issue myself. Last time was coming in from Puerto Rico last March, I bought two little 100 mL (or whatever size bottles they are) at the souvenir shop near the gate. I may or may not have surreptitiously drunk one of them on the plane. (You are definitely not allowed to drink your own booze that you brought on board.) That said, I’ve only tried this with alcohol purchased after the security checkpoint. No idea if they’ll let you go through with it or not. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/9 "2015-02-19T04:41:30Z")
You are not supposed to drink them on the plane but unless you are already three sheets and being incredibly obvious about it, it probably won’t be a problem. I’ve never seen anybody get it trouble but probably just a scolding. Just if you put vodka in small bottles meant to hold contact solution or shampoo, make sure it tastes fine first, even if you are 110% sure that you thoroughly rinsed it… > [@China\_Guy](#): > > Nope. Too lazy to look it up. Last thing an airline wants is someone bringing a flammable liquid on board, and definitely want to control the amount of booze someone is consuming. They do forbid _actually_ flammable high-proof alcohol, but at 80 proof the danger is negligible and it is legal. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/10 "2015-02-19T04:50:12Z")
Hell, hair spray is flammable. As I found out at about 10 years of age. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/11 "2015-02-19T05:27:11Z")
Hmm, as I think about it. Some countries will allow you to purchase via duty free, and collect your bottle in a sealed bag as you get on the plane. That said, I’m not aware of any country that allows passengers to go through security with liquids. I know from bitter experience and really nice bottle of single malt purchased via duty free in China that I couldn’t take through security with handcarry after landing in the US for a domestic flight. The choice was a 15 year bottle of Macallans or missing my flight home as the line for checked luggage was hours long at SFO. I gave the scotch to a Japanese guy in the checked luggage line. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/12 "2015-02-19T05:34:13Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > That said, I’m not aware of any country that allows passengers to go through security with liquids. The rule I’m most familiar with is liquids in individual containers of 100mL or less is fine, up to a certain total amount. Not sure what security would say if they see the liquid is little bottles of alcohol, though. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2015, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-small-bottles-of-booze-on-plane/713059/13 "2015-02-19T05:38:31Z")
There’s nothing on the [TSA website](http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/alcoholic-beverages) that I see that specifically forbids taking alcoholic beverages under 3 oz through a security checkpoint.