flying with fish

bacalao

bacalao

Official Smartypants
Jul 25, 2007
129
0
0
72
Wilmington NC
OK, so I have this terrific new job, in which I will be traveling all over the place. The city where I live doesn't have a decent LFS, and I'm wondering about doing some fish shopping, especially in big US cities.

Does anyone have any experience packaging/carrying fish on commercial airline flights? If I bag them and box them in styrofoam, will most airlines let me take them as carryon?
 
I have done this a few times but not for a few years now. Have had no problems (but of course this was before 9/11).
 
You aren't allowed to take liquids on the plane now- only up to 3 oz. So I don't think the airlines would allow you to take them as carryon. Maybe if they were in your checked baggage, but I don't think you'd want to do that, what with the rough handling and possibly unpressurized cargo hold.

You could try contacting the specific airline/airport and see if they would make an allowance for live fish, but I wouldn't count on it. They wouldn't even let me take a bottle of milk for my daughter.
 
if you travel to a city and visit a fish store there, your best option if you want to buy a fish is to see if the store is willing to ship the fish to you after you arrive back home.
 
Some Airlines will allow you to bring live animals onto the plane, but with proper documents of course. That would be a hassle though, just for some fish. If I were you, I would buy the fish, ship it to your house right before you get home. If you are going home a few days after, the ship priority. Shipping can be pricey though.
 
Sh**, I totally forgot about the 3 oz liquid limit, I was just thinking about the last flight I was on where the person behind me had a cat in a carrier and I sneezed the whole flight.

I can't imagine that checked baggage would be any more stressful than the shipment it would go through if I paid someone to ship it, though. I mean, those fish basically travel in the cargo hold of a plane, no?
 
Actually, if you put it in your checked luggage your dangers are: getting crushed during the handling of your luggage; springing a leak because of pressure differences (many of the luggage compartments in airplanes are not pressurized) the fish getting so cold he will die from the cold (unpressurized cabins are also not usually heated; your luggage getting delayed or lost, either of which would be fatal to your fish. I have seen the UPS and Fedex trucks. They have special places built into the trucks to store things that have special handling requirements so my bet would be with ups or fedex over checked luggage...

Another option might be to buy a ticket for your fish...seriously though, you might want to check with the airlines. Some of them still have extra storage for special handling items within the planes cabin...just make sure it's not in the microwave :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom