Christmas Crackers

[Genghis the Engineer]

I got asked this question last week, and I'm damned if I can find an answer anywhere.

Does anybody know if christmas crackers are regarded as hazardous goods in checked-in luggage?

G

[mad_jock]

Yep they are.

Away round it is by removing all the cracker bits and sending them by snail mail.

[eglnyt]

Yes and No.

A few airlines still allow you to take crackers as checked baggage so you need to check with your airline. However BAA try to enforce a no cracker rule for passengers travelling through their airports in the UK regardless of airline.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Thanks a lot chaps - I shall have to send them overland to my neices and nephew! Ah well.

G

[Bealzebub]

Yes they can. They may only be accepted for carrriage if they are in retail boxes/packaging and carried as hold baggage. It is prohibited to carry them in the cabin.

Obviously the word "may" doesn't compel an airline or airport to permit their carriage, but dangerous goods legislation does permit their carriage as described.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Can anybody point at a reference anywhere?

G

[Miles Magister]

Genghis,

....Christmas crackers. Provided the Christmas crackers are in their original retail packaging, they may be carried by passengers. Check with your airline as some airlines have decided not to allow the carriage of crackers......

The above is a clip from the document 'What Can I Carry?' which is on the CAA's website as srg_dgo_whatcanIcarry20090925.pdf

I got it from my recent visit to Global Air Training who have a pretty good Dodgy Goods team but can not seem to attach the document to this post. PM me if you would like a copy by email

You will find a link to it here Information for Passengers | Flight Operations | Safety Regulation (http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=1219&pagetype=90&pageid=9617)

Note, it does say that it is operator specific. Updated on 24 Sept 2009 so fairly recent. It's under Miscellaneous Items - scroll down.

Regards

MM

[The SSK]

Let me tell you a story

In November 2002 Mrs SSK and I attended an event in London, and bought a dozen crackers to bring home. Since we were travelling on service tickets and the plane was full, we weren't sure to get on so we couldn't check our bags at the desk and had to carry them to the gate (the liquids rule makes that kind of thing impossible nowadays).

I had a big tin trunk with the conference documentation so I was directed towards the outsize scanner while the Mrs was in the regular queue. By the time I emerged she was still stuck at her scanner so I went across to see what was up.

They had identified, inside the box of crackers, one which contained a miniature pair of nail scissors. So they opened the case, removed the box of crackers, opened said box and were in the process of passing each one individually through the scanner (while the queue behind was getting longer and longer ...)

Eventually they found the one containing the scissors and confiscated it. They gave us back the other 11 little explosive devices to repack into the case.

I kid you not.

[Bealzebub]

Ah but SSK, that would have been quite legitimate in 2002. Then, there was nothing preventing you taking christmas crackers in your carry on baggage. In fact airlines could provide a christmas cracker to each passenger if they so wished. These rules are dynamic and evolve, and it is only in the last few years that some airlines have changed to prohibit carriage in the cabin, but permissable in retail packaging in the hold.

Further to my answer to Genghis above the information I provided was airline specific and Miles has give you a better reference, which as you can see does allow carriage in retail packaging either in the hold or in the cabin.

Christmas crackers. Provided the Christmas crackers are in their original retail packaging, they may be carried by passengers. Check with your airline as some airlines have decided not to allow the carriage of crackers. (See below for party poppers.)

[Cee of Gee]

As a thought, why not give the CAA Dodgy Goods Dept. at LGW a call?

C o' G

Note to self - in future, read previous posts properly!:ugh:

[alcockell]

Umm - is it possible to send Christmas crackers ahead as freight?

Just asking as humble SLF...

[Mpharn]

I read the part from the CAA misc. section that states crackers ARE allowed in hand baggage. Now, I fly from LHR to DTW 4x a year. I want to bring some crackers to my family in Deroit this year- Is there any update on NWA's rules? I emailed them to ask and I got a reply back about carry-on food. And the phone? Well, thats another story!

[OL200]

Confirm christmas crackers forbidden in either checked baggage or carry on on Delta / Northwest flights

[Mpharn]

OL200,
Thank you for that response and confirmation. Figures, my American family has to go without now-LOL! I guess they will never know what they're missing:)

[Genghis the Engineer]

Well I'm happy to confirm that they got to Spain, checked baggage with Easyjet, albeit sent with the CAA document printed out and attached.

I hope my neices and nephew enjoy them.

G

[Gedgie66]

I came across your forum while researching Christmas crackers. My company makes crackers here in the UK and we ship to the US and all over Europe using DHL and in 5 years have never had one box returned!

As someone previously mentioned as long as the crackers are boxed in retail packaging they should be ok be. I say should because things change all the time.

The largest quantity we shipped was 200 for a wedding in New York. No problems at all! I forget how many you need to be able to combine them to make a significant explosion but it's a staggering amount! The biggest deterrent to shipping crackers to the US is the shipping costs unfortunately and not the airlines.

Things are a little more complicated when you have to import 100,000 snaps on a boat into the UK from China!!! They can go off with a bang!

Phil

[HamishMcBush]

I live and work in the UK. The company I work for has an office in the USA and there are 2 guys from the UK who work there. One was back here at Christmas and wanted to take a box of crackers back to US with him. He bought said crackers then found out he couln't take them back as hand-luggage. On checking with our comnpany's freight forwarders they advised that they could not be sent as cargo either. So he gave them to one of our UK-based sales people.
For next year, any suggestions please (keep them polite).....

[Alsacienne]

I believe there is a large crafts company in the UK that makes and sells the 'snaps' so you could get them sent by snail mail and make your own crackers with contents of your choice and better value for money than in commercial crackers.

Those of a certain age, and of British origin, might have fond memories of 'Blue Peter', sticky-backed plastic and toilet roll insides ...................

[BAAlltheway]

As i remember the rules were, when i still worked on checkin, crackers could be accepted in hold baggage, as long as it was a maximum of 1 box of 12 crackers, still in their original, unopened retail packaging.

Unopened, so no tampering, max number to minimise explosive properties.