Christmas Crackers

[ACARS]

Not sure which forum to post this on, but I recon you cabin crew will know the answer.

Am I allowed to travel with christmas crackers in my hand luggage?

[Orangewing]

I'm hoping to pull a few christmas crackers this year....preferably blond ones :E

Not sure I would put them in my hand luggage though.
:}

[SeatbeltsFastened]

I'm afraid that's a no go, sorry :=

I believe some airlines may allow you to check them in to the hold, providing they are in original packaging & commercially made. Maybe other cabin crew can confirm this?? The airline i work for do not allow Christmas crackers in the cabin or in the hold, so i would recommend that you contact your specific airline & ask if the hold is an option.

Thank you for asking the question & not just turning up with them in your baggage. We all appreciate you thinking ahead & coming on here to ask us :ok:

[TopBunk]

and from BA.com
Do I have to check my Christmas presents into the aircraft hold?
No, Christmas presents can be taken as hand baggage if they are unwrapped (for security purposes) and do not exceed your hand baggage allowance.
Please note that there are still controls on the volume of liquids that can be carried in your hand baggage - this regulation will apply to any gift items with liquid in them, as well as any liquid items you carry for your personal use. You can read more on this, on ba.com (http://www.britishairways.com/travel/liquidbaggagereview/).
Can I take Christmas crackers in my hand baggage?
The contents of some Christmas Crackers may contain items, which are in breach of the security requirements therefore, to avoid security issues, passengers can carry crackers as ‘checked baggage’ only
Please note the following restrictions:

Maximum 2 boxes per passenger
The crackers must be commercially manufactured
The crackers must be in the manufacturers original packaging
The crackers are for personal use only
Homemade crackers are not permitted. Can I take party poppers in my hand or checked baggage?
Party poppers are not allowed on any British Airways aircraft.

[AlpineSkier]

Not a particularly important question, just curiousity .

In light of TopBunk's post above, does this mean security is meant to check baggage with regard to individual airlines rules or the above is just in case a BA person finds the offending articles or they cause some kind of incident ?

[ACARS]

Thanks for the replies. Turn's out my flight is cancelled due to bad weather in Brussels. Looks like I am starting early. But my expat friends in Brussels won't be getting their crackers this year!

[james solomon]

Actually the caa ban all christmas crackers on any flight due to the stick inside them could spark causing a fire but this abstract is from a caa document on the matter

1.3 Christmas Crackers and Party Poppers
1.3.1 At this time of year the Authority is often asked about whether Christmas crackers can be carried by
passengers and whether operators can provide them to passengers with their meals at Christmas time.
Christmas crackers when complete and in their retail packaging (ie: in a box of Christmas crackers) do
not have sufficient grains of explosive in the "snap" to be regarded as dangerous goods and they can be
carried without restriction. However, the snaps when shipped on their own are regarded as having an
explosive potential because of the number likely to be contained in a single package and they need to
be consigned as dangerous goods under the classification assigned to them by the relevant competent
authority and in accordance with the requirements of the Technical Instructions.
1.3.2 The Authority is also asked about party poppers; even though they may appear to also contain a
minimal quantity of explosive, tests have shown there is sufficient to give rise to a hazard similar to that
posed by toy gun caps. Therefore, they are not considered to be suitable for carriage by passengers in
their baggage and, even in their retail packaging, need to be consigned as cargo in accordance with the
requirements for dangerous goods.

[Don Coyote]

James,

I think that is off an old FODCOM 15/99 that has been superceeded. This is off the CAA website and indicates yes to crackers but no to party poppers: http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/1219/srg_dgo_WhatCanICarry20090925.pdf

It does add to check with an airline first as they may have a more restrictive requirement.

[james solomon]

Easyjet say no to xmas crackers same with tcx