Gas canister in checked luggage

[Pali]

I've tried to google some information regarding dangerous goods but I had hard time to find any relevant information.

I would need to know what would be the penalty for attempting to smuggle gas canisters (used in a stove for hiking) in the checked luggage. Recently I saw a discussion on an outdoor forum where somebody suggested this "solution" due to the fact that in some countries you simply can't buy gas canisters so "you better bring some with you".

For me this is quite irresponsible and idiotic idea but I would like to know if this would be also deemed a criminal offence by authorities. :=

I would be grateful to get some information from those who know better.

[strake]

From a dive magazine in 2000. No doubt, Detection technology will have increased considerably since then - as will the penalties.

“Passengers are responsible if they bring hazardous material aboard an aircraft,” says Alison Duquette, an FAA spokesperson in Washington, D.C. According to Duquette, a person may be subject to civil penalties of up to $27,500 for each violation. In some cases, an individual could be subject to U.S. criminal penalties of up to $500,000 and a prison term of up to five years.

The United States isn’t the only country with strict regulations regarding hazmat. In fact, most countries have similar regulations, and don’t take kindly to those who violate them. A passenger aboard an Air Canada flight from Jamaica to Toronto, Ontario, was found guilty under Canadian law of illegally transporting hazardous materials: a 30-pound cylinder of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in his checked baggage. The passenger was found guilty on three counts and fined $5,000. He also was sentenced to one year of probation and ordered to provide 30 hours of community service.

[rgsaero]

It all depends on which airline you are flying with.

I have experience with Air NZ and Emirates; both have details in their Ts & Cs - look under "dangerous goods" and you will see that - for example - a life jacket with one small (inert) gas canister is acceptable but should be declared.

However, I think you will that canisters - or any other container - of flammable gas or fluid are universally prohibited.

[ExXB]

ValuJet Flight 592 was a domestic passenger flight between Miami and Atlanta that crashed into the Everglades on May 11, 1996 as a result of a fire in the cargo compartment caused by improperly stored cargo, killing all 110 people on board.

ValuJet Flight 592 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ValuJet_Flight_592)

Such irresponsible behaviour can kill people - including yourself. Yes there are fines if you get caught, but this is just plain stupid. Don't do it, the restrictions are there for a reason.

[Pali]

Thank you for very valuable answers :)

[Agaricus bisporus]

I would like to know if this would be also deemed a criminal offence by authorities.

Undoubtably, and a very serious one.

But not as serious as the one I'd be very tempted to carry out on the barsteward who'd risked my life along with a hundred and fifty others by doing it. Then I'd ask them to all have a go too...

[rethymnon]

Some years ago, I recall a young Austrian guy tried this at Athens Airport. It was apparently picked up on the scanner and he was marched by an irate security guard to a check-in desk so that someone who spoke fluent German could read him the riot act. I don't think he got much sympathy from anyone who saw this incident.

[RevMan2]

It all depends on which airline you are flying with.

Rubbish.

IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations apply to all airlines.

Packing flammable gas (or anything else that's prohibited for exceptionally good reasons) in your luggage is both stupid and criminal.

[Torque Tonight]

We get pretty sick of smart-@rse passengers who think they know better, or that they are a special case or that the rules don't apply to them (whether it be electronics, seat belts, safety briefings or dangerous goods). Dangerous goods regulations are a serious business and are there for very good reasons: lessons learned at the cost of many lives. In flight fire is probably my greatest concern as a pilot, and idiots like this, along with the toilet smokers, don't don't help me sleep easy at night.

[edi_local]

Some years ago, I recall a young Austrian guy tried this at Athens Airport. It was apparently picked up on the scanner and he was marched by an irate security guard to a check-in desk so that someone who spoke fluent German could read him the riot act. I don't think he got much sympathy from anyone who saw this incident.

I've seen it happen at LHR too, fairly recently. A man was called to the gate, security and someone from the baggage hall was there. He was informed his bag was waiting for him in the arrivals hall and he was to be offloaded because two large gas canisters were in his bag. He kicked up a bit of a fuss, but the airline refused to carry him. I recalled seeing the guy at check in and my team member had clearly asked him the security questions required by the airline. He admitted he'd lied and was made to find his own way to his destination. Absolute Idiot.

It's coming up for the time of year when people try to fly with Christmas Crackers. I would urge all passengers to check with the airline as to what their policy is regarding this. I remember a few years ago lots of peoples bags being put aside because they had lied about there being no Christmas crackers in them (and ignored the big signs at check in). The airline I handled at the time totally forbid them on board, but people still thought they were being clever by trying to sneak them through. It got to the stage where you would have to literally threaten passengers that if crackers were found when the bag was screened then they and the bags would be going nowhere. Once we adopted that attitude our bins at check in were overflowing with popped crackers!

[rgsaero]

RevMan2
Settle down! Try reading the post before rushing to print! I do not post rubbish! As one who has been using commercial airlines since 1951 (and having trained as an aircraft engineer) I am aware of what's dangerous and what's not! And what's allowed or not.

My post clearly refers to the carriage of such items as lifejackets with INERT gas canisters. The last para clearly says that ".....that canisters - or any other container - of flammable gas or fluid are universally prohibited"

Different airlines DO have different regulations to cover such items containing intert gas canisters. Some require pre-flight declaration, some do not.

[strake]

How can anyone check that a cooking gas cylinder is actually inert (zero compressed gas inside) at an airport...

Presumably it's a case of lit or hiss...

[RevMan2]

@rgsaero

I did read the post. I think I'm also (IATA DGR) qualified to comment. An airline can be MORE restrictive than the IATA DG Regs, but not LESS restrictive.

And I don't see the relevance of the reference to small inert gas canisters to the topic - cooking gas cartridges

@TWT
How can anyone check that a cooking gas cylinder is actually inert
Cooking gas by definition is not inert - it combines with oxygen in an exothermic reaction (which is the whole point of using it for cooking

[RevMan2]

This thread is getting silly - the central issue was taking filled gas container because (to quote the OP) "....... in some countries you simply can't buy gas canisters"

Now we're talking about inert gases in lifejackets and supposedly empty cooking gas cylinders?

This is what you can (and can't) take on board.
IATA - Passenger Corner (http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/dgr/Pages/dgr-guidance.aspx)
End. Of. Story.

[Dave Gittins]

Once upon a time my wife arrived at our destination to find her curling tongs missing from checked luggage. Regs suggest they are permitted so she was mad.

Anybody any experience of this ?

[RevMan2]

If we're thread-drifting...
TSA in LAX has taken a liking to my Opinel No 6 garden knife - stolen twice within 6 months from checked luggage.

[Evanelpus]

I remember vividly travelling from Beijing to Tokyo with a female colleague. At Beijing she was stopped at security and, I can only describe it as interrogated, about a canister in her hand luggage.

The uniformed gent in question wouldn't accept that it was a can of hairspray, so he got out his lighter, pressed the hairspray and sent a flame about four foot long into the air. Then he promptly confiscated the can and sent her on her way.

Upshot was that she wouldn't leave the hotel until I went to the local shop to get another can for her!