My son and daughter in law are travelling to China to attend the wedding of a close friend. They just asked me to give them a bottle of champagne to bring to the wedding. First, I gave them my standard speech. “I have more wine than I need for the rest of my life, so understand that you’re not giving them my champagne, your just giving them a part of your inheritance” Then I began to worry about whether the limited pressurization in the cargo hold of an airplane would cause the bottle to pop open. Have any of you packed bubbly in a suitcase and put it in the cargo hold? Did you have bad results? Good results?
I did this on a flight out to California earlier in the year. I thought the Champagne was not as good as it has been in the past…but still quite delicious. I don’t think there is a risk of a young bottle opening with pressure…you might not want to throw a 1976 Dom Perignon in there…but I’d assume a 2002 or more recent wine would have no problems. The wine I flew out was a 2006 Vilmart.
THe cargo hold is equally pressurized to the cabin, only less heat
It’s fine. I bring back champagne from France all the time. Stays nice and cool too.
Yep. No issues. Cargo hold is same pressure as plane, so no issue at all. The cage over the cork keeps everything under control anyway, so no worries at all.
No problems, done it many times with young and aged Champagne.
^^^This. Never had an issue. If you’re worried, put it in a sealed plastic bag to catch any liquid or glass.
Never had a problem.
Yes. I realized this after I posted. Otherwise, all those movies where they go down into the cargo hold to defuse the bomb without oxygen tanks would be fakes, and we know that really happens at least twice a week.
Even if it weren’t pressurized, the Champagne would be fine.
-Al
If it weren’t I guess you’d have to have a much stronger cabin floor, wouldn’t you!
I traveled with bubbles more times than I can count. No problem, as long as properly packed. I would recommend that a single/two bottles will never be packed near the corner of a suitcase (e.g. The box will be at the center of the suitcase with close/other materials surrounding it.
You need to have more champagne in your cellar, though 
I had a store in the UK tel me they can’t air freight bubbly. I insisted they could. They insisted it was against aviation rules.
Sigh
The entire fuselage is the pressure vessel.
Get one or more of those bubble-wrap plastic enclosures with the waterproof seal and put the bottle(s) in those. Then wrap in clothes and put in the center of the suitcase and it will be fine. And if it breaks, the plastic enclosure will hold all the liquid . . .
I’ve never had a problem.
Tuxedos aren’t nearly so nice when soaked in pinot meunier - better safe than sorry
Flew two magnums from Paris to Nice to Paris to California. No problems except one heavy bag. We fly them California to Hawaii frequently.
I haven’t traveled with champagne in my luggage since Thursday.