I’m contemplating putting a bottle of champagne in my checked baggage. Is that wise?
The plane is expected to be an Airbus 319.
Concerns would be the bag being thrown around, and air pressure. I believe cargo holds are pressurised these days. Is that ever not the case (absent some critical failure in which case I probably have bigger concerns)
I have done it many times for many years. No problems.
Everyone should stop worrying about the pressure differential when flying. Think about how much force you have to use to pull the average cork, including champagne. It’s way more than the few pounds that results from reduced cabin pressure while flying.
Edit: did a quick calculation. Typical cork is 3/4" diameter. That surface area, times 14.7 lbs atmospheric pressure gives about 6.5lbs total. So even in zero pressure space your wine is probably ok. Typical airline pressurization is (worst case) about 70% of sea level, so about 2 lbs difference. Even unpressurized at 30,000 feet is around 30% of sea level, so less than 5 lbs of force differential on the cork. A normal cork requires a lot more force than that to remove.
No problem! Done it many times.
One more person that has done it many times before.
just make sure to have bubble wrap and/or special sleeves for it. Your only worry is breakage, not it exploding due to air pressure
easy
i’ve done it many times, and i have never actually thoguht twice about it…
Hard suitcase. Planning Bubble wrap and clothes for padding.
Thanks for the reassurance everyone. (I’ve done still wine a lot with no problems which speaks to the breakage aspect. It’s the pressure in the bottle that was concerning me a little).
The pressure is four atmospheres or more for most Champagne. The additional pressure difference, even worst case, is still in the range bottles are built to withstand (less than an atmosphere more). But, the cargo hold is likely to be pressurized on most flights.
-Al