How does one travel - on regular commercial airlines - with marine livestock?

[mrwilson]

I travel quite a bit on business, and sometimes, if I have a little downtime, I stop by an LFS or two in whatever city I happen to be in. Sometimes I find something I'd like to buy, but I never have, just because I don't really know how to travel back home with the fish/coral/invert. What's the best way to get such a purchase through security and back home while flying regular commercial, U.S. domestic airlines? I'm sure there are others who frequent this forum who have tried this - tips, hints, protocols?

[Bongo Shrimp]

I've never done it before but have thought about what I would do. I would overnight it back home and have someone get it all acclimated and in the tank for me.

[Wolverine]

I've taken coral in a small cooler.

[bennkrys01]

I don't see how you would make it past security with the water.

+1 for overnighting it back home

[iamwhatiam52]

Security will not allow liquids in carryon bags.

What if it were in a checked piece of luggage?

[Yogre]

I would *not* try to get through security with livestock in water. The 3 oz. liquid restriction is still in effect. You may make it through but you may not and the resulting hassle could cause you to miss your flight.

If you don't want to overnight your animals to yourself you could package them well and check them. The cargo compartments of airliners are pressurized and are heated well enough that I think a heat pack would work to keep livestock alive. On the A320 I fly the bins run around 60f, we can see the temperature in the compartment.

[Bongo Shrimp]

Security will not allow liquids in carryon bags.

What if it were in a checked piece of luggage?

It cannot go in a checked piece of luggage because first, it is far too cold in the cargo hold of the plane (depending on the type of plane) and second because of how they treat the bags while getting them from the plane back to you. They throw them around and some bags just get plain destroyed.

[Yogre]

A lot of livestock moves on scheduled airlines, as well as freight carriers. Yes some is damaged but most is not. The rampers at sked airlines are no rougher on your stuff than the handlers at freight hubs, I've seen both in action.

Again with regard to the cold if you're concerned box your animals marked "live" and request that they be shipped as livestock. They will be put in the "pet bin" which is pressurized and heated.

[iamwhatiam52]

It cannot go in a checked piece of luggage because first, it is far too cold in the cargo hold of the plane (depending on the type of plane) and second because of how they treat the bags while getting them from the plane back to you. They throw them around and some bags just get plain destroyed.

Do you think "overnight" packages are treated any differently?

[LobsterOfJustice]

I have heard that a fish in a bag would be an exception to the 3oz liquid rule because if the fish is alive in the bag it's obviously not some voliatile compound. But I'm not sure, just heard it mentioned before.

[albano]

in past 3 years, have been to LA, 15 times, on at least 6 of these trips, I have returned with a 'picnic' cooler full of corals and fish. I have shops hold purchase till day of return flight, buy a cheap cooler at Target, pack it nice, all bags inside another large, CLEAR, RESEALABLE bag...bring to special/oversize luggage checkin, they may/or may not want to look inside after you tell them whats inside...they put fragile/handle with care/live animal stickers on...you're done, pick up cooler and luggage at carousel when you land! (I use United Airlines)

[bennkrys01]

Interesting to know the experiences of others. I will keep this in mind as I fly very often and may find some treasures along the way.

[Yogre]

in past 3 years, have been to LA, 15 times, on at least 6 of these trips, I have returned with a 'picnic' cooler full of corals and fish. I have shops hold purchase till day of return flight, buy a cheap cooler at Target, pack it nice, all bags inside another large, CLEAR, RESEALABLE bag...bring to special/oversize luggage checkin, they may/or may not want to look inside after you tell them whats inside...they put fragile/handle with care/live animal stickers on...you're done, pick up cooler and luggage at carousel when you land! (I use United Airlines)

Drat. Double post.

[Yogre]

in past 3 years, have been to LA, 15 times, on at least 6 of these trips, I have returned with a 'picnic' cooler full of corals and fish. I have shops hold purchase till day of return flight, buy a cheap cooler at Target, pack it nice, all bags inside another large, CLEAR, RESEALABLE bag...bring to special/oversize luggage checkin, they may/or may not want to look inside after you tell them whats inside...they put fragile/handle with care/live animal stickers on...you're done, pick up cooler and luggage at carousel when you land! (I use United Airlines)

Perfect. This is exactly what I would recommend, obviously works well... And I fly for one of the scheduled airlines.

[mrwilson]

Great info here. I didn't even know there was such a thing as "special/oversize luggage checkin." Thanks!

[kpctoy]

This is FANTASTIC. I don't know how many times I've been away for business and seen corals I'd love to bring back!

Thanks for the info!

[seafloor09]

But I thought the part of plane where the luggage was had no heat?

[wayne in norway]

You're right, it doesn't, but it didn't either when the fish you buy where shipped from SE Asia, Hawaii or wherever. But the fish and others are sitting in polystyrene, thermally insulated boxes with (possibly) heat packs, so heat loss is minimal.
I've shipped fish in Europe by checking them in. I have a polystyrene shipping box that happens to fit in my suitcase (it's a half size box, and I use a big suitcase). Fish go in there, double bagged, and usually no heatpack, and are checked in, and that satisfies all IATA regs so no problems there with carrying it. The other hassle might be customs - but if you're internal in the US, what customs? Going back to Norway they will allow small imports for personal use, and there is no paperwork for taking fish out of a country.

[seafloor09]

What about when you ship a dog or cat, they must be in heated areas?

[jmaneyapanda]

The requirements for shipping mammals are far different than for shipping fish. Some people have stated success in showing the Inspector the live animal in the liquid, and being allowed to pass. However, it is at the discretion of the inspector. It was be a REAL shame to get there, have the inspector deny admission, and have a fish in a bag, with nowhere to put it. Miss your flight and return the fish to the LFS, or catch your flight, and doom the fish. IMO, cargo shipment is far more practical. Just be sure to pack it well, use a cooler, and cross your fingers. That is, of course, unless the store wont ship. Its worth asking- many do.

[Beaun]

I had also heard that if you call ahead the airport can tell you if you can bring it on board or not. I also heard that if something is alive in the bag, it cant be dangerous. But I would always call ahead and check.

[zachfishman]

I've packed frags in my checked luggage. They were sealed up in an insulated lunch box with as many hot/cold packs I could fit (which were the temp of my tank). Their bags were mostly filled with water such that there'd be no chance of them being exposed to air for too long. Also, the lunch box was also surrounded by every piece of clothing of the suitcase. Made many trips where the frags spent 12 hours or more sealed up, never lost any.

[Wolverine]

I would *not* try to get through security with livestock in water. The 3 oz. liquid restriction is still in effect.

I thought about that after I logged off. When I last did this, it was after 9/11, so security was tight, but it was before the liquid restrictions, so that wasn't an issue.

[Yogre]

But I thought the part of plane where the luggage was had no heat?

It *does* have heat. In the Airbus A320 series aircraft which I fly the cargo compartments are heated by air which is exhausted from the passenger compartment. It is only slightly cooler than the passenger cabin. The Boeing 737 series aircraft which I have also flown are heated the same way.

I'm not sure about the regional jets so common in service today, but I'm quite sure the compartment is not completely unheated. If it were not at least partially heated, your shaving cream would freeze and explode in your suitcase. :lol:

There is *no* Inspector who is going to deny your cargo/checked baggage shipment of livestock as long as they are able to verify that your shipment is not a bomb, at least domestically. The procedure which albano detailed will work nicely. Your biggest risks are damage to the shipment or being misconnected/misrouted, as long as the shipment is packaged properly.

Edit to add: I would strongly advocate the use of heat packs on a flight of any duration. While your wet pets won't freeze, they may not enjoy being held at 55f for 3 hours either.

[albano]

But I thought the part of plane where the luggage was had no heat?
NO HEAT! come on, didn't you ever 'stow-away' in a cargo hold as a teenager!... what kind of sheltered lives, do you guys live? ...:rollface:....JK...sorry I forgot to mention, as Yogre said, heat/cold packs should be used as necessary.

[Cymaster007]

Yeah overnight shipping is too expensive, I know my friends who travel by plane from colorado for coral shows use a small pelican case, like one for a fire-arm, with foam padding inside, they cut the molded foam to fit small plastic jars/cups and put them in checked luggage as live animals. He said his only coral that doesnt do well with shipping is chalice frags, they lose color with the stress. But color back up after a week or 2. Oh and he doesnt use any sort of hot/cold packs.

[mockery]

in past 3 years, have been to LA, 15 times, on at least 6 of these trips, I have returned with a 'picnic' cooler full of corals and fish. I have shops hold purchase till day of return flight, buy a cheap cooler at Target, pack it nice, all bags inside another large, CLEAR, RESEALABLE bag...bring to special/oversize luggage checkin, they may/or may not want to look inside after you tell them whats inside...they put fragile/handle with care/live animal stickers on...you're done, pick up cooler and luggage at carousel when you land! (I use United Airlines)

Anyone ever done this with deta? Really want to bring stuff home with me. Any advice would be great.

Thanks

[thrillreefer]

Until those jerks tried to use a gatorade bottle to bring explosives onto the airplane, this used to be no problem: pack corals in bags into tupperware and then stack tupperware in one of those canvas shopping bags. I brought all the livestock from my 80 gallon across country to my 55 while I was in college. Worked like a dream. Thanks to those sick people, another freedom has been ruined for the rest of us.

I like this idea of packing a cooler full of corals. Do you generally add heatpacks to the box as they do in most wholesale shipments? Seems like there might be difficulty in preventing overheating of a small box while still insulating against the subzero temperatures in the cargo bay. What is your success rate using this method? Have you ever had flight delays, and what would you do in that case?

[insane]

Call your airline in advance and ask about bringing live corals and fish in a cooler to be checked in as Live Animals and save yourself the trouble of trying to sneak them onto a plane and risking failure. Most have special heated pressurized compartments for shipping live animals. You will probably have to pay an extra fee but it will be less than a normal ticket since you are flying with it.

The airlines have a right to know what is being brought onto their planes and people sneaking things on is what caused the heightened security in the first place. Trying to pull one over on them is asking for trouble in both getting caught doing it or by losing your livestock because it wasn't handled by the airline as Live Animals. Live Animals are placed in a special heated section, get special attention and expedited handling. You pick them up at a special location in the terminal and not off of the baggage carousel. They don't have a problem flying Live Animals to and from major airports but there is a system you need to go through to do it.

[jacob30]

Small quality thermos can transport a few corals if you find a nice piece. I tranported an acan this way from Florida to Norfolk no problem. Of course the thermos was packed in my luggage. No heat pack was used since it was summer.