Believe you have to check it in your check luggage.

Correct...if you check it as your luggage, the number of plane changes won't matter...but your odds of it arriving at the same time as you go down with each transfer...just like any other luggage....Remember, 5 liters per person, and a sixth if it's bottled in the VI....

I was afraid of that! Pretty hard to check 5 bottles each in our luggage......and stay under the 50# weight limit! Was hoping they'd relaxed the "no liquid carry on" for duty free by now. No such luck I guess!

Thanks for the info!

As an aside. We usually bring a couple of boxes back but were reluctant with the thought of breakage since the boxes had to be checked. We bought one box, six bottles or five can't remember, and check it through. Even with a change in Miami and all the way to Los Angeles, it came through unscathed.

In St. Thomas you have to buy your liquor outside of the secure area and check it in your luggage. You can't do carry on. However in Puerto Rico you can buy liquor and they put it in a bag, zip it closed, and you can carry it on the plane.
We live in Atlanta and my husband was able to walk thru the airport with the liquor in hand. However, when he came from Mexico he had to clear customs which was fine, but he had to check his liquor to Atlanta (mind you he is in Atlanta) to walk to thru the terminal to the exit and then reclaim his liquor at the baggage area. If he was continuing on to another flight he would have had to check his liquor with his luggage as you did.

So in summary, STT - no carry liquor, STJ - carry on liquor and carry thru airports all the way to home, MEX - carry on liquor, but check it in the states no matter where you are going...

Atlanta airport has received many complaints about the rules not being the same or consistent or whatever. They do have a proposal to change the rules a bit on liquor as it has become a big issue since many passengers are tourists returning from vacations with liquor in tow.

I would check my liquor if possible and don't tape or package it too tightly as customs may tear or cut it open to inspect it. I should say Will tear it open. Put your liquor in plastic bags in case of leakage and roll them up in your clothes seperate from other bottles as much as possible. We have had good luck with that as the inspectors don't seem to mess it up as bad since they can see the liquor and it isn't in boxes or taped. I wouldn't check the liquor in it's own box as they sometimes don't get found on the other end. Delta keeps them in their fragile freight handling area so you won't find it with your luggage if you do send it in a cardboard box on it's own. Well they do most of the time.... Good luck with it all!

Teresa

On our last trip we checked two boxes with 6 bottles each. We wrapped each bottle in bubble wrap and cushioned the bottom and top of the bottles with plastic bags and crushed newspaper. We had a non-stop flight. All arrived intact.

We've done this before with airline connections.....never had a problem.

The only problem we've ever had was on a flight from Hawaii to Newark, NJ. I checked a six pack of pineapples. Upon arrival I noticed that one pineapple was missing.....I complained at the baggage counter and the agent offered me a $50. voucher for my loss.....I looked down at the opened box and then up at the agent and said......would you like to buy the other 5 pineapples? (LOL)

F.I.

Teresa, now that I think of it, AA must also put it into the fragile area. I noticed when they put the baggage claim tag on the box they also used the claim tag as an adhesive to affix another item to the box. I'll bet that now identifies it as fragile.

"So in summary, STT - no carry liquor, STJ - carry on liquor and carry thru airports all the way to home..."

I believe Teresa intended to type SJU (San Juan) not STJ; STJ has the same restrictions as STT.

Gosh, I hope Teresa didn't make that mistake, cause I made it once and got flogged for it! 🙂

Ooops! I did it again. Haha. Yes I meant SJU. STJ is always on the brain and apparently on the fingertips. Please excuse my faux pas. Darn initials. I can't edit my post, so sorry.

Teresa

Here's my excuse. STT is the airport abbrev. for St. Thomas. But, since St. John doesn't have an airport....I didn't know the code. 🙂 (how's that one workin' so far?)

Well you all gave me a good amount of advice! Guess I better pack light ( now THAT'S a joke!) and leave room for heavy alcohol bottles......and bubble wrap! gotta find a way to bring some home this trip! By the way.........I thought STJ wan't quite right either..had to think about that one for a few.then saw everyone else catching it too! Thanks.......thought I missed something somewhere!

The box they give you at the store (K-Mart, A.H. Riise, etc) will hold six bottles of liquor and that's all I've ever used when I visited the States...always came thru just fine....CJ, I'd not worry about brining anything else, just use the box from the store...

You can "buy" the six pack box at K-Mart or Cost U Less ($1.) along with the bubble wrap & tape. You don't need to bring anything for packing, buy it here.

Best place for liquor (IMHO) is Cost U Less.

Gotta agree with Marty. We just did it as I mentioned as check in baggage and it came all the way through to Los Angeles unscathed. Forget all the packing material.

Well that is really good to know! Thanks guys! Never thought a box of bottles would make it....but I guess they'd have to do something for duty free stuff now that we can't carry it on. Just assumed it would get thrown around and broken......do you tape the boxes shut?? Or will they open them? I'd be afraid the'd come open if they're not taped shut pretty well.

I tape mine and if they do open them they will retape them

FYI, my friend checked his box of liquor and had a layover in SJU. Anyway, his box of liquor didn't make it thru. 🙁 But I think in general they make it thru okay. The airlines are getting used to seeing them in checked luggage since the new rules. Just remember they may not be with your normal luggage at the end. Look for the box with the 'fragile' luggage, usually with the child car seats and strollers and stuff. Did I already mention this? I am repeating myself. I am repeating myself.

Teresa

I tape them shut, also. Actually, I use duct tape.
Each time Customs opened the boxes and re-taped them.
Continental placed them in plastic containers when delivering them on the baggage carousel.