transporting syrup on airplanes

[moscowmule]

hey all,
im going to be flying to alaska at the end of the month to visit my friend's family, and i wanted to bring them about a gallon of syrup in small plastic gatorade bottles. if these are in my CHECKED baggage, do you think i am going to get hassled at the airport? i do not have much experience flying and don't know what to expect. i dont want to get to the airport and have to throw away a gallon of syrup. anyone have any experience with such matters?

[nymapleguy607]

It would be best to call and ask them. I think they would find it pretty suspicious you have all these small bottles with they same color liquid in them. Best bet would be to ship it UPS before you leave.

[jmayerl]

X 2 on shipping it. It will cost $15 for USPS flat rate shipping. They will surely not like anything not labeled like that.

[jrgagne99]

TSA will definately (and rightlfully so) be very suspicious of a heavy, ambiguous brown liquid in some random Gatorade bottles. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it caused extra scutiny behind the scenes, maybe to the point where they need to do extra analysis and your bag won't make in onto the plane in time.

I travel with syrup in checked baggage all the time, always in sealed Sugarhill plastic jugs, which are very officially labelled as Pure Maple Syrup. I double bag them in zip-lock bags just in case they leak. Because the contents are so obvious, TSA never even opens up the ziplock bags. You would be well advised to do the same.

At the very least, you could use a marker to label them as maple syrup, but I'm not sure that would make them look any less suspicious.... Official syrup bottles are best.

[wiam]

I have sold to customers that put it in their checked bags with no problem, but it was in syrup jugs.

[SeanD]

I flew with syrup last summer and it drew the attention of the TSA. I don't think the gatorade bottle is a good idea. Here's a link to the experience I shared:

http://mapletrader.com/community/showthread.php?17499-Flying-with-Syrup&highlight=flying+syrup

Sean

[lafite]

i fly with syrup all the time. they will do the "swab test" and obviously come up negative.

[maple flats]

I also have had customers fly with my syrup. Always in maple jugs, Bacon or Sugarhill, labeled properly and sealed. I'll bet the gatorade bottles will cause a problem clearing the inspection. Also, it must be in plastic, don't try glass.
With this all said, shipping it ahead is better. Flat rate boxes are great, set it up online for the best price.

[RileySugarbush]

I've put well packed cases of 8 oz syrup oval glass bottles in my checked luggage many times. Always inspected. Never a problem.

[everbuddy]

I flew with it in my checked bag once. Got my bag searched, but it was a labeled maple syrup jug and was still there at the other end of the flight.

[buck3m]

In checked baggage only of course. Labeled plastic maple syrup jugs are best. Otherwise labeled syrup in other containers will work. With larger amounts I put it in a cooler. I tape caps on and put it in heavy duty plastic bags and pad it all very well, assuming the bag will be dropped and thrown.

The syrup will attract their attention. Shouldn't cause any problems because of it.

[bearair]

I like the suggestion of using a cooler. Then you could use the cooler to bring home some fresh fish. Just keep the weight under 50 lbs to save some money. If you do check the cooler as a second bag on United it will cost you an extra $35 each way.
If you check the syrup in your suite case, and TSA checks the bag, they will do a swab test on the outside of the bottles. If the swab comes up negative for gunpowder or other explosives residue, then they don't care what's in the bottles. (As long as there are no wires)
Also DO NOT try to take the syrup in your carry on bag. Anything over 3.5 ounces will be taken by TSA.

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

a co worker just got back from Scotland seeing family. She took 3 qts over never said she had a problem.

[Yellzee]

In properly labelled syrup bottles i have flown several times with it in my checked baggage from toronto to san fran, toronto to vancouver, never had an issue.

[moscowmule]

hey thanks for the feedback everybody.
i think i will try and put the syrup in some official looking 'massachusetts syrup association' bottles rather than the gatorade jugs.
i'm looking forward to seeing my friend's Yupi'k relatives reaction to the taste of maple syrup for the first time! maybe we will put it on some smoked fish!

[delivron]

Maple syrup must be in the baggage that you place in the hold of the plane. You can not hand check maple syrup unless it is in 3.4 oz or 100 ML containers or smaller. Otherwise you will lose it. I travel regularly across the country promoting maple syrup. Don't hand check!