Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: Can I take Christmas crackers on my flight?

Every day our travel guru answers your travel questions

Q Can I take Christmas crackers to my sister in Sydney so we can have a proper celebratory lunch on 25 December?

Jennifer Jones

A Possibly. If you are flying west via the USA rather than east via Asia, the answer is a flat “no”; they are not allowed at a US airport. Crackers are also banned from hand luggage. But on British Airways at least, if the crackers are in the manufacturer’s original packaging, you are allowed a maximum of two boxes in your hold baggage.

Incidentally, don’t imagine the security rules on liquids will be relaxed because it’s Christmas a bottle of Scotch for your sister in Sydney. Indeed, security checks are likely to more rigorous than usual: the Lockerbie attack was four days before Christmas, 1988, and the “Shoe Bomber” attempt to blow up a plane took place three days before Christmas, 2001.

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