Thanksgiving is a time when many family and friends come together and share their love for one another. For some, that means traveling long distances just to reach their nearest and dearest. This can be a bit of an issue if you’re supplying some of the food, given all the restrictions that airlines have. Fortunately, if you know the Thanksgiving food you’re actually allowed to bring on the plane, you should avoid any problems.
Poultry is allowed, provided the container it’s in meets certain expectations
The meat is usually the central part of the Thanksgiving meal. So, if you’re responsible for bringing it, you need to make sure you follow the TSA’s rules. Thankfully, you can take poultry like turkey on a plane with you (provided it’s not still a live animal.) However, it needs to be packed in a maximum of five pounds of dry ice. Furthermore, whatever you store it in can’t exceed the airline’s size allowance.
Fresh produce is allowed on most flights, except from certain territories
In most cases, fresh produce that you’ll use for side dishes is okay to take with you on a plane. Vegetables like green beans and Brussels sprouts can either go in your checked luggage or in a carry-on. However, this isn’t the case everywhere. Anyone coming to the mainland US from Hawaii or Puerto Rico will likely be denied any fresh produce in their luggage.
Sauces and spreads have to be treated like other liquids when flying
Things like cranberry sauce and gravy add that little something special to a Thanksgiving meal. However, the TSA is very particular about liquids. With these foods, you basically have to treat them as though they’re shampoo or something similar. If you want to have them in a carry-on bag, they’ll need to be in a 3.4-ounce container inside a clear, sealed, zip-top bag. Otherwise, they’ll need to be checked in with your main luggage.
Leftover sandwiches can also be transported via plane
Once it’s time to come home again, you may well have some sandwiches made with Thanksgiving leftovers. Fortunately, these should also be allowed on your flight. Once again, they can either go in your luggage or your carry-on, depending on what you’d prefer. So, you don’t need to worry about leaving all those sandwiches with your Thanksgiving host.
You can check pies in as luggage or take them as a carry-on
What’s a Thanksgiving meal without dessert? In particular, pumpkin pie. Thankfully, this is something that you are actually allowed to bring with you on a plane. It’s up to you whether you check them in with your luggage or as a carry-on. Whatever you decide, though, make sure that your pie is wrapped up and stored inside a sturdy box. It’s worth wrapping that in some padding too. This way, you shouldn’t arrive at your destination with a crushed pumpkin pie.
Seeing as you can basically take an entire Thanksgiving meal with you on a plane, there’s seemingly no excuse not to show up with at least something.
