Jon, I don't know how I missed this thread. I guess it was no harm since you didn't visit any stores anyway.
I brought back corals and my Janns' pipefish :biggrin: from Fl. I've done it twice now. The first time was an ordeal. I have since learned some things that make passage easier. The second trip went off without a hitch.
The most important thing is to make sure everything is bagged very very well. Like inline said, the pilot was most concerned about leakage. Yes, the pilot. I wound up in the cockpit showing my carryon to the pilot. The person at the boarding gate
saw the box labeled 'LIVE FISH' and said I couldn't take it on the plane. I explained, at length, that the security folks checked out the box and contents ad nauseum.
Anyway, she finally said it was the policy of each airline to approve what they allow on their planes. She said the only one that could approve my cargo was the pilot. So she brought me to the cockpit and I opened up the box, showed the pilot some bagged coral, explained that these were live animals and that the conditions (temperature) in the cargo hold was inappropriate for them. I turned the bags upside down (rubberband facing down) to show they won't leak. He asked me to show him that the box would fit in the overhead compartment. I did. It fit. He said I could leave them in the overhead outside the cockpit and I could go back to my seat. So my coral got to fly first class (my seat was in steerage :lol2: ).
Here's my suggestions:
1 - Don't label the box 'LIVE FISH' or any other distinguishing markings to bring attention to it.
2 - Put the box through the x-ray machine ( I didn't on my first trip). It doesn't do any harm to the animals.
3 - Make sure the box will fit in the overhead compartment.
4 - Triple bag your corals/fish and make sure rubberbands or metal clamps are used for each level of bag. You DON'T want a leak.
5 - Be prepared to check the box into cargo if they absolutely refuse to allow it as carryon. What I mean is, have a heat pack or two available and a styrofoam lined box. Even in the summer, flying at 30,000 feet, it gets cold in cargo.
6 - No matter what the stewardess (boarding person) tells you, remain calm, polite and courteous. Reason with them if need be. If you don't get the satisfaction you want (carryon) try to negotiate with them to let the pilot make the decision. Explain that the xray people checked out the contents for anything dangerous (explosives, which they did, btw) and cleared it. They are animals. The bags don't leak, yada yada yada. Just plead your case rationally.
I'm 2 for 2 with 100% success. It can be done. It is getting easier each time I do it. Good luck. Hope you get to visit some shops in other parts of the country. They do get different livestock in than we get in the northeast.
swimmer
