DEAR DIANA

I'm flying next week. Can I pack bottles of wine in a suitcase or will they explode/freeze in flight? Thanks, Rebecca

DIANA RESPONDS

Dear Rebecca,

Thank you for visiting Flyana.com and for writing to me.

Most airplane luggage compartments are pressurized, but it's best to check with your airline. Pressurized, the wine bottles would have to withstand the low air pressure of 8,000 feet, the same as passengers in the cabin. Unpressurized, the bottle corks might explode because they are not designed to withstand the low air pressure at 35,000 feet, or more.

I am not a wine drinker and I always pack light, so I posed your question to a pilot friend. Here is what he said.

PILOT: The baggage is pressurized with the cabin. The max is somewhere around 8000 ft. +/- 500 ft. depending on the aircraft. We normally heat it to 45 degrees, unless we have animals traveling in the cargo. Then we heat it to 75. I buy a lot of duty free wine and have never had a sealed bottle leak. Also, I pack the bottles in a large zip lock bag with the air expelled, and wrap clothes around the bottles so they don't touch one another in the suitcase.

Rebecca, for my readers and myself, I'm curious: Where are you going, that you won't be able to purchase wine?

FROM REBECCA

Oh Diana, you asked THE RIGHT QUESTION! Where am I and where am I going that I can't buy wine?

I live in Israel, and I'm traveling to the USA. Since it's going to be Passover, the wine should be Kosher. I offered to bring over good quality Kosher Passover wine from Israel for the evening seder.

Someone else has asked me to bring 4 liters of special home made olive oil, so it will all need to be packed in my suitcase. I think I'll be the only person to leave Israel with more luggage (or at least weight in her luggage) than she's returning with.

Hey! Thanks for your help.