Bringing RUM home on the plane
 

Going to the DR in January..would really love to bring home some RUM..but concerned with new rules - no liquids on the plane - do you think a sealed bottle of rum would be okay??? I would hate to have to throw it out at the airport in DR.

If you purchase the rum at a Duty free Shop inside the secured area of the airport it will be delivered to the plane and you can carry it on. If you purchase rum outside the secure area it will have to go in your checked luggage.

While keeping in mind security will make you throw out toothpaste if it's more then 3 OZ. and the initial scare which brought on the new security rules was based on bottles containing drinking fluids...I would think you don’t have much of a chance carrying it on.

Did you consider checking it in with your luggage? Every welcome bottle I've ever received (at Caneel for example) I brought home by packing it in with my checked baggage and never had a problem with it breaking-I did ensure it was well protected.

A_Traveller has it right.
We returned last month with alcohol we purchased in town, then packed it in our luggage that was to be checked through to our final destination.
Maybe 6 bottles or so.
We saw people puchasing from airport duty free stores once inside the gate areas and carry it on board themselves.

However, I did wonder what would happen if the plane that you boarded in the Islands was not the plane you were on at you final destination.

I say this because, once you leave the Islands, land in the States, you need to clear Customs.

If this is your final destination then OK, but if it isn't, after you clear Customs, then you need to be re-screened to enter the gate area for your next flight.

I'm thinking of the airport CLT for example.

Am I right or confused ?

Anyway, if it is in your checked luggage, then your good to go........

Santa is absolutely correct. Some travellers are getting "burned" with their Duty Free booze purchases once back into the states.

If you have to land somewhere in the USA for a connecting flight onwards again, you will NOT be allowed to take your booze back into the secure area after you have landed and cleared customs. As you luggage is probably checked right through, these intermediate stops can often end up with you loosing you bottles.

So the rule is generally....

Flying DIRECT NON-STOP to your final destination, Duty Free bottles are not a problem.
Flying with a CONNECTION in the USA where you change planes, put the bottles in your checked luggage ONLY.

You have to claim your bags after you go through immigration and before clearing customs. You need to leave room in your checked luggage to put your duty free booze into your checked bags. It's a hassle, but certainly doable, as long as you plan ahead and leave room.

Many of us don't have the luxury of flying direct. If I only took direct flights the furthest I could get from my local airport in eastern Iowa would be Orlando (and I think that flight is one day a week).

Selina: If your point of entry in the U.S. is your only/final destination in the U.S., you can carry the rum on the plane ONLY IF you purchased it at the Duty Free Shop PAST the security check point.

BUT BUT BUT (AN EXAMPLE): if your U.S. point of entry is Miami and your final destination is New York, you'll have to pick up your luggage in Miami, clear immigration/customs, before dropping off your bags again, and go through security again. You will NOT be allowed to carry on that same bottle of rum onto your flight to NY. Your only option at that time will be to pack it before your drop off your bags for the leg to NY.

Hope I made sense. Enjoy DR.

We just came home from Bermuda to NJ this weekend. At Duty Free they made it very clear to everyone that any liquids purchased had to go in your checked luggage and would not be permitted as carry ons.

They wrapped the bottles for us with a protective corrugated cardboard sleeve for cushioning and our bottles travelled safely with no breakage in my wheeled suitcase & DH's duffle bag in between our clothes.

welcome back, Trish! How did you like 9 Beaches?

I know, I know I need to do my Trip Report...

I definitely have some thoughts on 9 Beaches. It will be a mixed review. Promise to try and do it over the weekend. Work has been hectic.

And don't buy any 151 proof rum either checked or carry-on. It's not allowed at all.

Carrybean, is the rum just to flammable to travel on the plane? I was thinking of buying rum in Puerto Rico when we go. Isn't all the rum labled 151? That goes to show how little I drink it :)

The 151 refers to the proof or alcohol content. 151 is very high, around 75 % alcohol Conversley the proof for most rums and hard spirits is around 80 or about 40% alcohol. Personally 151 proof tastes awful to me.

Right, girlonthego, it's too flammable.

TPatricco: Your reply surprised me so I looked it up. Who knew the following?!
Not me! :-)
Apparently some international airports are pre-cleared for the U.S., meaning one doesn't go through customs once one lands in the U.S... so items like alcohol have to be packed. Bermuda is one of those airports.
Here's the list of pre-cleared airports:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...duty_free.shtm

Girlonthego: Here's the TSA rule for alcohol:
http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...rial_1189.shtm

Thanks to everyone for your input. Once in the US I have connecting flight to Raleigh - so the rum will have to be packed in my luggage.

Hey just saw the responses to this post! Thanks for the info and for the website. I guess we will have to drink all our rum while on the island :) I like the rum that comes in the frozen drinks.I am sure that it is not 151. Cheers!

Just returned from Jamaica. We purchased rum on the Island and placed in our checked luggage. Once at the airport we purchased more rum, jerk sauces and jelly at the duty-free stores. We were able to take the purchases on the plane from Jamaica to Houston. Once we landed in Houston, we had a connecting flight to Midland. We were told that when we claimed our luggage to go through customs, to places the duty-free purchases in our luggage to be re-checked. If we did not do that, there would be an $80 fee to have them locate 1 piece of luggage to place the items in it or you could opt to throw it away.

We flew back from St. Thomas in late October. We like being able to bring back the inexpensive booze and in my humble opinion they have improved the whole system! The duty free in St. Thomas is before the checkpoint, so all booze has to go in checked baggage. They still have their special booze boxes, but now they wrap each bottle individually with bubble wrap, and your name is on the box in big print. I asked the clerk about theft and breakage, and she assured me that the airlines have instructed the luggage guys to make sure the booze gets there. The last thing the airlines want to chase down or reimburse you for is booze. (What else is a salesperson going to say?!) You get claim checks for your boxes and off they go. We put our faith in the system and we had no problem with theft or breakage. We're good for quite a while now. Much easier than lugging the boxes through the airports and onto the planes.

Last year I went to Barbados and somewhere online I found limits of what you could bring back through customs. The amount was different for different locations. I am getting ready to go to Jamaica and am wanting to know what kind of alcohol limits there are. Does anyone know where I can find this information? Thanks!