Yes - the hold is the same temperature and pressure as the cabin. The interior of the fuselage is all one space.

Materials ignite spontaneously because they generate their own heat.

Then, should we be afraid that the bottle of olive oil in our pantry (at about 75F) will explode? Really!

Correct me if I'm wrong, Robespierre, but build-up of heat occurs when oils oxodize. Spontaneous combustion wouldn't happen with olive oil in a bottle, so crckwc1 needn't worry about olive oil in her pantry. If a bottle carried in a suitcase on the airplane leaked, however, and the oil escaped, spontaneous combustion theoretically could occur.

The whole idea sounds far-fetched to me, though. Is there a record of this ever happening?

<i>Author: Heimdall
Date: 11/29/2008, 06:46 pm

If a bottle carried in a suitcase on the airplane leaked, however, and the oil escaped, spontaneous combustion theoretically could occur.

The whole idea sounds far-fetched to me, though. Is there a record of this ever happening?</i>

No. The evidence was consumed in the fire.

We leave for France on Tuesday, and today my husband finally had the time to look at the dimensions of our various suitcases (that's his contribution to the trip; I do the rest). And guess what? BA's allowable dimensions are smaller than AA's. So off to the mall we went to get rolling luggage that will make BA happy. Fortunately two light-weight suitcases of the right size were on sale for $19.99, and they are now mostly packed.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings in the way of surprises.

I have observed spontaneous combustion involving cooking oils. Many years ago a colleague did some tests to understand some fires that had occured. These fires were not related to aviation. After many tries he figured how to start a fire &quot;spontaneously&quot; with fairly high reliability. In these particular tests the only way to make it work was to heat the oil-soaked rags in a high-temperature dryer then loosely pack the still hot rags in a pail. Over a period of time (hours) the temperature would rise and eventually and a fire would start.

If BA thinks that a leaking bottle of olive oil in the hold of an aircraft could start a fire they know something about spontaneous combustion that I don't. The key thing is that cooking oils require a &quot;kick start&quot; of heat in order to go. I suspect that it is vegetable oils that BA is concerned with because they list flammable liquids separately.

<i>If BA thinks that a leaking bottle of olive oil in the hold of an aircraft could start a fire they know something about spontaneous combustion that I don't.</i>

I dare say.

Hooray! I got a sensible reply from BA today about the olive oil issue:

&quot;You can take olive oil in your checked baggage if you want. Please note that if the container should open we would not be responsible for any damage to your bag or the contents. (signed) Phyllis Mistretta, British Airways Customer Service, Case #7080518.&quot;

Still no definition of &quot;cooking oils&quot; but apparently olive oil is ok. (I didn't dare ask about corn oil, peanut oil, or all the others. LOL)

ttt

I'm very glad to hear about that policy clarification, as I somehow forgot I couldn't take olive oil on the plane and put a bottle in the checked luggage...and it came through just fine, as did the plane.

What happened to the other suitcase is another story, one which I shall post once the fog of jet lag clears. If ever.

Correction: not a bottle--a can.

&lt;&lt; Hooray! I got a sensible reply from BA today about the olive oil issue:

&quot;You can take olive oil in your checked baggage if you want. Please note that if the container should open we would not be responsible for any damage to your bag or the contents. (signed) Phyllis Mistretta, British Airways Customer Service, Case #7080518.&quot;

Still no definition of &quot;cooking oils&quot; but apparently olive oil is ok. (I didn't dare ask about corn oil, peanut oil, or all the others. LOL) &gt;&gt;

It would be interesting to ask for clarification with the following wording:

<font color="blue">If cooking oils are &quot;prohibited from carriage in checked or carry-on baggage&quot;...

...would BA clarify if &quot;salad oils&quot; are permitted?</font>

Best wishes,

Rex

I tried getting clarification (very funny, Rex!) about salad oil but got only a canned (that one was unintentional) response.

I wasn't so much trying to be funny as to point out (as already suggested) that the prohibition is likely directed to exclude oils intended for combustion... <u><i>to provide heat for</i></u> cooking... the rule is probably not intended to include ANY edible oils or fats, which are added to foods, both cooked and uncooked... as well as their occasional use for frying.

If the list is read in this context, cooking oils refers to any petroleum-derived oils, and does not include ANY oils derived from plants or animals (are there places... Iceland, for example... where they still sell whale oil? is it ever considered an edible oil?)

But &quot;Flammable liquids&quot; - third from the top - would already include fuel oils, wouldn't it?

I asked Mme. why she thought corn, safflower, olive oil etc, should be banned.

&quot;Because if there's a fire, they'll accelerate it. You watch Gordon Ramsey, don't you?&quot;

OMG!! I wonder how is that I am still alive, and all the people in the village where I own a piece of land! We have olive trees, we actually press our oil, there is oil everywhere!!! Sometimes there is a lot of heat too!!! And plenty of air!!! It has been on for decades if not centuries ... how lucky now we are thanks to BA and some posts here, now we are aware of the devil, so we will change the olive trees for cows and make butter ... oh! ... no, wait, butter must be a weapon of mass destruction too!

@rex

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_oil

I would say that clearly olive oil is banned, a pity, I know some relatives that would be very very disappointed. They would miss their share of this year homemade olive oil, at least, the part that they can't eat here, lol. I have to check if it can be sent by post.

@Robespierre

So do most of the clothing and a large etc.

I hardly think BA is likely to base its decisions on a wikipedia entry.