traveling with glassware in luggage
 

Hi,

I will be traveling to London in the beginning of June and am taking 2 boxes of glassware (approx. 12pcs each) with me. I was wondering if I would be able to take one box in my carry-on luggage or if I would have to check-in both boxes. I am not worried about checking them both in as I will wrap them properly and have hard luggage but I am a bit concerned about the weight issue of the two combined. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks,

As long as your carry-on bag containing the glasses meets the size requirements for your airline there's no reason when you couldn't take glasses in your carry-on.

I would NEVER pack anything made of glass in luggage. Have you seen how they throw it around. What do you think will happen when it takes a 6 or 7 foot drop when pushed from one cart to another?

I have seen hard-sided luggage come down onto the carousel with the two halves wrenched apart - barely held together by one half-connected hinge - and all of the contents falling out on the moving belt and carousel.

Which airline? Makes a big difference - Virgin for example has strict weight allowances for cabin bags (6 kilo in coach)

Are these newly purchased glasses? If so, I'd just have the merchant ship them for me.

And how large is the box of glasses? W/ adequate packing material, would they even fit in a carry on sized bag (for the majority of airlines that don't weigh carry-on's but do measure them)

Just seems like something I'd ship or have shipped instead of carrying.

Don't be surprised if hard-sided bags are tossed around more than soft/duffle-type.

Glasses - how large a box? how are they already packed? how much do they weigh?

Often glass items come in a durable box, properly separated and surrounded with bubblewrap. UPS ships such items daily usually with no problem. But if these are in a thin decorative box with thin separators between... as poster above, I'd get a proper cardborad box, separators and bubble wrap and ship the items to your destination. If not yet purchased have the store ship them for you.

Back in the days of Reject China Shops in the UK, my wife constantly brought china, glassware, earthenware, coffee services, tea pots, etc, etc, etc in her checked luggage when returning from business trips. No breakage ever. Wrap the pieces individually in bubble wrap, surround with clothes.

You can almost certainly pay to check a second bag for less than it would cost to ship these via UPS or even USPS.

Standard rule for packing: if you are not willing to hold your package at arm's length and drop it to the floor, you haven't packed it well enough.

Thanks all, I really appreciate it. I've packed one of the box in my carry-on. They are too bulky to put in my check-in and put some tanks around the edges. As Ackislander mentioned, I might have to take the glasses out of the second box and wrap it up in clothes and pay for a 2nd check-in bag. Don't want to take the glasses out of the boxes (8 short & 8 tall) as they came in a secure box with separators.