Need to bring cooked, frozen food with me on plane.

Non-stop EWR (Newark)- HNL (Honolulu)

Actual flight times 10 hr. 35 min. going and 9 hrs. 35 min. coming back but obviously I need food to stay fresh longer due to transit time to and from airport, waiting at airport and allowance for delays.

Any other options besides dry ice?

The gel-type ice packs that I've seen say that they are only good for up to 6 hrs.

Thank you very much for any info.

I dont think there is any non-electric alternatives other than dry ice.
BTW, just curious, are you traveling with prepared Kosher meals? A past collegue of mine who was Orthodox(sp) used to bring her own Kosher entrees when we traveled for business.

We never went on a flight that long, but when we arrived at the hotel, she would have the hotel's restaurant store the entrees for her.

They don't allow dry ice on most planes. Pack the food in a good quality cooler with gel packs on the bottom and top. Duct tape the whole thing shut once you've gone through security, or even better, stick the whole thing in a box and check it as luggage. I've done this from Hawaii to Europe (16 hours+) and it arrived solid.

I have done this for a sailing charter in the Out Islands of the Bahamas. We used a zip-top soft-sided cooler (less than $20 at Target or the like) and packed it tight with frozen solid food. We didn't use any ice packs, but did freeze a few water bottles to supplement to cooling effect of the frozen food. We carried the cooler on the plane (it fit under the seat). The zipper top makes it easy for security and customs (not an issue in your case) to inspect it. Everything was frozen solid 12 hours later (which included 3 hours sitting on a dock in the sun).

I agree with Eva. No need for dry ice. Remember to pack the cooler full - the less air the less melting. We also used newspaper to wrap the food, has a great insulating quality.

Actually, security and "customs" will indeed be an issue, as Hawaii is very strict about entry of agricultural products. The agricultural inspectors who are stationed at the airport will be very interested in checking a cooler! Though I don't think they'll have any problems with cooked food.

If the food is frozen, what's the point of adding blue/gel-type ice, or anything else that isn't actually colder than the frozen food itself, other than to make sure that the cooler is packed solid (since solids retain cold better than air space does)?

It would seem that insulation is the key here. There must be some way of rating or checking which type of cooler insulates best. (I can visualize an experiment with a row of various coolers each holding a frozen water bottle, LOL.) You didn't mention how MUCH you're taking, but if your cooler can go into another box, stuffed tight with newspapers around, that will insulate even more.

Also, the starting temperature of the food -- obviously, it will stay frozen longer if it starts out at zero rather than 30 degrees, so get it as cold as you can before leaving!

Finally, the baggage hold is probably colder than the passenger compartment, so check the food cooler/container if you can.

If you have a deep freezer, make sure it is solidly frozen. If you then just wrap it in newpaper I guarantee it will remain frozen the entire flight.

I actually packed 2 frozen turkeys and two large containers of cooked food in my checked bags at thanksgiving - It was all still frozen 20 hours later.

So hard to know what they will allow you to do on planes after September 11. I have brought food to and from Hawaii. I have also brought home flower leis. With the frozen food coming back from Hawaii I used insulated cloth cooler made for this. I bought it at costco but have seen here at many sporting goods stores. What really assured me is when flight attendants put inside there fridge for me on United (frozen food)(why not call airline customer service worth a shot). After 9/11 it is a long shot but I would try. I used dry ice also.

PS I also did the east coast to hnl route but this was before the direct link so my food stayed fresh for 14 hours.

The insulated cloth cooler bag with reusable ice packs is the best bet. My cousin tried to fly from Calif to NY state last summer with some special beef he was bringing for a family reunion cookout. He was stopped by secuirty and got a major hassle because dry ice is NOT allowed. This was before the increases in security so I'm sure it's even tighter now. He nearly missed his flight and had to just pray that the meat wouldn't spoil. Security personnel advised him that he'd have to leave the airport to dispose of the dry ice off premises but he somehow managed to get it into a nearby refuse container and make his flight.

Thank you so much to all who replied. To respond to some of the points raised:

1. I also had heard that the airlines would not allow dry ice but I called Continental Airlines and the woman I spoke with told me that they do allow up to 4.4 lbs. dry-ice in a "hard-sided, ventilated container" that meets the other baggage requirements, both for carry-on and checked luggage.

2. Upon considering it, I realize that having a very special and restricted diet, I really need the food and can't afford to take the chance of checking it. It seems pretty obvious that having one's luggage ending up in a different destination is not uncommon enough that it is worth risking. Therefore, I want to take enough for at least a few days as carry-on and Fed-Ex the rest.

3. When I first take things out of my freezer, they are rock-solid frozen. Does this mean my freezer is probably at or near 0 degrees?

4. Yes, it is kosher food, which is not readily available in HI, much less prepared according to my needs.

No, sorry, rock-solid-frozen is no indication of temperature -- once things are frozen, they do not get harder as they get colder!

If you have an outdoor thermometer, you can just stick it in the freezer for an hour to check the temp.

One more thought: When traveling out of the country with food, (I know you're staying in the US, but security concerns being what they are, thought I'd add this) it is recommended that food remain in the original packaging. Since you're bringing cooked items, perhaps it would help to label them, so no questions about contents.

P.S. I'm in the seafood restaurant business, and I've found that dry ice is hard to get, and over-rated. Also, can cause burns if you touch it directly. Forget it!

Thank you to all for the further replies.

Some further questions:

1. The gel-ice packs that I've seen say that they last up to 6hrs. Would anyone know of any that last longer?

2. If I brought extra icepacks, do you think the FA would put them in the freezer for me after the meals were served?

3. Would anyone know of any superior quality insulated bags that would keep the food colder than the ordinary ones?

4. Would anyone know anything about vacuum-packing and whether it could work for me?

Thank you again.