22 December 2023 , 06:00
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The festive season is well and truly here which means it is time to buy yourself a box of Christmas crackers.
If you are celebrating the big day this year and enjoy low level pyrotechnics at dinner time, then getting your hands on a case of the boom-creating paper instruments is essential. For those heading away to see loved ones this Christmas, it is important to keep in mind how airlines view crackers.
What are vessels of bad jokes, metal thimbles and inexplicable plastic goods for most of us are a danger to flight safety in the eyes of a number of airlines operating in the UK. Some have gone as far as banning crackers altogether, while others have strict rules about how they should be carried abroad.
Unfortunately for most of the rest of the world, Christmas crackers are essentially non-existent beyond the shores of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, meaning picking up a box once you've arrived at your merry destination is often not possible.
Several airlines have Christmas cracker bans (Getty Images/Westend61)According to a recent piece of festive research, the following airlines have outright bans:
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- Aer Lingus
- Air France
- Air India
- Air New Zealand
- American Airlines
- Cathay Pacific
- Delta
- Emirates
- Etihad
- Iceland Air
- KLM
- Norwegian
- Ryanair
- SAS
- Singapore Airlines
- United Airlines
- WestJet
- Wow
Other airlines ban crackers in the cabin, but green light their transportation in the hold. This means you may have to fork out for a hold bag to bring the crackers with you, which may or may not seem like a suitable expense at one can be a costly time of the year.
They are:
- British Airways (Two boxes sealed in original packing)
- Eastern Airways (One box sealed in original packaging.
- Flybe (One box of 12 sealed in original packing
- Qantas (Two boxes sealed in original packing)
- South African Airlines (One box of 12 sealed in original packing
- TUI (Sealed in original packing)
- Virgin Atlantic (One box sealed in original packaging.
If you are desperate to keep costs as low as possible and to enjoy crackers this Christmas, then easyJet is the airline for you. It is the only commercial aviation firm which allows crackers in the cabin - two boxes in original packaging per customer.
However, strict Government rules about what can and can't be brought onto planes may lead to festive spirits being dampened a little, even if you are flying with the budget airline. Rules state that "fireworks and pyrotechnics" cannot be brought through airport security in the UK, meaning guards may decide to take crackers from you during bag check.
It is not just crackers that could see you scalded at the airport this Christmas. There are already strict rules on banned items in hand luggage, but there are some Christmas gifts that a lot of people don't realise fall under the forbidden categories, such as specific children's toys or even innocuous-seeming presents like festive snowglobes.
Former airport security officer, Michael Sawyer, shared his advice with the loveholidays team, warning against innocent-seeming gifts. He explained: "There are several gifts that you cannot take through airport security. Snow Globes are a big one, as with most things containing liquid, aerosol, or food, you run the risk of it getting confiscated – even if it is sealed.”
"Any children’s toys that are replicas or resemble weapons or guns will be confiscated and binned at the security check so be aware of that before travelling. Lightsabers, although allowed on some airlines, may alert security officers due to the design or lithium-ion batteries, so best to be safe and pack in your check-in luggage."
Jeremy Scott Foster, another former security worker, says that your hard work wrapping presents can quickly go to waste if you get stopped for a spot check. He explained: "To those wanting to wrap their presents before getting on the plane, wait until you get to your destination if possible. If it gets flagged by security, agents must take it out to investigate.
"I never enjoyed doing that, but I don’t think some individuals understand that we have a list of guidelines to follow, and even if something is seemingly harmless at first glance if it’s flagged in security, we have no choice but to look at it."