Ailsa

What's in your in-flight emergency food store?

Be Warned

Grayling

We were once stopped at Bribane airport after having our luggage scanned.
The scanner picked up we were carrying some Chocolate chip cookies for our son

They did not even open the bags but knew we wwere carrying food in our suitcases .Luckily they did not confiscate them but warned us not to bring food in in future!

I did not even know scanners could do that.

As Ailsa says you have been warned.

G

melaniee

what's wrong with carrying biccies-as long as you declare it? We have always brought food into Australia and never had a problem if we declare it and it is not meat, fruit etc. They did get a bit funny with something-said that if it had milk powder in it we may be bringing foot and mouth into the country?!?

debsy

There are signs everywhere so they must have had their eyes shut - they could have thrown them in the amnsety bins.

We had some sweets and pringles etc but we declared them and they said that they were okay.

They seemed to be worried about things made out of wood as well.

Grayling

I think the problem was that we forgot to declare them.

G

Ailsa

Australia and NZ are paranoid about organic contamination - well certainly neurotic :scared:

You declare it!!! for goodness sake you fill out a form nearly last thing before landing. How can you forget you have food in bag? and as Debsy says, amnesty bins for anything you do genuinely forget ( or kids pull out of backpacks)

We also took food into Australia and NZ - generally stuff family in NZ had asked for and if processed usually they just wave you through. However husband is on Atkins diet and we knew airline food was no good for that so we had pack of nuts as high protein alternative. Declared, customs asked to examine, handed back as OK.


btw: Qantas food is worst we ever had in-flight. However we are told they have best safety record and most frequent refresher training. Which would you choose - oops -prob another thread

podgypossum

We took a large jar of coffee and several boxes of chocolates as gifts to friends in sydney from friends in Auckland. The customs woman picke dthem up on a scan and asked what htey were, when i told her, she laughed and said i could only take them through if i let her open them up and try on eout of each box!!!!!!!..... (yes she was joking) we hadnt declared them and she was fine about it.

The Bloke

Pollyana (the missus)had two small wooden wall-hangings thrust into her hands by her bestmate at Heathrow departures just before she left the UK in October last year. She was worried that Customs/AQIS would confiscate them when she got here. As she had declared them they seemed satisfied to let her through even without a warning.

They are now hanging on the wall.

I can understand why AQIS so tough because we already have too many introduced pests from overseas (foxes, canetoads and
european carp that is.) but sometimes they do go overboard. Imagining a silk flower is a live real one- after 5 months sealed up in a box-get real!!

The Bloke

Ailsa,
obviously never flown Malaysian then. The sight of some of the meals last year almost made me puke and it takes alot to get me airsick!. Plus you were lucky to get a cup of water every hour. give me the flying kangaroo anytime I think>

debsy

Well, Singapore is no better - the service is great and so are the movies but the food is awful. Especially the kids meals - they are really vile.

melaniee

Singaporre food yuk-really. We really enjoyed it!

Try Emirates or South african-now that is yuk!

Being a vegetarian Emirates gave us a vegan meal and refused to give us tea-gave us orange juice instead.

Pollyana

My mate brought a load of stuff like Thorntons chocs and Christmas Pudding over for me, declared it all, and it all got in no problem.
However the sniffer dog went mad over his little backpack, and it turns out that he had been washing his socks in powder that was apple scented (I know, but its the sort of thing he does!!!) - AQIS guys thought it was hilarious as they stood there sniffing his socks, with the dog going insane, but it shows just how sensitive the dogs are to fruit smells.

din

you obviously haven't flown Lufthansa yet - crap service, grumpy stewardesses (well, German obviously...), even worse food, and just one screen in the middle of the aisle for the whole plane - if the entertainment system works...BUT they serve their food with metal knifes - in case you want to kill yourself, I suppose...
And I thought I was smart taking the vegetarian option...so silly of me...

Wol

Yes, Polly! Mrs Rog had her bags sniffed and picked out by the beagle at MIA last October: she KNEW there was nothing in the bag but the little beggar just sat there with a look on his face which said "I KNOW she's got fruit!" After a look inside, the handler agreed she was clear.
We'd had a couple of bananas in a plastic bag the previous night in the hotel!

bondipom

BA QANTAS are very ordinary airlines with rude and relatively less attendant staff. If you want service try Cathay or Singapore airlines.