Bringing Cheese to Thailand via airport

[sandyf]

3 hours ago, croftrobin said:

I have a flight change in the Middle East so would you recommend I pack it in my suitcase rather than hand luggage?

I wouldn't dream about putting it in the hand luggage. Cheese is a dairy product and not allowed to be carried in. If picked up by security almost certainly confiscated.

I always put it in the hold luggage, well wrapped and in a jiffy bag and then in the centre of the suitcase. Hold luggage gets quite cold and will remain cool during transit.

[alex8912]

8 minutes ago, sandyf said:

I wouldn't dream about putting it in the hand luggage. Cheese is a dairy product and not allowed to be carried in. If picked up by security almost certainly confiscated.

I always put it in the hold luggage, well wrapped and in a jiffy bag and then in the centre of the suitcase. Hold luggage gets quite cold and will remain cool during transit.

Cheese would not be confiscated. Also any good cheese shop should wrap your cheese in air tight plastic the jiffy bag system is bad. Cheese in your checked bag does stay cold and fresher as you said. 

[TimeMachine]

I get questioned at Oz departure why I'm carrying so much plastic explosive. It won't be long before it's banned as anything that brings people pleasure is constantly monitored by the power groups. In which case I'll eat 2kilo just before getting on plane and see how they like that clean up in isle 7.

[Lucky Bones]

Oh.

I thought it said Chinese.????????

[Chongalulu]

4 hours ago, norfolkandchance said:

I bring cold cuts and cheeses from Italy regularly. Never been stopped.

For which I’m eternally grateful! ???? ???? 

[DJ54]

I’ve bought cheese at airport in Holland carried it in the plane ..a couple of kg..nothing said. Only la e I’ve ever been asked (flown over 2 million mikes).. OZ from US … has hard mint candy in bag from shop… do you have food? No. Took my bag and asked to follow.. that’s when opi for out it was food….

[sandyf]

6 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Also any good cheese shop should wrap your cheese in air tight plastic the jiffy bag system is bad.

Why on earth would anyone even consider bringing cheese that was not vacuum packed. 

[San Fran Dan]

Beware Salami Big Fine 

[spidermike007]

15 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Which USA airlines allows 10 kilos of carry on? Sounds generous. 

Few allow it. Defiance is the key word here. I always hide my carry on in front of the counter. When they ask me if I have one, I say NO. When I walk away sometimes they shout out at me, and I always ignore them. Compliance in the face of ignorant and greedy rules is not something I am interested in. Comply if you like. No thanks for me. 

[spidermike007]

19 hours ago, croftrobin said:

I have a flight change in the Middle East so would you recommend I pack it in my suitcase rather than hand luggage?

No. Always hand luggage as it maintains a cooler temperature. No issues with security or customs. I have never declared as much as 10 kilos of cheese and have never had my carry on inspected upon arrival. The room temps are not an issue for a day or two. 

[spidermike007]

9 hours ago, sandyf said:

Why on earth would anyone even consider bringing cheese that was not vacuum packed. 

Beacuse many of us utterly refuse to pay 2,000 baht per kilo and up for the good stuff. The cheese I buy from the store is wrapped. Not vacuum sealed. Never had an issue, and I fly from LA. It is at least 30 hours of more between my home in LA, to the airport, the flight to Bkk, and then to my hotel in Bkk. 

[sandyf]

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Beacuse many of us utterly refuse to pay 2,000 baht per kilo and up for the good stuff. The cheese I buy from the store is wrapped. Not vacuum sealed. Never had an issue, and I fly from LA. It is at least 30 hours of more between my home in LA, to the airport, the flight to Bkk, and then to my hotel in Bkk. 

Why bother, you can buy ordinary cheese here for less than 1000 baht/kilo, the "good stuff" is just unavailable.

These are particularly tasty.

https://www.cheshirecheesecompany.co.uk/caramelised-onion-rioja-cheddar-200g-wax.html

 

[realfunster]

23 hours ago, sandyf said:

Hold luggage gets quite cold and will remain cool during transit.

That's what I was going to say.

 

I am not a serial cheese "smuggler" but on occasion bring some back and would put in the checked bags for this reason for the 16+ hour trip back from UK.

(Door to door).

 

Myself and the good wife found a particularly pungent soft cow's cheese "Stinking Bishop" which we loaded up on.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinking_Bishop_(cheese)

 

Had we actually brought that onto the plane, I think we would have caused an aeronautical incident of some sort.

[NanLaew]

On 2/2/2023 at 9:03 AM, jerrymahoney said:

On 2/2/2023 at 6:27 AM, Bruce1054 said:

Here's what l do. l wrap the cheese in newspaper leave it in the fridge for a couple of nights pack it in my carryon when l get to the hotel l put it in the room fridge

As with a post above, most hotel fridges would not hold 5-10 kilos of cheese.

 

I remember, once in USA 5 - 10 years ago, having the branded container of hummus I had just bought for a carry-on lunch confiscated by the TSA before a domestic flight.

A couple of times while similarly in transit with a sizeable 'import', a quiet word with the Concierge or the F&B Manager was sufficient to see the 'illegal' consignments safely stashed away in the hotel's kitchen fridge overnight.

 

The bonus is they won't forget to bring to to your room before you check out and thus eliminates the risk of oneself leaving it in the room fridge (like I did once!)

[sandyf]

31 minutes ago, realfunster said:

That's what I was going to say.

 

I am not a serial cheese "smuggler" but on occasion bring some back and would put in the checked bags for this reason for the 16+ hour trip back from UK.

(Door to door).

 

Myself and the good wife found a particularly pungent soft cow's cheese "Stinking Bishop" which we loaded up on.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinking_Bishop_(cheese)

 

Had we actually brought that onto the plane, I think we would have caused an aeronautical incident of some sort.

Quite.   Each to their own, I am not into soft or blue cheeses, prefer flavoured cheddar.

[NanLaew]

36 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Quite.   Each to their own, I am not into soft or blue cheeses, prefer flavoured cheddar.

Blue cheese on a pepperoni pizza.

 

You'll thank me for it.

 

For those with a higher threshold of gustatory perception, I thoroughly recommend my haggis pizza (blue cheese optional).

[Elkski]

In Dec we packed 2 blocks of refrigerated hard cheeses maybe 1kg each. It was like a 36 hour trip and it was ok. Slight sweating.  We put in checked on because it will be cold in cargo bay.  Also packed some crackers.  Makes a good snack.  Also cheese is something I crave after a couple weeks.  

[gearbox]

9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

No. Always hand luggage as it maintains a cooler temperature. No issues with security or customs. I have never declared as much as 10 kilos of cheese and have never had my carry on inspected upon arrival. The room temps are not an issue for a day or two. 

The Airport Jacket:

 

 

I always wear a jacket with pockets as 7 kg cabin baggage are never enough...the laptops are nearly 5kg. No problem to offload 2-3 kg to the jacket if needed.

 

Nowadays many budget airlines like Jetstar and AirAsia have an option to up the cabin baggage to 14 kg.

[TimeMachine]

13 minutes ago, gearbox said:

The Airport Jacket:

 

 

I always wear a jacket with pockets as 7 kg cabin baggage are never enough...the laptops are nearly 5kg. No problem to offload 2-3 kg to the jacket if needed.

 

Nowadays many budget airlines like Jetstar and AirAsia have an option to up the cabin baggage to 14 kg.

Great one. I do find it weird that delivery of goods works purely on weight and size at a post office but in the interest of offending someone that is thrown out the window at airports. 

[alex8912]

22 hours ago, sandyf said:

Why on earth would anyone even consider bringing cheese that was not vacuum packed. 

Seems like the OP and others think it's ok.

[alex8912]

13 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Few allow it. Defiance is the key word here. I always hide my carry on in front of the counter. When they ask me if I have one, I say NO. When I walk away sometimes they shout out at me, and I always ignore them. Compliance in the face of ignorant and greedy rules is not something I am interested in. Comply if you like. No thanks for me. 

Ok Better ways to do that. Most allow 7k just a small jacket or something on the trolley can hide a few kilos of stuff. The defiance is a bit strange. Hard to believe they call out to you and ignore the FACT you said you have zero carry on bags. It's 2023 and that is a security breach and there is a reason bags are weighed. Then of course one wonders how you get past the often carry on bag size bins and sometimes scales located RIGHT at the gate before boarding. Hmm. I bet "your personal rules" have struck you down several times. 

[sandyf]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Blue cheese on a pepperoni pizza.

 

You'll thank me for it.

 

For those with a higher threshold of gustatory perception, I thoroughly recommend my haggis pizza (blue cheese optional).

Never thought of a haggis pizza but sounds great, pass on the blue cheese.

The lunar new year and Burns night were close together this year. The Travel Show featured a chef in Edinburgh making haggis spring rolls, no cheese involved.

[sandyf]

20 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

Seems like the OP and others think it's ok.

Entirely up to them. Paper wrapped cheese has a very short shelf and I wouldn't see any point in bringing something you have to eat straight away or put in the freezer.

Wax coated cheese has a shelf life of around 3 months and vacuum packed several weeks.

[geisha]

Have your cheese air tight packed at home, then put in freezer bags . I’ve always done it, the worse thing is they open your bags and confiscate. 

[spidermike007]

16 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Ok Better ways to do that. Most allow 7k just a small jacket or something on the trolley can hide a few kilos of stuff. The defiance is a bit strange. Hard to believe they call out to you and ignore the FACT you said you have zero carry on bags. It's 2023 and that is a security breach and there is a reason bags are weighed. Then of course one wonders how you get past the often carry on bag size bins and sometimes scales located RIGHT at the gate before boarding. Hmm. I bet "your personal rules" have struck you down several times. 

Only once did a zealous agent insist on weighing my bag. It was over. I convinced them to let it go. Since then, I hide the bag. Never even seen a scale at the gate. Never been an issue and we are talking 60 flights or more. 

 

And how is an over weight carry on a security issue. Please clarify that. They screen the bags before boarding. Makes no sense. 

Edited February 4, 2023 by spidermike007

[jerrymahoney]

I once traveled from Burlington VT to Orlando FL with a change of planes . I brought a container of hummus for a lunch during the layover.

 

TSA confiscated in VT. YMMV.

 

 

 

[roo860]

1 minute ago, jerrymahoney said:

I once traveled from Burlington VT to Orlando FL with a change of planes . I brought a container of hummus for a lunch during the layover.

 

TSA confiscated in VT. YMMV.

 

 

 

They should have arrested you as well for eating that!!????????

[jerrymahoney]

3 hours ago, roo860 said:

They should have arrested you as well for eating that!!????????

'Never did get to eat it.

 

 

 

[NanLaew]

22 hours ago, sandyf said:

Wax coated cheese has a shelf life of around 3 months and vacuum packed several weeks.

I found a Snowdonia Black Bomber that had lain untouched at the back of the top shelf of the fridge for at least three years. Peeled off the wax and it was eminently still good.

 

Some of these 'use by' dates are worth ignoring.

[sandyf]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

I found a Snowdonia Black Bomber that had lain untouched at the back of the top shelf of the fridge for at least three years. Peeled off the wax and it was eminently still good.

 

Some of these 'use by' dates are worth ignoring.

Without a doubt. 

Vacuum packing is a bit hit and miss, I have seen the cheese start to discolour before the use by date but wax should be good for years.

When I was in RAF training in the early 60s we were fed "compo" rations from WW2, everything was in tins and as good as the day it was made, only problem was the tin opener was in a tin.

Wax coating would be as close as you could get to being tinned.