flying Manchester to Bangkok asked the airline Etihad can I bring internal combustion engine in checked hold  baggage..........used their "chat" facility on the website, its not a bot it IS a person. They quoted me their own rules saying YES if it contained no fuel/vapours............then I asked Manchester airport can I bring an internal combustion engine in the hold baggage and they conmfriemd yes if the airline says its ok and has no fuel in etc...............got it  all in writing and e mails form both parties........turned up today to fly.............nah cant brin g that mate, showed them the paperwork nah not having it....moral of story even when their rules say yes they can say no etihads  carriage of dangerous goods attached and my  email to manchester airport saying its ok.......who needs  rules when u can make it up as u go

Manchester airports reply to me below also arranged all this over a month ago so id  have "no problem". Brand new engine never used no fuel ever been in it 25cc small honda stiil got the tags on saying fill with oil before use

On 01/04/2025 21:59:18, Airport Customer Services <[email protected]> wrote:

Dear Mr name removed,

Thank you for your recent feedback regarding your forthcoming visit to Manchester Airport.

 

I note you have copied your 'live chat' conversation with Etihad who are ok with the items travelling with them. To ensure a smooth check-in process, please declare these items to the check-in staff. It would be useful if the check-in staff could direct/accompany you to the oversize baggage inspection whereby your items can be x-rayed. Please ensure the engine is totally free from any lubricants/fuel.

I thank you for taking the time to contact us.

Kind regards,


name removed

 

Customer Feedback Team,

4^th Floor

Olympic House

Manchester Airport

M90 1QX

That looks like money to me.  A well written complaint to the CAA and ADR and a demand for compensation (costs, pain, anguish, inconvenience, suffering bla bla bla) will succeed IMO.  Obviously the main complaint is against the Airport Company - but also lodge one against the Airline. They will both not want this to go to Court as it will cost them a lot in legal fees - hence why the ADR etc exists. 

 

3 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

flying Manchester to Bangkok asked the airline Etihad can I bring internal combustion engine in checked hold  baggage..........used their "chat" facility on the website, its not a bot it IS a person. They quoted me their own rules saying YES if it contained no fuel/vapours............then I asked Manchester airport can I bring an internal combustion engine in the hold baggage and they conmfriemd yes if the airline says its ok and has no fuel in etc...............got it  all in writing and e mails form both parties........turned up today to fly.............nah cant brin g that mate, showed them the paperwork nah not having it....moral of story even when their rules say yes they can say no etihads  carriage of dangerous goods attached and my  email to manchester airport saying its ok.......who needs  rules when u can make it up as u go

Manchester airports reply to me below also arranged all this over a month ago so id  have "no problem". Brand new engine never used no fuel ever been in it 25cc small honda stiil got the tags on saying fill with oil before use

On 01/04/2025 21:59:18, Airport Customer Services <[email protected]> wrote:

Dear Mr name removed,

Thank you for your recent feedback regarding your forthcoming visit to Manchester Airport.

 

I note you have copied your 'live chat' conversation with Etihad who are ok with the items travelling with them. To ensure a smooth check-in process, please declare these items to the check-in staff. It would be useful if the check-in staff could direct/accompany you to the oversize baggage inspection whereby your items can be x-rayed. Please ensure the engine is totally free from any lubricants/fuel.

I thank you for taking the time to contact us.

Kind regards,


name removed

 

Customer Feedback Team,

4^th Floor

Olympic House

Manchester Airport

M90 1QX

What did you do?

Changed the airline??

7 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

What did you do?

Changed the airline??

no idea what you mean?

23 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

no idea what you mean?

Don't worry, I don't think he knows what he's rambling on about most of the time himself.

 

What did you end up doing with the engine as they wouldn't let you check it in? Did you postpone your flight or make arrangements for someone to collect the engine from the airport? (I think that is what he was asking). 

4 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

no idea what you mean?

There are more airlines. Not only Etihad.

So did you book your flight with another airline then?

Damn it, I flew yesterday and had a problem with my insulated packaging containing refrigerated liquid nitrogen (dry shipper), fully absorbent  in a porous material containing only non-dangerous goods. 

Pesky airline rules.

Changing airlines because of an engine? 🙄

Can’t it be shipped?

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

Changing airlines because of an engine? 🙄

Can’t it be shipped?

He was already at the airport ready to catch his flight. How is he going to find a place, at the airport, to package it and ship it in a timely manner so he can still catch his flight?

17 minutes ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

How is he going to find a place, at the airport, to package it and ship it in a timely manner so he can still catch his flight 

At the post office at the airport.

9 hours ago, Keeps said:

Don't worry, I don't think he knows what he's rambling on about most of the time himself.

 

What did you end up doing with the engine as they wouldn't let you check it in? Did you postpone your flight or make arrangements for someone to collect the engine from the airport? (I think that is what he was asking). 

i always get  a  friend to bring me so we  took it out and she took it home until next time Im back when Ill attempt  it again, Ive brought 3 before now using Emirates, Turkish, and Oman Air over the last 6 years as all their rules say OK too if no fuel and vapours etc. its a honda leaf blower which they dont sell here made in Japan as a lot of thai power tools are junk especially the crap they seel at  the diy places. Only Honda here is half decent.

I always check before bringing it as I also brought some paint which some airlines wont carryas they dont have the ability to know a lot of paint is now  water based and non flammable..........WATER BASED non flammable with the health and safety paerwork to prove it ...........for the smart asses here, and NO you cannot get this water based undercoat in Thailand. Anyway paint allowed Petrol Leaf  Blower not.............despite ALL their rules saying its allowed.

Im  not shipping something weighing 5 kilos and also attract import duty when it can go in my bag and as already  agreed by the airline in writing until check in why would I.

5 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Damn it, I flew yesterday and had a problem with my insulated packaging containing refrigerated liquid nitrogen (dry shipper), fully absorbent  in a porous material containing only non-dangerous goods. 

Pesky airline rules.

good  luck with the cryogenics, you or the wife?

etihad, emirates, turkish air, to name a few say YES.............until you get there in Etihads case

On 8/3/2025 at 2:32 PM, Rampant Rabbit said:

flying Manchester to Bangkok asked the airline Etihad can I bring internal combustion engine in checked hold  baggage..........used their "chat" facility on the website, its not a bot it IS a person.

I did a google search "can I take an internal combustion engine on an etihad flight" 

It came back with the test below.   

 

No, an internal combustion engine is generally not allowed on Etihad flights, especially if it contains any fuel or fuel vapors. Even if completely purged of fuel, some airlines may still prohibit them due to potential safety concerns. 

 

Elaboration:

• Dangerous Goods:

  Internal combustion engines, due to the presence of fuel and potential for leaks or spills, are classified as dangerous goods. 

   
• Etihad's Regulations:

  Etihad's Dangerous Goods Carriage Guide explicitly states that internal combustion or fuel cell engines are not permitted in carry-on or checked baggage. 

   

On 8/3/2025 at 6:04 PM, TroubleandGrumpy said:

That looks like money to me.

 

Spot on!  

 

You can fairly easily claim all sorts of damages, as you have in writing, from both airline and airport, a "YES" answer, and was denied at the last minute causing all sorts of difficulty, unneccessarily.

 

Suggestion, I would not write the demand letter yourself, your lack of paragraphs etc., make it difficult to take seriously, find a law student to do it for you.

5 hours ago, Freddy42OZ said:

I did a google search "can I take an internal combustion engine on an etihad flight" 

It came back with the test below.   

 

You snipped off the bit below these search results.

 

Quote

AI responses may include mistakes. Learn more

 

This still makes me laugh Manchester airport!

🤣🤣🤔😁

On 8/6/2025 at 1:43 PM, Freddy42OZ said:

I did a google search "can I take an internal combustion engine on an etihad flight" 

It came back with the test below.   

 

No, an internal combustion engine is generally not allowed on Etihad flights, especially if it contains any fuel or fuel vapors. Even if completely purged of fuel, some airlines may still prohibit them due to potential safety concerns. 

 

Elaboration:

• Dangerous Goods:

  Internal combustion engines, due to the presence of fuel and potential for leaks or spills, are classified as dangerous goods. 

   
• Etihad's Regulations:

  Etihad's Dangerous Goods Carriage Guide explicitly states that internal combustion or fuel cell engines are not permitted in carry-on or checked baggage. 

   

yet when I look on their website it says the complete opposite and I did CALL them b y phone, ask them on facebook and by theuir own websites chat, not once did they say no, please link your source for that?

On 8/6/2025 at 7:02 PM, treetops said:

 

You snipped off the bit below these search results.

 

 

yes thats exactly what I thought, some airlines do some dont permit it, I particularly flew Etihad AFTER checking thoroughly they would accept it. Have taken these items to Thailand on 3  separate ocaasions all without any incident and on 3 different airlines, Oman air Gulf  Air  Emirates..

Just now, Rampant Rabbit said:

. . . . please link your source for that?

 

He said he did a google search and it looks like that's their AI results - see my post about 3 up for their accuracy claim.

Just now, treetops said:

 

He said he did a google search and it looks like that's their AI results - see my post about 3 up for their accuracy claim.

yes just saw it thanks, Manchester airport just mailed me to say that ETIHADS man there said no so now am awaiting Etihads response to thgat as I forwarded to them to aqdd to my case number they already gave me

9 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

yet when I look on their website it says the complete opposite and I did CALL them b y phone, ask them on facebook and by theuir own websites chat, not once did they say no, please link your source for that?

 

I gave the exact search to type in. 

The first result was Etihad's own site 

https://www.etihad.com/content/dam/eag/etihadairways/etihadcom/Global/pdf/dangerous-goods-carriage-guide.pdf 

That is the 2023 version and it says that combustion engines cannot be in carry-on but can be in checked luggage.

A bit further down the SERP (Search Engine Result Page) there is another Etihad link 

https://www.etihad.com/en/help/baggage-information/prohibited-items  

Which leads to a download link for their 2025 Dangerous Goods List 

https://www.etihad.com/content/dam/eag/etihadairways/etihadcom/2025/pdf/help/dangerous-goods-carriage-guide.pdf

That also says that combustion engines cannot be in carry-on but can be in checked luggage.


Using Google really isn't that hard.

On 8/4/2025 at 12:10 PM, Rampant Rabbit said:

i always get  a  friend to bring me so we  took it out and she took it home until next time Im back when Ill attempt  it again, Ive brought 3 before now using Emirates, Turkish, and Oman Air over the last 6 years as all their rules say OK too if no fuel and vapours etc. its a honda leaf blower which they dont sell here made in Japan as a lot of thai power tools are junk especially the crap they seel at  the diy places. Only Honda here is half decent.

I always check before bringing it as I also brought some paint which some airlines wont carryas they dont have the ability to know a lot of paint is now  water based and non flammable..........WATER BASED non flammable with the health and safety paerwork to prove it ...........for the smart asses here, and NO you cannot get this water based undercoat in Thailand. Anyway paint allowed Petrol Leaf  Blower not.............despite ALL their rules saying its allowed.

Im  not shipping something weighing 5 kilos and also attract import duty when it can go in my bag and as already  agreed by the airline in writing until check in why would I.

I went with the same thing,wanted a Honda leaf blower,all the other brands are useless.

Until i found this one! Great machine and has a lot more power than a Honda imo.

Lightweight and very easy to carry,

On 8/3/2025 at 6:04 PM, TroubleandGrumpy said:

They will both not want this to go to Court as it will cost them a lot in legal fees - hence why the ADR etc exists. 

 

They both have lawyers working for them, who they have to pay anyhow. It will cost the customer a lot more money to start this.

1 hour ago, FritsSikkink said:

They both have lawyers working for them, who they have to pay anyhow. It will cost the customer a lot more money to start this.

Legal costs to any large corporation are always both internal and external these days. No one can afford to have highly paid lawyers on staff ready and waiting. They have senior people and the rest is outsourced.  The customer only has to make written complaints - by law the company has to employ a legal representative to deal with the matter.  That is why they will IMO settle this matter by making an offer of settlement - rather than spending the money to take the matter to a tribunal hearing.  That is why 'consumer' tribunals exist in UK etc - so ordinary people can take companies and organisations to 'court' and have judgements made against companies without costing too much. That is why the companies and organisations first decide if the claim is valid and if it could win  - then they look at the likely settlement if they lose (they are very experienced in this - or pay people who are).  That is why they settle as first option if there is the chance they will have to spend money fighting a case. 

33 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Legal costs to any large corporation are always both internal and external these days. No one can afford to have highly paid lawyers on staff ready and waiting. They have senior people and the rest is outsourced.  The customer only has to make written complaints - by law the company has to employ a legal representative to deal with the matter.  That is why they will IMO settle this matter by making an offer of settlement - rather than spending the money to take the matter to a tribunal hearing.  That is why 'consumer' tribunals exist in UK etc - so ordinary people can take companies and organisations to 'court' and have judgements made against companies without costing too much. That is why the companies and organisations first decide if the claim is valid and if it could win  - then they look at the likely settlement if they lose (they are very experienced in this - or pay people who are).  That is why they settle as first option if there is the chance they will have to spend money fighting a case. 

From my experience with an insurance company, they dismiss customers complaints at first. Only when you let a lawyer write a letter and threaten to sue for more damages, they will settle quickly.

2 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

From my experience with an insurance company, they dismiss customers complaints at first. Only when you let a lawyer write a letter and threaten to sue for more damages, they will settle quickly.

Yep - that is how insurance works for sure. In this case it was advice revived that was wrong and therefore a complaint threatening to take it further. 

Their reply after "investigating" is hilarious and they admit it.

The reason for denial at the airport was it must have a purge certificate. ( incorrect) Not only that they couldnt tell me what the certificate was  for at the airport.

 

Attached with names removed for obvious reasons but it states clearly if an engine has never had fuel in a purge certificate is not required, they copied and pasted the dangerous goods info to me directly from  the  dangerous goods page.

 

The engine had never had fuel in was built in 2023 according to the label stuck onto it and according to other sites purging involves draining all fuel and lines and leaving it to air for at least 6 hours...............built in 2023 remember, I think that would be long enough in case it was ever run.

Also had a label on saying it had no oil in from honda and not to run it without adding it.

 

 It cant be both, if its never had fuel in , flushing is not required...........on top of them telling me and still telling me when contacted today its OKAY!!! They outline the conditions then contradict themselves.

I mean when they state on the website this below and NO pre approval.....wtf are you supposed to think? 

"never had fuel OR  if had fuel must be flushed.

No fuel = no need for flushing..... awaiting their next, if any, response before contacting CAA to complain.

 

 

 

"Thank you for your email and for sharing the details of your experience.

 

We have reviewed the PDF document you referred to as well as the information provided by our Live Chat team at the time of your inquiry. The guidance given was correct, under the conditions outlined, you would have been able to take the engine with you.

 

However, at the airport our check-in staff contacted our Dangerous Goods (DG) Team to request clarification before accepting the item. While our online guide contains information for the most common items carried in passenger baggage, not all provisions of the DG Regulations are included in this guide. For certain specialised items, such as flammable liquid-powered internal combustion or fuel cell engines, we carry out specific background checks to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and to maintain safety standards.

 

In such cases, carriage is permitted only if the following regulatory requirements are met:

• The fuel does not meet the classification criteria for any dangerous goods; or

• The fuel tank has never contained fuel, or it has been flushed, purged of vapours, and made safe;

• Written or electronic proof of flushing and purging has been provided;

• The entire fuel system is free of liquid and fuel lines are sealed, capped, or securely connected.

 

If any of these requirements are not met, or if the documentation and information provided at check-in does not sufficiently confirm compliance, our DG Team may decide to refuse carriage. These checks are in place to safeguard the safety of our guests, crew, and aircraft.

 

We acknowledge that these specific requirements were not made clear at the time of your inquiry, and we are currently working on an updated version of our published guide to ensure such situations are avoided in the future.

 

We appreciate your understanding of the need for strict adherence to international safety regulations and thank you for bringing this matter to our attention"

On 8/9/2025 at 2:05 AM, jvs said:

I went with the same thing,wanted a Honda leaf blower,all the other brands are useless.

Until i found this one! Great machine and has a lot more power than a Honda imo.

Lightweight and very easy to carry,

ive got three here which ive flown in with baggage over the years...............never a problem to bring them.  Global  house have a 4 stroke SENIX Chinese which is pretty good so far which ive just bought  with 1  yr guarantee, usually the carbs fail and i just replace the entire carb rather than faff with new diaphragms etc That  what ive found on the Hondas and new carbs here are dirt cheap £20 UK £100 nuts. Dont want one on the back type.

On 8/8/2025 at 7:50 PM, Freddy42OZ said:

 

I gave the exact search to type in. 

The first result was Etihad's own site 

https://www.etihad.com/content/dam/eag/etihadairways/etihadcom/Global/pdf/dangerous-goods-carriage-guide.pdf 

That is the 2023 version and it says that combustion engines cannot be in carry-on but can be in checked luggage.

A bit further down the SERP (Search Engine Result Page) there is another Etihad link 

https://www.etihad.com/en/help/baggage-information/prohibited-items  

Which leads to a download link for their 2025 Dangerous Goods List 

https://www.etihad.com/content/dam/eag/etihadairways/etihadcom/2025/pdf/help/dangerous-goods-carriage-guide.pdf

That also says that combustion engines cannot be in carry-on but can be in checked luggage.


Using Google really isn't that hard.

I think you are confused? ive already stated Etihad allow it and posted their links exactly as youve said above....yet they refused it, also says NO PREAPPROVAL REQUIRED and your first answer said the opposite so have no idea what you are on about.