If you have some favourite food you want to travel with on your flight you need to figure out a ways to keep your items cold during transit to avoid them from spoiling, which begs the question, can you put frozen ice packs in checked luggage?
Since there is nothing harmful about frozen ice packs, they are fine to pack in your checked luggage as long as they will not leak out of their gel packs.
To help you out with packing your cold pack and foods, we've made a short guide below covering if you can put ice in your carry on, which types are allowed as well as how to pack your ice and frozen food.
Since ice packs are fine to take in your checked luggage, you might be wondering if you can pack them in your carry on luggage too?
Well, technically, as long as your gel packs are frozen when passing through a security checkpoint they can be taken in your hand luggage.
However, if melted or partially melted then they will be classed as liquid and will need to meet the 3.4-ounce rule in your quart-sized plastic bag. It can be difficult to keep ice packs cool if you're travelling to the airport from a distance.
If you do have items fresh that you need to keep at refrigerator temperatures when flying you can take frozen ice packs on board.
However, even if your solid ice packs become melted and do not abide by liquid rules you might still be able to take it through security if eligible among the following -
If you need to keep food cold when flying, packing frozen food and ice packs in your checked luggage might be your last resort.
Keeping solid foods frozen during transit might be best to keep them from cooling during long-distance flights, we would however suggest this is all wrapped in a leakproof bag to stop the food from leaking over the rest of the items in your luggage. Keep in mind that before bringing anything on the plane, you must read all the instructions of the airline. Frozen food mostly bring mountaineer and they also bring rope on the plane. Follow the rules and enjoy your journey.
It is possible to keep food cold and take solid foods frozen in a cooler as part of your extra checked luggage, this eliminates the possibility of things leaking in your main checked luggage and gives it a higher chance of the food remaining frozen till you reach your destination.
What types of frozen gel packs are best for taking on a plane?
Any ice packages are okay to take on a plane in checked luggage, for hand luggage the gel ice pack should be under 3.4 ounces in case it melts, however, if the ice pack is entirely frozen when passing through security it can count as a solid.
Larger packs may be permitted for medical reasons.
Can I take an ice pack for medical purposes onboard a plane?
Yes, frozen ice packs are allowed for medical reasons on a plane, whether for an ongoing injury as noted by a doctor or for keeping medicine cold for use during the flight, this might need to be in a letter from your GP too.
Will gel ice products leak in my checked luggage?
All gel packs with food items should be packed in another plastic bag leakproof bag with a seal to prevent any incidents of leakage while flying.
To conclude, you can bring as many ice packs as you require in your checked luggage with no issues to keep food cool, we suggest however pack all in a leakproof bag.
For your carry on luggage, you may also bring ice gel packs on board, but if not for medical purposes, they must be under a 3.4-ounce size in case they melt.
