As many newbie travelers discover too late at the airport, bringing a bottle of wine or liquor home from a trip is not nearly as simple as just buying it at the store and bringing it aboard the plane.
Since flying rules only allow alcohol purchased in the duty-free store or served during the flight inside the cabin, one has to pack anything purchased elsewhere inside checked luggage. An additional level of complication when it comes to weight limits, the risk of breakage or, as one traveler alleges, even staff who may be tempted by what they find inside during an inspection.
Related: Woman Banned From United Airlines For Diverting Flight 'Over Wine'
Earlier this week, traveler Rich "Mac" McLaurin wrote of his experience flying with United Airlines UAL on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Without elaborating on the details of where he was traveling, McLaurin said that he found that a bottle of tequila he packed in his checked baggage for the flight was missing a "shot" when he arrived back home.
So an employee at @united went in my luggage, crack open my bottle, took a shot & put it back. 😂😂😂 I should’ve known something was up when my shit was unzipped smh 🤦🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/O4CqPiR9kr
— Rich Mac (@Mr_McLaurin) November 5, 2023
'I should've known something was up,' traveler says after unpacking luggage
"So an employee at @United went in my luggage, crack open my bottle, took a shot & put it back," McLaurin wrote in the caption to the video. "I should've known something was up when my shit was unzipped smh [shaking my head]."
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In the expletive-laden video, McLaurin points toward a bottle of tequila with a broken seal and jokingly tells United to "count your f***ing days."
McLaurin's account of what happened is difficult to independently verify. Even if the stipulation that an employee opened it is correct, it could have been an airport worker not employed by United.
In a statement to TheStreet, United said that it was "working with our team to understand the details of this situation." The airline had previously encouraged another traveler in a similar situation to file a claim with the Baggage Resolution Center so that the situation could be
This has happened before (the internet had a ball)
Back in March 2023, Christopher Ambler claimed a $500 bottle of Glenmorangie "A Tale of Cake" Scottish whiskey that a friend was bringing back to him from a trip to Scotland as a gift was more than two-thirds empty when he opened his baggage.
"Bottle of expensive scotch in checked bag," Ambler wrote in the post alongside a photo of a bottle with a broken seal similar to what was posted by McLaurin. "Arrived opened and a third gone. No leakage. It was sealed new when packed and seal broken by opening. Your baggage handlers are thieves."
While United encouraged Ambler to both file a claim and tell the airline details of the flight in a direct message so that they could investigate, the internet caught onto the situation before that and had ample opportunities for jokes and memes.
"What class… swigging like a king," wrote a commenter underneath Ambler's post alongside a "Game of Thrones" meme. United ultimately took responsibility for a portion of the bottle by giving a $200 flight credit but Ambler ended up pouring out the contents due to not feeling comfortable not knowing who tampered with it.
