Businesses Adapt to Airport Restrictions

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Businesses Adapt to Airport Restrictions

OMAHA, Neb., Sep. 18, 2006(AP) Fifteen live lobsters? Those you can take on a plane. But the ice or gel packs to keep the lobsters cold are not allowed under the recent ban on liquids and gels in carryon luggage

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Omaha Steaks has been selling steaks at the city's Eppley Airfield since the late 1970s. The two kiosks are upstairs, outside security checkpoints. But most people have already checked their luggage downstairs by the time they walk past... So Omaha Steaks started offering free shipping, or a free cooler pack if customers buy $50 worth of steaks, said Beth Weiss, the firm's corporate communications director. If people are taking a short flight, the steaks are frozen so solid, they take four to six hours to thaw, Weiss said.

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Employees at Clearwater seafood company in Bedford, Nova Scotia noticed a drop in sales immediately after the restrictions went into place. The location at Halifax International Airport sells live and cooked lobster - and both have to be kept cold. People were understandably reticent to pack lobsters in their checked luggage, chief executive officer Colin MacDonald said. Their solution? Frozen vegetables. MacDonald said the company checked with airport security and was given the go-ahead. Employees went to a grocery store and bought frozen carrots, peas and cauliflower. Now, instead of packing the wax-lined cardboard boxes with ice or gel packs, employees surround the lobster, live or cooked, with vegetables. The boxes can hold up to 15 live lobsters.

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Some airports, such as Los Angeles International and San Francisco International, are allowing duty-free items to be delivered by employees to customers already on the plane. McCauley said that's acceptable by TSA guidelines, but doesn't help lobster or steak dealers, because their products aren't duty-free. Clos Du Val winery in Napa, Calif., was advising customers to have wine shipped home. The winery also was selling sturdy shipping containers for customers to check wine as luggage. Still, temperature in the cargo hold is a concern.

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The strangest question McCauley has heard: Can you bring a goldfish on the plane?

The answer is yes. As long you don't bring any water.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/09/18/ap/business/mainD8K7ECP03.shtml