India

Can We Carry Microwave Oven In Flight? [2022]

Is microwave allowed as check-in luggage in airplanes?

Yes, you can carry microwave oven in flight. I carried a microwave oven as check-in luggage in AirAsia. 

Continue reading to know details.

I was traveling from Bangalore to Pune and found myself in a situation where I had to carry a microwave oven.

I had booked air tickets but was not sure if the microwave is allowed as a check-in bag.

I searched on Google and got posts that said it can be carried but no one had shared their personal experience. It was all about chats with customer care.




    Questions that were bothering me were:

    1. Can I carry microwave in flight?

    2. How does airlines handle luggage marked as Fragile?

    Will it be handled carefully and no damage will happen.

    A big risk was if the authorities did not allow, i will have to leave the microwave at airport itself (as good as throw it in thrash) as no one accompanied me to the airport to whom I could have handed over the box.

    Even though I had these doubts, I decided to go ahead with it.

    I had a 20L LG microwave (20"x11"x15"). Its weight was around 20kg's and dimension just right for the check-in baggage ie within 27"x21"x14" (the requirement is that the sum of these sides should not be more than 62").

    I used the box with approximate dimension of 24x14x18. I had a big box in which some stuff was delivered, I cut it out in the size of microwave (with some buffer) and used it.

    You can do the same or order box from here

    As I was traveling domestic, the check in bag weight was 15kg's but since my wife and kid were traveling with me, the airline allowed me to club the weight.

    I checked in 2 bags of 22kg and 21kg for the 3 passengers in my itinerary, one of it was the Microwave.

    How to pack a microwave for flight?

    The best way will be if you have retained the original packing i.e both the box and thermocol fillers, but this is not very common.

    Same was the case with me. I did not have the original packing, so I made a hardboard box from the packing of some other stuff, as per the size of the microwave box!!


    Make sure the glass turntable and the wheel attachment is properly secured. I wrapped it in bubble paper & towels and kept it in my check-in box.

    Note: Glass is not allowed in cabin luggage, so better put it in check-in luggage.

    There was some gap on the front and sides between the microwave and the box, I cushioned it with the extra cardboard. 

    For cushion, I Made small cylinders from the left over cardboard and pushed it in the gap such that the microwave will not move. 

    The cylinders were soft enough so that not to put a dent on the microwave and sturdy enough to keep it from moving from its place.

    Wrap a lot of packing tape on the outside of box to make it sturdy.

    If possible, get a tape with "Fragile" written on it & put/stick it on all the sides of the box.


    How to Check in Microwave at airport?

    At the check-in counter, the attendant was surprised when I told them I was checking in a microwave.

    She called her supervisor and confirmed if it can be checked in. To my relief, the answer was yes.

    The attendant asked me if the packing was good, then she pasted Fragile sticker on the box.

    Instead of putting the box on conveyor belt, she asked another attendant to take it manually.

    This gave me some confidence that there will be no problem with the microwave.

    After landing, I was curious to see the status of my microwave.. There were no external visible damages on the box, first level check passed!

    We reached home and unpacked the box. To my joy,  the Microwave reached its destination without any damage!!

    A special thanks to the AirAsia crew for handling the fragile item carefully. 

    I had read many stories about how the ground crew do not care about fragile sticker and I was not very confident I will get my microwave without damage!!

    But getting my microwave unscratched is a proof that airlines do care about fragilis....at least AirAsia does.

    Watch this video on how to carry microwave oven in flight




    FAQ's

    1. Can you bring microwave on a plane?

    Yes, you can bring microwave on a plane. Since the weight of microwave oven exceeds cabin bag limit, it needs to be checked in.

    2. Do Airports have microwaves?

    You will find microwaves at airport lounges or one of the shops, not at any other location.

    3. Can I bring microwave to a hotel?

    Yes, you can bring microwave to a hotel. There is no policy where microwave or any other heating device is not allowed in hotel.

    4. Do Airplanes have microwave?

    No, airplanes don't have microwave on board, they do have convection oven.

    Things not to pack in your checked in luggage



    Conclusion:

    This was my experience with AirAsia, I assume other airlines follow the same protocol while handing fragile checked-in luggage.

    Microwave oven is not categorized as dangerous goods or items that are not allowed in flights.

    Click on the link to Check more money saving hacks during travel






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