Yes, You Can Bring A Whole Rotisserie Chicken On An Airplane, But Should You?

Airplane etiquette is in the eye of the beholder. Some people think it's fine to recline your seat, while others feel it's rude to the person behind you. Some people think it's fair game to bring a full rotisserie chicken on a flight, while others would rather pack a TSA-approved snackle box. Yes, it turns out you technically can get an entire rotisserie chicken through security — but just because you can doesn't mean you should.

It's not exactly a safety issue, though if you're sitting in an emergency exit row and dissecting a full chicken, you better hope you don't need to assist others at any point with those messy chicken hands. It's more of an etiquette situation. Rotisserie chickens are smelly. Whether you love the scent or hate it, everyone around you has to breathe it in. But the reason it's especially rude to eat this bird on a plane is because it takes far too long to get through it. If you could consume it in five minutes, then fine, maybe let the people smell your meal for that time. However, devouring a whole rotisserie chicken is no easy task; people will be forced to smell it for a long time as you work your way through it, and they'll almost certainly question what poor decision they made that led to this karma.

Besides the smell, these chickens are messy. They do come in their own plastic bags or containers, but they're full of moisture, and the skin is greasy. With such small spaces on airplanes, it's just too difficult to eat one knowing you're practically rubbing elbows with the person next to you as you break off those tasty wings, and the risk of any moisture or rogue chicken flinging into the other passenger's personal space is too high. And if you plan to transport the rotisserie chicken to your destination without eating it, this could be food safety issue as chicken should never be kept at room temperature for more than two hours.

If you're craving chicken, there are better options that won't upset people quite as much. Opt for chicken tenders with a dipping sauce that doesn't have much scent, like ketchup or honey mustard. You can buy them in the airport (yes, you'll have to pay more, but dollars don't count at airports, right?) and eat them while you wait to board the plane. Airport fast-food options like chicken nuggets are a great choice, too, or even a grilled chicken sandwich — anything that satisfies your chicken craving but can be eaten pretty quickly.