You May Have Broken a Federal Alcohol Law on Your Flight — Without Even Realizing It

I've mastered the art of getting free drinks on my flights, but there's one huge alcohol no-no that I would never try — and it's one that many travelers don't know about. While you can definitely rack up a hefty bill on a plane if you're sipping on more than a drink or two, you should never, ever try to slip in your own stuff while the flight attendants are looking the other way.

While it is legal to carry on your own alcohol, under no circumstances should you crack those bottles open on board. Passengers can bring on as many 3.4-oz. or less bottles of whatever they want as long as they fit comfortably in their luggage — and airplane bottles are usually 1.7 oz. You can also carry on bottles of liquor you've bought beyond security at duty-free stores.

However, it is against federal law to drink from these on your flight. You read that correctly; we're not talking rules the airlines have implemented. We're talking federal law.

The only alcohol passengers are permitted to consume aboard an aircraft is what a certificate holder operating on the plane serves them. Additionally, no certificate holder can serve any alcoholic beverage to any person on board if that person appears to be intoxicated, nor can they allow any person to board if that person "appears to be intoxicated." The law essentially allows flight attendants to use their discretion on how much a person has to drink based on what they've been officially served, and they are unable to do this if someone is drinking their own liquor.

Still thinking of trying sneaking an extra splash of vodka into your screwdriver? Seriously, think twice on that one, because you may be the reason your entire flight is diverted and forced to land, and you can bet there will be some less-than-happy security waiting for you when get off the plane. In 2015, a Southwest flight from Houston to Costa Rica had to return to the departure airport because passengers wanted to get the party started by drinking their own alcohol on board and refused flight attendants' instructions when they were asked to stop partaking. Needless to say, the group didn't make it to Costa Rica.

Another woman tried to pour a half-finished bottle of vodka into her drink on board her flight from England to Spain and was confronted by Spanish police upon landing and forced to return back home on a different flight due to the incident.

The bottom line? Suck it up and shell out the cash for a drink, unless you're willing to face federal consequences, a diverted flight, and foreign police.