Airline comes to party over traditional Kiwi meat pack

The traditional Kiwi "meat pack" will take on a whole new meaning for travellers, with Virgin Blue's Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue airlines now accepting appropriately packaged meat, seafood and frozen products as checked baggage.

The move was in response to strong demand from passengers, Pacific Blue chief executive Tony Marks said.

"Guests have made it clear they would like to be able to transport frozen meat, seafood and other products internationally and we are coming to the party in terms of making it happen," he said.

"The policy will benefit tourists wanting to bring some of their own catering to the Pacific Islands as well as locals returning home with special treats to share with family and friends."

But if you want to take your own steaks to an overseas BBQ you can't just stick them in your suitcase.

The food must be sealed in watertight plastic bags then packaged in a robust, undamaged container that does not contain any other items. Absorbent materials such as newspaper must be placed between the waterproof bag containing the products and the container they are packaged in.

Each container and its contents must not weigh more than 20kg. It must be checked in and not taken on board as carry-on baggage.

Live seafood, including crayfish and mud crab, is not included in the policy and will not be accepted as checked baggage.

Although Pacific Blue is offering this extra service, it is the responsibility of passengers to check customs and quarantine laws for the country to which they are travelling.

Pacific Blue Airlines has an increasing focus on the South Pacific Islands, with the launch of new services to Tonga to complement existing flights between Australia and New Zealand to and from Fiji, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands.

Polynesian Blue launches services to and from Samoa this weekend.

- NZPA