Why bottles burst on planes?

Have you ever wondered why bottles burst or scrunch on planes? Next time you are in the air and are offered a bottle of water, drink it and screw the lid on tight. Take a look at an empty water bottle that has the lid screwed on tight after landing. You will notice the bottle is creased. On take off, the opposite happens. The air expands which can pop the lids off or expand the bottles of seemingly effectively closed bottles.

This is important to know around the type of plastic bottles your shampoo, conditioner and other toiletries are packed in. If you purchase these items in flip top packaging, they sometimes seem to have leaked when in fact the flip tops have opened as the pressure on the aircraft changes at take off and landing. It is best to purchase shampoo, conditioner and other toiletries in screw top bottles, not flip tops. If you have a favorite brand that is flip top, I put these bottles in a zip lock bag prior to packing them with other toiletries. This will contain leakages if they do occur.

As a side note, this is a great past time if you happen to have kids with them who are bored. It is a bit of a science experiment and a good learning experience. After finishing the drink, get your kid to screw the top on. Remind them when you are in decent to take a look at the bottle. As a result of the changing atmospheric pressure on the aircraft as it descend, the shape of the bottle will gradually change. Kids find that fascinating to watch! And if you transiting to another flight, take the bottle still scrunched up on the next flight. As you take off, tell your kid to watch it “un-scrunch”. How entertaining is that for an 10 year old to observe? … especially if it bursts! And now you know why bottles burst of scrunch on planes.