It may seem like a harmless addition to your luggage, especially if you’re travelling over the festive period, but if you’re thinking of taking Christmas crackers on an aircraft then best to think again.

The invention from the Victorian era is very much part of the Christmas festivities for many families but they aren’t welcomed by many airlines – Air France, KLM, United Airlines and Cathay Pacific included – who have imposed an outright ban.

Some airlines, however, allow the yuletide tradition to be transported in hold luggage, with British Airways and Qantas allowing a maximum of two boxes sealed in original packing; Eastern Airways, Flybe, South African Airlines, TUI and Virgin allow one sealed box of crackers in the hold.

And there is one airline which allows crackers in the cabin, easyJet, but that is on the basis that you can get the items through airport security. UK airport rules insists that “fireworks and pyrotechnics” cannot be brought through airport security so there’s a good chance that they’ll be taken from you before you even reach the plane – even if you did book on easyJet!

The Christmas cracker is a British tradition dating back to around 1850, comprising of a cardboard tube wrapped in brightly coloured paper and twisted at both ends. Inside is a toy, joke or saying, and a party hat, with a banger and two strips of chemically impregnated paper that reacts with friction to cause a bang when pulled at both ends.