High-flying brooms: Things Indians can't part with while going abroad

The list also includes a car bumper sought to be flown from London's Heathrow, animals etc

The phrase 'old habits die hard' could well hold true for many Indians travelling abroad who seemingly find it difficult to part with their brooms.

This curious force of habit was revealed in a study conducted by the UK-based Virgin Atlantic on the most bizarre check-in requests from around the world.

The findings featured a wide variety of animals from goldfish to pet budgie birds to bathtubs.

"There also seems to be regional patterns, with brooms arriving at check-in regularly in India and loose tyres commonplace in Lagos," said Virgin Atlantic in a statement.

Another outlandish check-in item from India was a headboard of a bed.

The list also includes a car bumper sought to be flown from London's Heathrow, loose car tyres travelling from Shanghai to London, and a large freezer being flown from Las Vegas.

"We've always flown to an eclectic mix of destinations, so it's only right to expect an eclectic selection of baggage! To ensure our customers have the smoothest journey possible, it's always best to visit our website to check what is allowed on board -- which certainly doesn't include bathtubs," said Nick Park, Head of Middle East, Africa and India at Virgin Atlantic.

The airline said tongue-in-cheek that it also offers cargo services which can be availed to transport entire cars, therefore, loose tyres travelling as cargo is not a problem.

Passengers travelling from Delhi to London and the US are offered a baggage allowance of two bags of 23 kg each in economy, 3 bags of 23 kg each in premium economy and 3 bags of 32 kg each in upper class.

Virgin Atlantic flies to over 30 destinations worldwide including London, New York, Boston, Washington DC, Miami, San Francisco and Los Angeles, Shanghai, Dubai as well as many Caribbean destinations including St Lucia, Jamaica and Cancun.