i understand that alot of people do this. But i dont see how they survive the trip. is the baggage part of the plane temperature controlled? i figure it is would be to cold for fish to survive.
I've gone this route a few times but not this time of year but the heat packs that most vendors place in the box should keep the fish safe untill they get to their destination.
There are heat packs included with the packaging. Similar to ones you can buy for camping for hands and things. Seen some that last up to 72 hours (maybe some do longer). Even they have their limitations though and in extremely cold weather several are needed.
I was originally reluctant to buy fish online, but I took a shot a tried it. Just like the above members stated, my fish arrived next day with "hand warmer" like heat packs in a styrofoam container. This did the job just fine surprisingly.