I'd be a little squemish about transporting a cooked bird unrefrigerated for any length of time.
Boy, it sure would suck to have ALL of your relatives get sick off YOUR turkey. You'd never live that one down!
I used to have a hard time finding good BBQ where I lived. So when I went home, I would freeze packages of brisket and ribs overnight before I left. The next morning I would pack the frozen food into my luggage that would be checked. So that way they would go to the luggage compartment at the bottom of the plane -- the same place where Chihuahuas turn into popsicles on a regular basis. When I made it back to San Francisco, the meat was always still frozen solid.
Troube is, you'd need some hella big luggage to put a turkey in.
So get yourself a cooler, some blue ice packs, and some duct tape.
Put the cold bird, the blue ice, and some padding so it doesn't bounce around in the cooler. Hell, might as well throw in a brisket and pork butt! Close the lid, strap duct tape around the lid a couple of times, and check the cooler just like you would luggage. I do this coming back from fishing trips all the time. I know arilines don't like coolers with ice (they usually ask) so get some blue ice packs.
All that being said, there are people who post here who know a lot more about food safety than I. I imagine they will give you a more detailed response. Or search for food safety using the handy serach engine on this site.
I do know the danger zone is 40 to 140 degrees farenheit. Which means you should keep your meat below 40 or above 140.
Go the cooler route. Better safe than sick.
