Duty free alcohol confiscated.

stoneman

Gillyx wrote: »

Nearly all airlines operate a strict one item of hand baggage policy, so anything you buy in the airport must fit into that bag.

Wrong, most airlines do not have that policy. Some so called low cost carriers do have this policy though. A lot of airlines allow you one carry on and a personal item such as handbag or laptop case.

Gillyx

stoneman wrote: »

Wrong, most airlines do not have that policy. Some so called low cost carriers do have this policy though. A lot of airlines allow you one carry on and a personal item such as handbag or laptop case.

Thomas Cook were doing it last time I flew with them, even at check-in were making sure it was 1 bag.

Then at the boarding gate over the tannoy thing they use. I wouldn't say they are a low cast carrier but then I don't fly Emirates or anything

KonkyWonky

It couldn't be duty free and I'm sure it wasn't confiscated.

Sounds more like Ryanair enforced the policy that is very clearly explained in their T&C's. If we don't like the T&C's offered by budget airlines then we are free to book elsewhere, but play by the rules and you can pick up bargain flights.

shandyclover

Contrary to what some have said, yes it was bought at the airport, and yes it was confiscated.
Yes, she should have stuffed her handbag and bottle into the carrier bag, but as she said it all happened so quickly and she found the person very intimidating so just surrendered it. Main reason I brought it up is as a warning to others who were perhaps not aware, as we weren't.

A work colleague also travelled through Stansted, having all her toiletries under 100mls and in a clear ziplock plastic bag. Security staff there made her buy another plastic bag from the machine there as they said it was the wrong size - which necessitated her having to change her euros just to get the pound coins.

Last time I travelled abroad I actually went by bus just to avoid the hassles.

k3lvc

shandyclover wrote: »

Contrary to what some have said, yes it was bought at the airport, and yes it was confiscated.
Yes, she should have stuffed her handbag and bottle into the carrier bag, but as she said it all happened so quickly and she found the person very intimidating so just surrendered it. Main reason I brought it up is as a warning to others who were perhaps not aware, as we weren't.

A work colleague also travelled through Stansted, having all her toiletries under 100mls and in a clear ziplock plastic bag. Security staff there made her buy another plastic bag from the machine there as they said it was the wrong size - which necessitated her having to change her euros just to get the pound coins.

Last time I travelled abroad I actually went by bus just to avoid the hassles.

I wasn't there but can vouch for experience of 200+ low-cost flights through European airports. The assuming this was at the gate and she'd purchased it after security in the airport it was not confiscated - she may have surrended it rather than pay a surcharge for it to go in the hold (the distinction is important for others to remember). The bottle was not the issue, the lack of following the one bag rule will have been. She could just as easily have kept the bottle and surrendered her handbag (or followed the one bag rule in the first place).

I'm not a fan of the rules having travelled extensively both pre & post 9/11 but it's far easier to accept them and work within them than to try and challenge them (either intentionally or due to ignorance of them) and then moan about it afterwards.

mick_vandick

At the end of the day, the staff should have reminded her that it was one bag and suggested that she put her handbag in the duty free bag. Problem solved.
Unfortunately, giving a toss about the customer (rather than enforcing rules and making money) doesn't happen at a lot of these places now a days....
I've been in the situation before with some very strict Ryan Air staff at Alicante and as strict as they were, they basically told me what i needed to do.

shandyclover

k3lvc wrote: »

I wasn't there but can vouch for experience of 200+ low-cost flights through European airports. The assuming this was at the gate and she'd purchased it after security in the airport it was not confiscated - she may have surrended it rather than pay a surcharge for it to go in the hold (the distinction is important for others to remember). The bottle was not the issue, the lack of following the one bag rule will have been. She could just as easily have kept the bottle and surrendered her handbag (or followed the one bag rule in the first place).

I'm not a fan of the rules having travelled extensively both pre & post 9/11 but it's far easier to accept them and work within them than to try and challenge them (either intentionally or due to ignorance of them) and then moan about it afterwards.

I don't think anyone is challenging the rules, she certainly didn't - she handed over a bottle of Jameson in order to comply, she doesn't drink, she was taking it as a present for parents of her friend, but was just frustrated at the expense. I am not moaning either - just never heard of this happening to anyone up till now, and I admit I am a little suspicious of what actually happens to the alcohol once it's surrendered. A work colleague today told me the same thing happened to her and the staff were only stopping people with duty free bags. She was so annoyed she took her bottle of gin and poured it down the toilet. All I am saying is there should be some kind of warning give at the duty free shop, travelling Ryan Air - make sure you only buy what can fit in your hand bag. Travelling through Stansted, make sure you have a pound coin for the plastic bags. Since each airport and airline can vary so wildly - just good to know.

ferf1223

shandyclover wrote: »

All I am saying is there should be some kind of warning give at the duty free shop, travelling Ryan Air - make sure you only buy what can fit in your hand bag. Travelling through Stansted, make sure you have a pound coin for the plastic bags. Since each airport and airline can vary so wildly - just good to know.

Complying with the T&Cs and legal requirements of air travel are the passenger's responsibility, though. There is a maximum size limit for the plastic bags, yes...so if the bag is too big - they can require you to obtain another and some airports do charge for them. But the size guidelines are well published...so complying in the first place would have been an option.

As for only people with duty free bags being stopped - are you saying that other people with a second bag were not stopped? Or might it be the case that only people with duty free/shop purchases were carrying a second bag?

I get that your daughter didn't realise that her purchase would put her over the limit in terms of number of items to be carried onto the aircraft, but it's not a secret thing.

the shop isn't going to put up signs by airline, what if an airline changes their limit - and the shop doesn't change their sign? Then the passengers will moan about the sign being wrong, etc.

At the end of the day people have to take some degree of personal responsiblity here...

housebuyer_abc

shandyclover wrote: »

I don't think anyone is challenging the rules, she certainly didn't - she handed over a bottle of Jameson in order to comply, she doesn't drink, she was taking it as a present for parents of her friend, but was just frustrated at the expense. I am not moaning either - just never heard of this happening to anyone up till now, and I admit I am a little suspicious of what actually happens to the alcohol once it's surrendered. A work colleague today told me the same thing happened to her and the staff were only stopping people with duty free bags. She was so annoyed she took her bottle of gin and poured it down the toilet. All I am saying is there should be some kind of warning give at the duty free shop, travelling Ryan Air - make sure you only buy what can fit in your hand bag. Travelling through Stansted, make sure you have a pound coin for the plastic bags. Since each airport and airline can vary so wildly - just good to know.

It isn't the shops responsibility to inform you about the conditions you have signed up to...

That being said however in Mnachester the shops do have a sign saying that if you have booked on EasyJet instead of some other low cost alternatives then you are allowed a Duty Free (or not Duty Free depending on where you fly) bag as well

housebuyer_abc

Gillyx wrote: »

Thomas Cook were doing it last time I flew with them, even at check-in were making sure it was 1 bag.

Then at the boarding gate over the tannoy thing they use. I wouldn't say they are a low cast carrier but then I don't fly Emirates or anything

Thomas Cook are most definetly a low cost carrier, their flights are generally 2-400 quid cheaper then scheduled to carribean and US, which i would say is low cost