Warning! Connecting flights at a European airport? Your duty free may be confiscated.

HoofeHearted

This is very worrying. Never thought of it before.

Can you request/insist on goods being put in sealed security bags? Can this be done at EU/non-EU duty free shops? Can this be done for purchases on-board the aircraft?

I assume we will get caught out if on a direct flight back to local UK airport and, because of technical problems or weather, get diverted to another UK/EU airport!!

What a mess.

waulkman

On our flight from Sydney to Glasgow, we had to go through security in Bangkok and Dubai. The duty free shop in Sydney put our bottles in a tamper evident bag and told us that we were lucky not to be transiting through any EU airport as we would lose our bottles as the EU did not recognise these bags. He also said he would not sell us any duty free if we were likely to have it confiscated. He was at pains to point out to us that he, and all his staff, were fully aware of all the rules regarding liquids world-wide.

Well done the Aussies.

LH79_2

Flying back from Nairobi, we had to transfer at Heathrow to fly up North. We got told they'd confiscate our duty free for same reasons as mentioned above. Only way round this was to go back 'landside' and check in teh duty free. As it was bargainous - and as a matter of principle! (and cos we had time), we did this, and luckily bottles weren't damaged.

Was a stressful end to about 24hrs of travelling! (That and the general rubbishness that is Heathrow didn't help!).

We'll know for next time I guess.....

yram_slim

In January 2007 my family and I returned from Goa via Bahrain, to Gatwick. We were taking onward flights back to Newcastle.
We took advantage of the amazing gin and vodka offers at Bahrain during our brief stopover and halfway home it occurred to me that we might not be allowed to take the bottles on our flight from Gatwick to Newcastle.
I asked the stewardess what she thought and she didn't know (!)
When we arrived at Gatwick and picked up our luggage we had about two hours before our flight home, so we unlocked our suitcases, wrapped up the booze in our clothes, and, fingers crossed, checked it in for our homeward flight.
No problem - the bottles didn't break and we got our stuff home.
Obviously, this won't work if you are booked straight through on connecting flights as I don't think you see your luggage till you get to your last airport, but it might help.

Mellymel_2

Was spookily having this conversation last night. I am travelling to Dubai in March. Have booked flights with Air France from Manchester to Paris and then we get a connecting flight to Dubai from Pairs - again with Air France. Was unsure how the Duty Free thing worked. Does anybody know then can I buy ciagrettes in Manchester and take them through? If you do get a secure bag for alcohol in Manchester is this alright to take through? Or do you go through Duty Free again once you are in Paris - and can you then buy stuff there? Any Answers

bandraoi

LH79 wrote: »

Flying back from Nairobi, we had to transfer at Heathrow to fly up North. We got told they'd confiscate our duty free for same reasons as mentioned above. Only way round this was to go back 'landside' and check in teh duty free. As it was bargainous - and as a matter of principle! (and cos we had time), we did this, and luckily bottles weren't damaged.

Was a stressful end to about 24hrs of travelling! (That and the general rubbishness that is Heathrow didn't help!).

We'll know for next time I guess.....

Came back from Nairobi through Heathrow and onto Ireland myself and had no problems with our duty free. That was last August.

It was all sealed up in the tamperproof bags and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

drrdf

I don't think you were wrong to complain to KLM, Wendy. I believe they had a duty to inform you. They are well aware of whatever current regulations there are as they are flying all the time and it's their business. The problem is that most of the time the airlines are not concerned any longer for their customers and the rest of the time they are just totally disorganised.

This whole regime of supposed "security" overkill at airports is now just plain stupid anyway. The problem is that the people supposedly responsible for deciding to implement all these ridiculous measures do not seem to be able to understand what is actually going on. It is not baggage carried by passengers which causes terrorism. Baggage is inanimate. It is evil people who have evil intent in their hearts who perpetrate terrorism. Thus it is the people who should be checked thoroughly before they fly - not the baggage. In any case all the measures which these incompetent authorities introduce are a matter of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted! Real terrorists tend to use new methods each time they plan an intended atrocity. It would be most unlikely for them to attempt to use a method they have already used, since they know they would be more likely to be detected. That is why all this nonsense is overkill - seat of the pants crisis management by people who have no idea of what to do next; yet the real solutions are so simple to anyone with any intelligence whatever, instead of making the whole experience of innocent passengers flying now a nightmare.

The whole approach now is total organised chaos. I used to fly regularly long haul backwards and forwards on a weekly or monthly basis on business, fortunately before this overkill nonsense commenced. I hate even setting foot anywhere near an airport now. I prefer to go by ferry - much less hassle. I could tell you stories about continuous security lapses at Heathrow, Stansted, Amsterdam, Glasgow and many other airports. They would make you hair stand on end when you realise just how careless these supposed security people are in reality. The common thing you will still see even now, although it is now prohibited, is staff leaving the cabin/cockpit door open during flight. Makes taking over the flight deck very easy for anyone planning it. Then the security staff little Hitlers will confiscate all sorts of things from passengers, as they feel like it and the EU and international regulations are in fact open to much interpretation and mis-definition as to what is prohibited. For example an over zealous little Hitler could confiscate a man's trouser belt, because it has a tine which is a potential weapon. The fact that the man's trousers might fall down and he might then be prosecuted for indecent exposure is of no consequence of course! In most cases security staff have a lucrative business recycling confiscated suitable items like manicure sets and so on, let alone booze. It has become totally corrupt, because there is such chaos and confusion. So what they decide to confiscate is mostly what they have an established market for. The regulations are not even the same from airport to airport, so you can pass through one reading the notices about what is permitted or prohibited, but when you arrive at or leave from the other end what was permitted at the first is prohibited at the second! Did you know that every aircraft carries several implements, such an axe, which could be lethal weapons to terrorists, and they are not that difficult to get hold of on the aircraft to anyone determined. These are potentially much more dangerous than manicure sets! And you do not even need to take them on board. Some airlines are still serving drinks in glass bottles! One can be a very lethal weapon if broken in a suitable fashion. Even magazines on board could be used to slit someone's throat!

This complete confusion and stupidity is the result of total incompetence. These people could not even organise the proverbial "p**s-up in a brewery"! In the book of Proverbs it is stated "If the blind shall lead the blind both shall fall into a pit." That is why innocent passengers are falling into this pit of total chaos and disorganisation, whilst none of it affects the real terrorists and their plans one iota. The terrorists must be laughing convulsively at it all and the total incompetence of the authorities. That is probably part of their plan - to cause as much unnecessary expenditure and inconvenience to passengers as possible, accomplishing absolutely nothing in improvement of real security!

Flying is not fun any more. It is a pain in the neck! The authorities have seen to that by their gross stupidity and incompetence.

wellywogs

November 2006 Travelled Manchester to CapeTown via Amsterdam with KLM.
Bought 2 bottles of dutyfree spirit at Manchester. Boarding cards were checked by staff to verify purchase could be made. Confiscated in Amsterdam at extra security at boarding gate because bag was not sealed. Wrote letter of complaint to customer service of duty free shop and received full refund.

Keebs

This took me all of about 5 seconds to find

Clearly there are a lot of people unaware of the regulations so it's good that Wendy's experience is enlightening them. I can't really see any room for complaint though as the information is readily available.

MadAsABrush_3

We travelled back from California in the immediate aftermath of the 'liquids in hand luggage' scare in August 2006, flying American Airlines from LA to Chicago and then directly to Glasgow. At least, that was the plan!

Typical of flights through Chicago, we were delayed and missed our connection, finding ourselves re-routed via Heathrow at the last minute. I only discovered the issue with duty-free when the security guy at Heathrow told me that I had to ditch the 1L bottle of gin I was bringing home as a gift for my husband.

Thankfully the security man was in a good mood. When I explained what had happened, he first checked my connection window before the Glasgow flight and then advised that I could put the bottle in one of our carry-on bags, and then check it in as hold baggage for the final leg of our (horribly long!) journey.

Leap of faith, I borrowed my daughter's rucksack, and, wrapping the bottle in every spare jacket and jumper we had between 4 of us, the gin was checked as hold baggage. Happily it arrived safely!

The upside of our experience was that, when we went to check the extra bag, the girl at the desk told us that the re-routed ticket we were assigned by American Airlines would also allow us entry to the BA Executive Club for the 2 hours until our flight was due. I'd say it's worth checking this out if you're ever diverted at the mercy of the airlines. We would never have known about this 'bonus value' of our ticket, and it made such a difference for me when travelling alone with 3 young children.

If you don't ask.....