Duty Free--A Cautionary Tale

[bernbrian]

I hope this is the correct location for this

We flew from Dalaman by Thomas Cook to Manchester and were connecting to a FlyBe flight to Edinburgh. Usually we fly direct to either Glasgow or Edinburgh but having stayed in Turkey longer we booked a connecting flight. I bought 2 litres of brandy in Dalaman and we flew into Terminal 3 in Manchester and headed for Terminal 1 for our Edinburgh flight.
Security insisted that the only way to take duty free into the Departure Lounge was to have it in heat-sealed bags.
There were 3 possible solutions—Discard the brandy / Back through security to Check-in at FlyBe desk to see if they could assist / Sell it in Terminal 1.

Luckily we had a further 2 hours before our flight so I headed back to Check-in and they said my cabin bag with the duty free suitably insulated within could go in as hold luggage. The cost would be £40. As an alternative I could go back to Terminal 1 where I might have the duty-free  bag heat-sealed as was requested by Security Staff.

When I arrived at the Information Desk back in Terminal 3 the only way was to either discard the bottles or try and sell them. By an amazing stroke of luck the person standing behind me at the Info Desk said he would buy both bottles. A loss of 8 euros was gratefully accepted by myself and I hurried back to Terminal 1 and back through the queues in Security with just under an hour to spare.
I wish I had followed my initial thought of not to bother with buying any duty free for this trip but the lure of Metaxa 7 star was compelling.
I can only assume other airports outwith the UK have this stipulation re heat-sealing duty free bags for transfer connections.
I hope this helps in avoiding the hassle for anyone else.

[KKOB]

Interesting. Also, your allowance from Turkey to the UK is only 1 litre of spirits (despite what those little tinkers at Dalaman tell you    ).

[IanK]

Bernbrian,

yes - I have had a similar issue connecting through Paris in the past even though it was in a bag sealed in Tunisia - I was told most EU airports will only accept bags sealed by another EU airport.

I also remember being given a bottle of champaign as a gift whilst in Aberdeen - I couldn't take it through to departures for my flight to Manchester and flybe said it would be £40- to check in.

I gave it away as I could have bought a replacement for £30 !

Ian

[sadler]

Ever been tempted to open it and have a party?

[kevin3]

Spirits are not allowed.!

Illegals are.!              Eu couldn't make it up.!       

[Brianbern]

When travelling back from Toronto this year when you purchase your duty free & present your boarding card you pay but do not receive your duty free but are given a ticket with a number on it! When you reach your departure gate & hand over your boarding card & the ticket you are given your duty free in a sealed bag! Saves you carrying it around with you! Sadly though when my daughter was returning from Toronto earlier this year she chose her duty free & queued up to pay for it, when she reached the desk she was refused it as the flight information board showed her flight as being called for boarding! The irony was they were delayed for an hour when they were waiting at the departure gate!

[Colwyn]

bernbrian, are you the doppelganger - or more sinister- the alter ego of Brianbern? Who is Jekyll and who is Hyde? Which is Frankenstein and which monster? Reality or ...

[Jacqui Harvey]

Same thing happened to us about 5 years ago. At JFK Airport bought two bottles of alcohol and it was put in a sealed bag with the customs bill on it.  We left it there to be picked up at the plane.   We got it handed over to us as we boarded the plane and took it to Heathrow when we got to the customs they refused to let us take it on the plane to Aberdeen.  After a discussion they said if we put it in a bag, they would put it in the hold and mark it as "Fragile"  My husband emptied his leather shoulder bag and put the bottles in it.   
When we got to Aberdeen the bag with the bottles was lost.  After two days and lots of phone calls it was found. One bottle smashed.  We were told to pick up the other one and the bag.  When Phil called at the Airport the bag was ruined and the other bottle was missing, apparently, so we were told, it was cracked and leaking.  What the staff did not know is, we knew someone who worked at the airport and the bottle was sitting in an office in very good order, just before the annual Christmas Party !!!   
We got the money for the two bottles, plus the money for a new bag from British Airways and a apology.

[bernbrian]

Tried to go back into this post but the edit facility was missing. Thanks to Mrs Brianbern who proofread my post and picked up mt "Terminal" inexactitudes (sic) ---- Just to correct that we arrived at Terminal 1 at Manchester and flew out for Edinburgh from Terminal 3. Still recovering from the trauma --- undoubtedly.

 I must just add that the Security Officer at Manchester was very helpful and tried to assist as best as he was able. I watched as he dealt with a couple who had their bags also put aside for further scrutiny.
Our 2 boarding passes entitled us to 2 litres of spirits --- I did ask at Dalaman if the bag could be sealed as I was travelling on from Manchester. I was thinking they could staple the bag shut with the receipt acting as a seal. They said there was no need.

Colwyn---my wife has been using Brianbern and I have gone vice versa rather than alter ego  --- Regular administration of Greek aqua vitae might remedy any tendency towards latinisation.

Brian