This is actually quite common from what we have heard. I have several friends who have lost Alcohol becuase they bought it at the start of a flight, rather than at the last airport they travel through.

Personally – I want to know what happend to the alcohol! WHo gets it? Does it get poured down the sink? Do thier airport staff get to use it at the christmas party?

And why – most importantly – if it is SO dangerous to take liquids on a flight from another Airport’s dutyfree store – are the stores allowed to sell and profit from this?

Its FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt) and one of the more silly aspects of teh overreaction to a terror threat. Not sure what to do about it – other than to be aware that you are being royally ripped off if you buy duty free at any other airport than teh last one you travel thorugh before getting home.

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From what I understand once you step into an airpirt you’re forfeiting many basic rights – and this is the least of it…

The Obama administration in th US hasn’t overturned the Bush administration’s introduction of one of the most outrageous infringements that gives US customs officers the right to search and detain any and all mobile phones, ipods, laptops, hardrives, etc. without any reason or suspicion whatsoever – not only that but if it turns out they find anything they consider to be your rightfully private date (like coprorate docs, or a pic of you in a bikini, letter to your wife, whatever) they don’t return it to you – their method of protecting your privacy is to delete and destroy your data & drive! And of course you just have to take their word for it. Assuming of course, after all the relevant middle management beaurocrats have ogled all your personal stuff, they’ve decide it’s legitimately none of their business.

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Ah! Yes, try going to Oz via Singapore – you have to get your DF in Singapore! It is a bit difficult. Rule of thumb: You need to get the DF at the last intermediate stop, not at the begining of the journey, though why they do not tell you this at journey’s begining is, IMHO, very naughty. After all, when you buy DF they do ask to see your boarding card and if you are going to, say, OZ, most people know that a ‘plane can’t make it that far without stopping for petrol en route. South Africa has some funny rules as well. I did have a shot at this, some time ago, on my site :

http://www.advantagetravel.co.uk/AIR_TRAVEL_UPDATE.html

(at the bottom) – I am not saying what I say on the page is definitive but it should, I would hope, make people aware.

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To add what Murray says, remember the Law applies for duty free with the country you’re landing in, it does not matter what country you are from, this is the main thing that catches people out. They know what the rules are for when they return but not going out. It is your responsibility to know the law, not the duty free shops responsibility to know 368 different ones.

Shops at airports for non-international passengers (so travelling internally in the EU or USA) are just that shops they are not duty free. You can NOT purchase duty free travelling on internal multi-state flights.

Lastly what happens to confiscated items? Well in the UK depending on item it can be sold or disposed of safely, it is not allowed to be used by customs officers.

Lastly, you do not have to have it confiscated; you can pay the tax and duties due. (Yes I know it counter-acts the point, but depends on your view if it is worth it). I got hit for just short of £2 tax once and as I was going to lose £12 of goods this was a good idea for me to pay.

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Hi, we have just returned from holiday and had the same problem on returning, but, flew back via Amsterdam. When we purchased the alcohol and asked for our boarding card why did they not tell us then that we could not take it on to London.

Is this another scam by airports?

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Hey, some guys I knew came back from Australia last week, they said that you could buy duty free on arrival in Australia, thats why they dont like you gettin it ina nother country ?
I buy mine when I arrive there or in new zealand, drink it and get more on the way home.

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You can bring up to 2.25 litres of duty-free (note all is assumed to be duty-free and beer/wine/spirits count equally) alcohol into Australia and it seems to vary for every country. If you exceed this amount in Australia, all of your alcohol will have duty assessed on it (not just the excess) – many countries only charge duty on the excess and some countries even seem to waive small charges. The usual rules to do with carrying liquids on board flights apply everywhere so you need to think where you buy your alcohol before you buy it. You can buy alcohol at duty-free shops on arrival in Australia and NZ and quite a number of other countries I’ve been, which avoids the on-board liquid rule but may not get you the best bargain price.

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Nick, I think you are getting confused between security confiscation and Customs confiscation, there is a big difference. If you are over your Duty Free Customs allowance you can have your purchases confiscated on entry into any country in the world, this is purely a matter of getting “caught” for buying too much. The shop that sells the liquor or other goods may know the “arrivals” limits for your country of destination and they should be able to check for you before you buy. But it is very easy to check these limits online, before you leave. Security confiscations of liquids, or “LAGS” (Liquids, alcohols, gels, sprays) as they are known, is an entirely different matter. This depends on the security regulations in each country of departure or transit airport. Transit is a big thing to avoid if you buy liquids as many transit stop airports will not let you take these liquids onwards through security to your next destination as they are often over the 100ml size limit. Some shops put your purchases in a “STEB” security bag, but again many countries do not accept the authenticity of these sealded bags. But, your outbound retailer should know the LAGS Security rules related to your destination and you should ask before buying. In the case of Australia it is quite clear. Duty Free goods like liquors will only be permitted on entry if they are loaded in the hold as checked baggage. This is why, when you buy in Dubai en route to Oz, they are boxed up and checked in for you. There is an ambiguity about being able to buy at the last aiport stopover point, but this can and does confuse many people. Simply, more and more countries now permit “duty free on arrival” where you can just buy in the baggage hall of your destination airport. This removes all these problems from the trip, as not only does it save a lot of carrying of goods but you are not passing through security in transit where they may decide to confiscate your goods due to local rules. How do I know this? I run the website “dutyfreeonarrival.com” where you can check before you fly as to which Countries permit this practice.

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Duty free alcohol — and other items — are available on arrival at all Australian international airports, so there is no need to carry it all the way there. It would be better all round if every country adopted a duty free on arrival system, both for security reasons and ease of travel.

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I’ve found the official Australian government site that explains the process.
Why this information isn’t on the Australian customs site (or anywhere someone would actually think to look) is beyond me. It should be in the “Guide for Travellers” pamphlet, not on the “infrastructure” site.

http://travelsecure.infrastructure.gov.au/international/lags/index.aspx

I hope this helps

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Just transited through Hong Kong last week (Paris to Melbourne via Hong Kong). A sign on entry to the Duty Free area at Hong Kong implied it was ok to purchase goods at duty free, yet all perfume and alcohol over the minimum size was being confiscated before boarding. Officials were apologetic but firm, and thoroughly searched all hand luggage. This also happened last year through Singapore. Certainly seems to be a deliberate scam.

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Happen to me in Singapore via Vietnam with the Singapore Customs Officer.
All their reasoning seems totally illogical but they had an Aust. Government letter and wouldn’t let me proceed with it.
So I accidentally dropped it – Woops. If I can’t have it then neither can they for their Christmas Party.

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