Alcohol confiscated at Bangkok Airport in transit - isn't it a scam?

[justinbrett]

As indicated, not a scam, but certainly a way to increase revenue for the Austrlain Airport owners - who charge high rent's to their airside duty free stores who endeavor to pass the cost onto PAX.

This is not restricted to Australia - every airport across the globe does this - even the ones in Islamic countries!

There's a really good YouTube video by Wendover productions (does a lot of airline/airport/aviation topics) you should watch:

 

[Austman]

Austman, they do not check in TPE, ICN, HND or NRT.

Are you certain? While it can be true for flights from those airports to most countries, it still seems that the Aviation Transport Security Regulations 2005 apply to non-stop flights to Australia from non-exempt countries (i.e. all countries except NZ and USA) and that means delivery of carry-on Duty Free LAGs must be to the gate. And to ensure that, screening has to be done at the gate:

"Aviation Transport Security Regulations 2005

1.03 Definitions

exempt duty free item, in relation to a passenger who will arrive in Australia on an aircraft operating an inbound international air service, means a duty free item that:
(aa) is acquired at an airport retail outlet at the point of origin of the flight, or a port of call before reaching Australia, at which all goods for sale:
(i) undergo security screening at the point of entry to the airport; and
(ii) are protected from unlawful interference by a process of supply chain security from the time they are delivered to the airport; and
(a) is collected by the passenger at the boarding gate before boarding the aircraft for departure from the airport where the item was acquired; and
(b) is in a sealed plastic bag with proof of purchase by the passenger affixed to the bag, or enclosed in the bag, so that proof of purchase is visible."​

 

[leadman]

Yes, recently bought a bottle of Kavalan the Taiwanese whiskey and the salesgirl looked at me strange when i asked do i pick it up at the door. NRT the same.

 

[Forg]

I flew KUL-LHR-INV and bought duty free at KUL. They seal the bag and give it to you in KL - I fully expected to lose it in LHR but no issues at all.

I feel that if LHR can trust duty free from Malaysia, than the Asian ports should trust duty free from Europe.

I think the lack of trust is in Australia; ‘tis only (well “mostly” I guess) flights to here that have these extra bag searches.

Are you certain?

There are a couple of nuances in what people are reporting ... we flew through TPE this time last month, you go through liquids-checking security to get into the airport but there’re no bag checks once you’re in & you could buy any liquids duty-free and get them onboard. Maybe there are random at-the-gate searches which we weren’t subject to?
Just because you don’t get searched doesn’t mean you’re allowed to carry it onboard, though, AFAIK. I can’t see flight staff confiscating the Scotch bottle in your carry-on, but they probably should if they see one.

 

[Austman]

Yes, recently bought a bottle of Kavalan the Taiwanese whiskey and the salesgirl looked at me strange when i asked do i pick it up at the door. NRT the same.

And you were boarding a non-stop flight to Australia?

 

[leadman]

I'm fairly sure we didn't stop en route to BNE, although i had a good sleep!!!!!!!

 

[Austman]

I'm fairly sure we didn't stop en route to BNE, although i had a good sleep!!!!!!

And there wasn't the usual improvised set up in the air-bridge area conducting, sometimes random, carry-on checks? That's happened on all my recent non-stop flights to Australia where full screening wasn't done at the gate (SIN, KUL, CMB etc style).

 

[leadman]

No, no and no.....

As i said in my initial rant, its one of my biggest gripes in travelling so i watch accordingly. Interestingly i wonder if someone like Thailand asked to do the same what would be the response, although thinking about it they would jump on it as another revenue raiser.

 

[Forg]

And there wasn't the usual improvised set up in the air-bridge area conducting, sometimes random, carry-on checks? That's happened on all my recent non-stop flights to Australia where full screening wasn't done at the gate (SIN, KUL, CMB etc style).

You may’ve missed my response to multiple posts above; but through TPE almost exactly a month ago, there were no at-the-gate checks before hopping on the ‘plane to SYD, just straight onto the ‘plane after you’ve walked through all the duty-free booze sellers.
I guess the seller is expected to deliver to the gate ... but would they?

 

[Austman]

No, no and no.....

Curious then how they met Australian aviation law requirements. Unless you could not purchase DF air-side for Australian non-stop flights.

Did you actually purchase >100 ml DF?

 

[leadman]

Curious then how they met Australian aviation law requirements. Unless you could not purchase DF air-side for Australian non-stop flights.

Did you actually purchase >100 ml DF?

To quote Barry Fitzgerald in The Quiet Man "When I drink whiskey, I drink whiskey ........ " Buying it under 100 mls???? almost an insult!

 

[Forg]

Curious then how they met Australian aviation law requirements. Unless you could not purchase DF air-side for Australian non-stop flights.

So if there’s no security at the gate nor special checks in aerobridges, it seems to fall on the retailer to meet this rule?
I guess I could see how a retailer in some country that’s not Australia, and particularly one that’s in Asia, might fail to meet those Australian rules!

 

[Austman]

To quote Barry Fitzgerald in The Quiet Man "When I drink whiskey, I drink whiskey ........ " Buying it under 100 mls???? almost an insult!

LOL!

But how is this regulation met?

4.22F Offence—operator of inbound flight from non-exempt country
(1) For paragraph 44(2)(a) of the Act, the operator of an aircraft that is operating an inbound international air service commits an offence if:
(a) the aircraft is flying to Australia from an airport in a non-exempt country; and
(b) the aircraft operator does not put in place appropriate procedures to ensure that passengers on the aircraft do not have a LAG product in their possession, during the relevant times, unless the LAG product is:
(i) in a LAGs container that is in a sealed LAGs bag; or
(ii) an exempt duty free item; or
(iii) a LAG product that was supplied to the passenger by the aircraft operator during the flight; or
(iv) a permitted item.
Penalty: 200 penalty units.
​

The airline must have some assurance, that sealed LAG bags are always used. Perhaps certain airports now guarantee that this will always be the case? Or the retailer cops the 200 penalty units as part of their lease?

But without the gate checks, even bottles of water could get through. And that seems to violate the sealed LAG bag requirement.

Mmmmm...

 

[Renato1]

All you need to tell the shops is that ‘I will pay the tax’ when you take up your carton(s) of cigarettes. Then they will sell them to you, no problems.

If Australia is your next stop, and you present a boarding pass with Australia as the next stop, some duty free shops will refuse to sell you alcohol. This has happened to me in Bangkok before.

But if you are originating in Delhi, going to Bangkok, how does the assistant know you’re going to Australia? Various airlines do advise passengers of the transit liquid rules... with in the inflight magazine, or on line, or via announcements in the cabin. But not everyone will look for those.

Thanks. That's weird about them not selling alcohol at Bangkok.

Plainly the message is not getting through about in-transit alcohol.

I'd have thought a responsible airline that cares about its passengers would at least have had a big "WARNING ALCOHOL" about it in its confirmation emails - they seem to tell you everything else in them.

It occurs to me that this could also get very expensive for people buying 4 oz bottles of Creed and other high end perfumes at over $400 a bottle. The word OUCH comes to mind.

The last time I bought duty free alcohol was on an Emirates flight from Dubai fpur years back. They put the alcohol in cardboard boxes. and said to collect them on arrival. Which we did - except that it was disconcerting to see that the boxes were just put on the ground, and you had to find your own parcel - no one was supervising the parcels, so that anyone else could just have come along and taken them.

Sort of put me off buying any in future.
Cheers,
Renato

 

[Austman]

They put the alcohol in cardboard boxes. and said to collect them on arrival.

Then they are no longer carry-on >100ml LAGs. So the regulations are met. They are not the only airline/airport that will do this apparently.

 

[davidj]

but then you can buy all sorts of liquids before you get on the ‘plane.

I think its a trust thing. We don't trust other states to do a good security screening (due to tech, laws, corruption, different airport security regulations etc). And why would we: Inconsistencies in airport security around the world

The public here generally have lower levels of access to prohibited materials compared to foreign states. Effectively it's perceived as harder for ex. AU terrorists to do anything.

 

[stm1sydney]

Curious then how they met Australian aviation law requirements.

Maybe Taiwan, Japan and Korea are also exempt (in addition to NZ and US) or at least certain ports such as TPE, ICN and NRT??? EG, countries/airports with trusted security measures AND separated departures/arrivals?

Certainly I did the same as other posters here last time I recently went through TPE back to SYD. DF purchased in TPE terminal (after main security screen), DF was packaged just like a normal purchase, and then I waltzed onto plane without any further check.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Just to add to the thread, out of POM you will have LAGs >100ml confiscated at the gate, or you can buy at the duty free shop and they'll deliver to the gate without issue.

I can't work out why they think a POM-CNS 1.5 hour flight is in danger of some idiot blowing it up but a CNS-BNE 2 hour dom flight is not. I've just walked through CNS Dom security with 2 x 1 litre bottles and 2 x 500ml waters + 1 can of Bundy I didn't drink last night! Seems a bit silly to me, but what would I know.

 

[Forg]

Oh, they ‘profile’ pax at CNS.

A mate of mine just happens to be a crown-of-thorns starfish. He got onto a CNS-MEL flight & was very publically searched for water bottles & illegally obtained coral. And you hear tales of crocodiles being refused entry to the aircraft at the gate after having bought valid tickets at full price& not even getting a refund.

 

[Melburnian1]

As indicated, not a scam, but certainly a way to increase revenue for the Austrlain Airport owners - who charge high rent's to their airside duty free stores who endeavor to pass the cost onto PAX.

I recall many years ago - 15 plus - when OzPost shut up shop (it was where that luggage retailer is now adjacent to the north end of international check in, between Qantas and the main area) it commented that rents per square metre were the highest of any of its Australian sites.

Greed, pure and simple by Melbourne Airport.