Duty free - must I travel?

T

Tonto

Guest
It occured to me recently that if I purchased an airline ticket to a non EU destination I can avail of the duty free. So supposing I wait for an Aer Lingus or Ryanair sale and pick up the tickets for pennies can I do the following.
Go to the duty free at Dublin Airport and purchase duty free items but not take the flight? Just leave the airport with my duty free at knockdown prices?
 
I doubt if you could buy enough duty free to make this worthwhile, even if you got away with it.
 
As far as I know, other than under extenuating circumstances, you can't get back out of the departures area (which houses the duty free area) without taking your flight so I can't see this being a runner.
 
ClubMan said:
As far as I know, other than under extenuating cuircumstances, you can't get back out of the departures area (which houses the duty free area) without taking your flight so I can't see this being a runner.

Pier A? Go from the Duty Free area to pier A and than enter the country again. Just wait until a flight lands and mix with the incomming passengers.

But doing so is actualy breaking law, so this is neither an edorsement nor will I accept any responsiblity for anybody doing something like this.
 
Tonto,

Besides the valid point made by Clubman once taxes/airport charges are taken into account it would not be worth your while.

Your personal time both travelling to and queuing in the airport would add to the costs along with whatever mode of transport you use to get there.
 
DublinTexas said:
Pier A? Go from the Duty Free area to pier A and than enter the country again. Just wait until a flight lands and mix with the incomming passengers.

Is that actually possible? I thought that departure and arrival channels were strictly supervised and physically separated in all airports?
 
Tonto said:
It occured to me recently that if I purchased an airline ticket to a non EU destination I can avail of the duty free. So supposing I wait for an Aer Lingus or Ryanair sale and pick up the tickets for pennies can I do the following.
Go to the duty free at Dublin Airport and purchase duty free items but not take the flight? Just leave the airport with my duty free at knockdown prices?
Ryanair don't fly to any non-EU destinations from Dublin.
 
ClubMan said:
Is that actually possible? I thought that departure and arrival channels were strictly supervised and physically separated in all airports?

It most certainly is possible. Pier A is amazingly chaotic. Filthy too.
 
Wonder why the recent security audit didn't spot this if it's so obvious (and I'm not doubting you)!?
 
Well they couldn't possibly have missed it. Perhaps they don't consider it a problem?
 
ClubMan said:
Wonder why the recent security audit didn't spot this if it's so obvious (and I'm not doubting you)!?
What security risk does this mixing entail?
 
If the departures and arrivals channels are not "corralled" from each other then, just as people can wander from departures back through arrivals then presumably the possibility arises of going in the other direction thus bypassing security checks. This would seem to me to be a major security risk.
 
ClubMan said:
If the departures and arrivals channels are not "corralled" from each other then, just as people can wander from departures back through arrivals then presumably the possibility arises of going in the other direction thus bypassing security checks. This would seem to me to be a major security risk.
But anyone in the arrivals area would have gone through security checks at their point of departure - right? And of course transiting passengers would have to move from their arrivals gate directly to their departure gate.
 
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