Jump to content

Whisky Confiscated On The Way Out


dbrenn

Recommended Posts

Hi All,

A friend of mine had a rather unpleasant experience the other day. While boarding a flight to Australia, the bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label that he had only just purchased at the air side Duty Free shop at Suwannabhumi was confiscated by the security staff at the gate. To add to his annoyance, the people in the Duty Free shop had just told him that he could take it on his flight. Faced with the possibility of missing his flight, he had to let his expensive bottle of whisky go.

This raises an interesting question: Why do they sell things in the departure Duty Free shop that will get confiscated when you board your plane? I mean, you have to show a boarding pass to make the purchase, so you are going to have to get on a plane right???

Wonder what happened to that bottle of whisky.... some drunk airport security staff later that night....

Oh, and another friend complained that public taxis that use the meter are getting harder to find these days. He was asked for 400 Baht by the guy writing out the tickets on what looked very much like a public taxi stand.....

Cheers!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gate security take their instructions from the airline operating at that gate. I recall a couple flights back that as I was getting on a TG flight to LAX all bottles were stopped from going onboard the flight. The difference was that the gate security searching bags were TG staff and my bottle was taken from me , sealed in plastic and placed with other people's bottles and then given to me at the baggage collection in LAX. The rules can change quickly if there is a travel advisory in effect etc.

The report released in the USA a few days ago that showed that the TSA prescribed shoe verification and other intrusive searches achieved nothing. One does wonder if all of this is now for show or if anyone really knows what they are doing. Too bad we can't just stick to profiling and take it from there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Duty free liquids over 100ml can be confiscated if you are in transit, if one buys DF liquids in Bangkok you will loose them at Hongkong if you are flying on to your country of destination eg Australia.

If you really have to buy DF liquids purchase them at the airport of final destination.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They took my 125ml aftershave that i just bought it on route to Sydney! I kicked up a real fuss telling the Thai guy that I'm not about to throw away 5000 bht! he walked me down to the boarding gate where he printed off a receipt and told me they would hold it for me until I came back but wouldn't give me a copy of the receipt so I jumped up and down a lot and he went somewhere and came back with a photo copy. I got back 3 weeks later and it was there..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gate security take their instructions from the airline operating at that gate. I recall a couple flights back that as I was getting on a TG flight to LAX all bottles were stopped from going onboard the flight. The difference was that the gate security searching bags were TG staff and my bottle was taken from me , sealed in plastic and placed with other people's bottles and then given to me at the baggage collection in LAX. The rules can change quickly if there is a travel advisory in effect etc.

The report released in the USA a few days ago that showed that the TSA prescribed shoe verification and other intrusive searches achieved nothing. One does wonder if all of this is now for show or if anyone really knows what they are doing. Too bad we can't just stick to profiling and take it from there.

One would certainly agree with you on that last paragraph, on my last trip departing through a small Australian airport I was scanned for an a explosives trace , yes ones shoes too and then told that I had not been in contact with explosives in the last 3 months. When I remarked that the check was a waste of time she ( the operator) said " the Americans and British tourists thank us ( Australians) for carrying out the tests on them. The test itself takes about 15secs to process.

Yes profiling along with nationality would pay probably better dividends.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On a positive note: Last month I was going to purchase a bottle of whisky at King Power Suvarnabhumi Airport. I was asked by their staff member for my Boarding Pass. When I showed it to her - she showed me a card which stated people travelling to Australia were not permitted to buy duty free alcohol.

I bought the same product at Changi Airport (Singapore) for about the same price. The bottle was wrapped in a tamper-evident bag and I collected it after I had been through the boarding gate - but prior to going on the plane.

I could have bought it duty free in Brisbane for a dollar more.

Peter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This's definitely the duty free shop's sale person fault and you should be up on them a** getting your money back for not inform you as NORMALLY they have to do.

I was asked by their staff member for my Boarding Pass. When I showed it to her - she showed me a card which stated people travelling to Australia were not permitted to buy duty free alcohol.
This is what they have to do.

I'd be sooooo pissed if that was my bottle!! Oh, somebody gotta pay for this and that ain't me.

Edited by legag
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought a bottle of booze last April at a duty free in Seoul Incheon Intl. Showed them my boarding pass. They took the info and had the bottle delivered to the gate where it was given to me to take on-board my KAL flight after I went through the usual gate security. No fuss....no muss.

Edited by NovaBlue05
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't it general airline policy that passengers cannot bring booze on board with them in carry ons, to prevent drunken passengers. Think it would have been ok if the booze was packed in checked luggage.
They took my 125ml aftershave that i just bought it on route to Sydney! I kicked up a real fuss telling the Thai guy that I'm not about to throw away 5000 bht! he walked me down to the boarding gate where he printed off a receipt and told me they would hold it for me until I came back but wouldn't give me a copy of the receipt so I jumped up and down a lot and he went somewhere and came back with a photo copy. I got back 3 weeks later and it was there..

I'd be pissed off also (American 'pissed' not Brit 'pissed') ...and I'm not even a drinker. It's good to make a big fuss when Thais do stupid things. So what if it contributes to the Thai view that farang can quickly turn in to angry loud embarassing ba$tards. Thai offialdom needs to get shaken out of their ignorant fog.

I bought a bottle of booze last April at a duty free in Seoul Incheon Intl. Showed them my boarding pass. They took the info and had the bottle delivered to the gate where it was given to me to take on-board my KAL flight after I went through the usual gate security. No fuss....no muss.

Yet another example of sensible protocols in other airports, compared to some of the wrong-headed rules at Bangkok's SUV.

plus, what happens to that bottle of scotch - does it join the millions of gallons of other confiscated items - get crushed and dumped at the swampy land-fill? Nothing would surprise me. The depths of ignorance are forever being plumbed deeper.

Edited by brahmburgers
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought packaged snacks in a duty free shop only to have them confiscated by customs when I arrived at my destination.

I also saw on one of those reality channels about customs people in New Zealaad. Passengers had been given apples on the plane and a number of them put them in their bags to eat later. When they arrived to New Zealand and forgot to mention they were carrying fruit with them they were each fined a nasty amount because "that's the law".

Edited by koheesti
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't it general airline policy that passengers cannot bring booze on board with them in carry ons, to prevent drunken passengers. Think it would have been ok if the booze was packed in checked luggage.

I've never been aware of any rules regarding taking duty frees on board. As you encounter DF after check in and pp control putting the booze in check in luggage isn't an option. Even if somehow it could be achieved I wouldn't like bottles of hooch in passenger's luggage being chucked around by the baggage "handlers" at any airport. Also it gives those same "handlers" more opportunities to cash in on the contents of check in luggage. :D

On a positive note: Last month I was going to purchase a bottle of whisky at King Power Suvarnabhumi Airport. I was asked by their staff member for my Boarding Pass. When I showed it to her - she showed me a card which stated people travelling to Australia were not permitted to buy duty free alcohol.

I bought the same product at Changi Airport (Singapore) for about the same price. The bottle was wrapped in a tamper-evident bag and I collected it after I had been through the boarding gate - but prior to going on the plane.

I could have bought it duty free in Brisbane for a dollar more.

Peter

What is the point of a "tamper evident" bag? All bottles of booze have seals around the top so if the contents had been replaced it would be evident by the broken seals. This sounds like the airlines are considering security at Camp Swampy to be suspect, as has been previously reported. :o

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi All,

A friend of mine had a rather unpleasant experience the other day. While boarding a flight to Australia, the bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label that he had only just purchased at the air side Duty Free shop at Suwannabhumi was confiscated by the security staff at the gate. To add to his annoyance, the people in the Duty Free shop had just told him that he could take it on his flight. Faced with the possibility of missing his flight, he had to let his expensive bottle of whisky go.

This raises an interesting question: Why do they sell things in the departure Duty Free shop that will get confiscated when you board your plane? I mean, you have to show a boarding pass to make the purchase, so you are going to have to get on a plane right???

Wonder what happened to that bottle of whisky.... some drunk airport security staff later that night....

Oh, and another friend complained that public taxis that use the meter are getting harder to find these days. He was asked for 400 Baht by the guy writing out the tickets on what looked very much like a public taxi stand.....

Cheers!!

Standard procedure is now that you cannot carry on liquids that exceed 3ounces or 100ml and must all be kept in a one quart / liter zip closure kitchen storage bag. This was bypassed previously by having security take your duty free goods and take them to the plane. They would be returned to you on the arrival at destination.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi All,

A friend of mine had a rather unpleasant experience the other day. While boarding a flight to Australia, the bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label that he had only just purchased at the air side Duty Free shop at Suwannabhumi was confiscated by the security staff at the gate. To add to his annoyance, the people in the Duty Free shop had just told him that he could take it on his flight. Faced with the possibility of missing his flight, he had to let his expensive bottle of whisky go.

This raises an interesting question: Why do they sell things in the departure Duty Free shop that will get confiscated when you board your plane? I mean, you have to show a boarding pass to make the purchase, so you are going to have to get on a plane right???

Wonder what happened to that bottle of whisky.... some drunk airport security staff later that night....

Oh, and another friend complained that public taxis that use the meter are getting harder to find these days. He was asked for 400 Baht by the guy writing out the tickets on what looked very much like a public taxi stand.....

Cheers!!

Standard procedure is now that you cannot carry on liquids that exceed 3ounces or 100ml and must all be kept in a one quart / liter zip closure kitchen storage bag. This was bypassed previously by having security take your duty free goods and take them to the plane. They would be returned to you on the arrival at destination.

This CPA website is very informative.

http://www.cathaypacific.com/cpa/en_INTL/h...0d21c39RCRD____

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried buying whisk(e)y in BKK last month - presentation of boarding pass resulted in no sale. Tried taking 100ml of water past the scanning section to be told it wasn't allowed past. Great, sit in the sun, under a window for an hour without water. Someone has a lot to answer for. It should be pointed out that the location oif the scanning section has a lot to do with what can be taken on the flight. In Sydney, it's passport control - scanning - duty free - plane. Take on whatever you buy in DF. In BKK it's passport - duty free - scanning (or should that be scamming?) - bag search - plane. Lose most of what you buy in DF.

Edited by pgs
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Passengers had been given apples on the plane and a number of them put them in their bags to eat later. When they arrived to New Zealand and forgot to mention they were carrying fruit with them they were each fined a nasty amount because "that's the law".

It's a good law, and it's there for good reason.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't it general airline policy that passengers cannot bring booze on board with them in carry ons, to prevent drunken passengers. Think it would have been ok if the booze was packed in checked luggage.

I've never been aware of any rules regarding taking duty frees on board. Where've you been hiding? As you encounter DF after check in and pp control putting the booze in check in luggage isn't an option. Even if somehow it could be achieved I wouldn't like bottles of hooch in passenger's luggage being chucked around by the baggage "handlers" at any airport. Also it gives those same "handlers" more opportunities to cash in on the contents of check in luggage. :D

On a positive note: Last month I was going to purchase a bottle of whisky at King Power Suvarnabhumi Airport. I was asked by their staff member for my Boarding Pass. When I showed it to her - she showed me a card which stated people travelling to Australia were not permitted to buy duty free alcohol.

I bought the same product at Changi Airport (Singapore) for about the same price. The bottle was wrapped in a tamper-evident bag and I collected it after I had been through the boarding gate - but prior to going on the plane.

I could have bought it duty free in Brisbane for a dollar more.

Peter

What is the point of a "tamper evident" bag? All bottles of booze have seals around the top so if the contents had been replaced it would be evident by the broken seals. Not so, a bit of superglue and a skillful hand is an easyway to reseal such bottles. When I was much younger, I used this method to re-seal an empty Whisky bottle filled with Tea. As for what I did with it, well that's another story. :D This sounds like the airlines are considering security at Camp Swampy to be suspect, as has been previously reported. :o

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried buying whisk(e)y in BKK last month - presentation of boarding pass resulted in no sale. Tried taking 100ml of water past the scanning section to be told it wasn't allowed past. Great, sit in the sun, under a window for an hour without water. Someone has a lot to answer for. It should be pointed out that the location oif the scanning section has a lot to do with what can be taken on the flight. In Sydney, it's passport control - scanning - duty free - plane. Take on whatever you buy in DF. In BKK it's passport - duty free - scanning (or should that be scamming?) - bag search - plane. Lose most of what you buy in DF.

Don't blame the people at BKK, blame Australian Government policy. If there is scamming it is at the Australian end, because of course you can still buy your duty free when you arrive in Sydney, so why not lobby the Aus government that it is a security risk and have people buy them there. Also you cannot miss the duty free shops on arrival in Sydney, you have to walk through them to get to passport control.

I think the same about some of the bizzar UK policies such as the one bag rule (soon to be discountinued BTW). I have always felt that was a way to force people to spend in the BAA airport shops.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tried buying whisk(e)y in BKK last month - presentation of boarding pass resulted in no sale. Tried taking 100ml of water past the scanning section to be told it wasn't allowed past. Great, sit in the sun, under a window for an hour without water. Someone has a lot to answer for. It should be pointed out that the location oif the scanning section has a lot to do with what can be taken on the flight. In Sydney, it's passport control - scanning - duty free - plane. Take on whatever you buy in DF. In BKK it's passport - duty free - scanning (or should that be scamming?) - bag search - plane. Lose most of what you buy in DF.

Don't blame the people at BKK, blame Australian Government policy. If there is scamming it is at the Australian end, because of course you can still buy your duty free when you arrive in Sydney, so why not lobby the Aus government that it is a security risk and have people buy them there. Also you cannot miss the duty free shops on arrival in Sydney, you have to walk through them to get to passport control.

I think the same about some of the bizzar UK policies such as the one bag rule (soon to be discountinued BTW). I have always felt that was a way to force people to spend in the BAA airport shops.

Transit passengers are affected see extract from CPA website.

Note 1: Restrictions apply to through flights in transit; e.g. Brisbane bound passengers travelling on a Hong Kong-Cairns-Brisbane flight are not allowed carrying duty free items through the security check point at Cairns.

Domestic journeys operated by international carriers such as SYD-MEL on UA are also considered as international air services and LAG restrictions apply.

Note 2: Due to US LAG restrictions, Canada bound passengers travelling on CX828 are not allowed to carry duty free items when they depart from Hong Kong. LAG items can only be purchased inflight on the final sector prior to arriving in Canada.

For example, passengers to Toronto on CX828 should only buy duty free LAGs on the sector of Alaska and Toronto.

Likewise, passengers on US flights can purchase duty free LAGs inflight on the final sector prior to arriving in the US.

For example, passengers to JFK of New York on CX888 should only purchase duty free LAGs on the sector of Vancouver and New York.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Standard procedure is now that you cannot carry on liquids that exceed 3ounces or 100ml and must all be kept in a one quart / liter zip closure kitchen storage bag. This was bypassed previously by having security take your duty free goods and take them to the plane. They would be returned to you on the arrival at destination.

I have been ridiculing this stupidity about liquids on board since it was introduced.

Those who agree with it better not fly from Nagoya Chubu airport. Loot what it says:

post-7277-1198544174_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Standard procedure is now that you cannot carry on liquids that exceed 3ounces or 100ml and must all be kept in a one quart / liter zip closure kitchen storage bag. This was bypassed previously by having security take your duty free goods and take them to the plane. They would be returned to you on the arrival at destination.

I have been ridiculing this stupidity about liquids on board since it was introduced.

There's a much better solution to the problem, but it offends some and the do gooders disagree.

Those who agree with it better not fly from Nagoya Chubu airport. Loot what it says:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They took my 125ml aftershave that i just bought ... not about to throw away 5000 bht!

Holy freaking Be-Jasus...

5000B for a freaking bottle of aftershave?

And this was duty-free???

Man... you sure must have the babes just clawing to get close to you... you must have to fight of huge hordes of women every time you put that stuff on your face?

Or you're so babe-challenged - that it's the only stuff that'll get you laid???

What, pray tell, is in that stuff to be worth $166 freaking dollars?

I got back 3 weeks later and it was there..

So you couldn't use it on any Oz babes... too bad?

Are the Thai chicks that hard to get that you had to use it in LOS...?

5000B will go a LONG way in a Thai bar with the ladies... fancy smell or not?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

it's ecceptional and has to do with the airline than the security - possibly it was wrongly packed.

your friend should return to the shop and sorted things out or return the purchase

Lots of luck returning anything in LOS. I have found it nearly impossible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In March I flew into London Heathrow with some deodorant, water etc. all OK. 3 days later I flew back out and they confiscated the deodorant which had less than 100ml left and my water. The people doing this were BAA employees, the very people who own and run the airports.

Now am I the only one who sees that people are naffed off with the high prices charged at airports and i presume the shops must be naffed off with the mega rents. Solution: force people to buy stuff at the airport by making up some stupid security rule about bomns etc.

Total crap, not believeable, no evidence. Just a con to extract more cash at the terminal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In March I flew into London Heathrow with some deodorant, water etc. all OK. 3 days later I flew back out and they confiscated the deodorant which had less than 100ml left and my water. The people doing this were BAA employees, the very people who own and run the airports.

Now am I the only one who sees that people are naffed off with the high prices charged at airports and i presume the shops must be naffed off with the mega rents. Solution: force people to buy stuff at the airport by making up some stupid security rule about bomns etc.

Total crap, not believeable, no evidence. Just a con to extract more cash at the terminal.

Nah you are not the only one. Back on the main thread think the same about Sydney, lobby the aussie government to limit what duty free can be purchased o/s thus forcing eveyone to buy it in Sydney. No other country (other than US maybe) has a problem with allowing duty free that is sealed at POS and which has not left either an airport or aircraft from flying, except Australia. The Europeans have the best soloution to it all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

missed out on an opportunity to post the following title:

Whiskey Wisked Away (still have residue on my whiskers).

I would never buy duty-free for various reasons:

1. It's expensive. "Savings Free" is a more realistic name than 'duty free'.

2. it's all pseudo luxury pap. Indeed why not change the name to "Impractical Stuff No Real Man Would Ever Buy For Himself"

3. All the products are hyper vanity fluff. Another name, instead of 'duty free': "Vanity Items for Women Who Feel an Urge to Over-Spend to try to Regain Their Lost Sex Appeal."

4. Same as #3, except it's the duty-bound men who feel compelled to buy the over-priced vanity products to try and impress some woman. As long as guys get yanked around by rhinestone studded leashes around their necks - duty free shops will rake in the dough.

5. A $20 bottle of perfume might have 15 cents worth of liquid in the fancy bottle - if that.

6. if your woman smells so bad that she needs to slap on chemical scents, tell her to eat some healthy fresh food (near impossible to find at any restaurant in Thailand). That will clean out her pores and maybe keep the candida down to managable levels - at least enough to disguise with some of the 13 lotions you buy for her. Best of all would be a 5 day cleansing fast, but that would require self-discipline - a rare quality in this country which breeds insatiable consumerism.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It sounds as though one is not allowed to purchase duty-free alcohol at BKK if on a flight to Australia, due to Australian legal (import) and/or security issues, and that King Power should not have sold the item to the OP's friend after examining their departing boarding card. Does that sound like an accurate summary?

If purchased with a credit card I might contest the charge. If paid with cash maybe I'd contest the charge with King Power on my next visit or via e-/snail-mail. In the future I might avoid buying duty-free upon alcohol departure at BKK if traveling to Australia or on a flight that is not direct, non-stop.

I'd love to buy leaving the U.S.A. (Patron Silver, two (.75l) for $55 USD at ORD), but never do. I usually buy on my stop-over at NRT, never had a problem with LAG-issues ex-NRT on TG, NH or UA for NRT-BKK, or on arrival at BKK at King Power. (For my purchase it is usually 5 ~ 10 % less at NRT.) I did buy perfume, as a gift, recently at LAX (LAX-NRT-BKK), and it was sealed in a bag, also less than or equal to, 100 ml. Since this was after security in the U.S.A., I just had the cursory security check at NRT, which did not take notice of the perfume.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is so crazy. I just got back from India. While there I had one domestic flight where I was able to take on an unsealed bottle of water, plus a can of soft drink. I didn't just hope for the best, I actually walked up to the security barrier and asked the staff doing the xraying if it'd be okay, and got the nod. I did that because of the Thai experience.

Then on my flight back to BKK, same thing, actually, a bottle instead of a can this time. No probs. And I noticed many other passengers also carrying bottles of water on.

Now which country has had the more hijackings?

These may well be international regulations but here we see the Indians applying some common sense. Wish the Thais would do the same.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.




×
×
  • Create New...