leaving the airport without flying with duty free

[WCZ]

if you bought a cheap ticket to somewhere outside of the EU, bought some booze and cigs in duty free then decided you didn't want to fly or 'missed' your flight? can you leave the airport ?

just curious!

[devnull]

I'd have guessed so. I passed security in schipol last year, then realised I'd forgotten something in my hotel room, so just left again. I exited through the auto gates, so I would have thought that would be less immediate inspection on what I was carrying duty free wise?

Can't see it being practical though - I am guessing this is for a watch purchase? I would not go to the fuss for a couple of Smirnoffs and a box of Toblerone.

[WCZ]

devnull said:

I'd have guessed so. I passed security in schipol last year, then realised I'd forgotten something in my hotel room, so just left again. I exited through the auto gates, so I would have thought that would be less immediate inspection on what I was carrying duty free wise?

Can't see it being practical though - I am guessing this is for a watch purchase? I would not go to the fuss for a couple of Smirnoffs and a box of Toblerone.

I'm thinking that with some ryanair flights being £9 to outside of the EU it's worth it just for a few cartons of cigarettes

[GCH]

Physically, yes. Legally, no.

[dirky dirk]

As of now your boarding card would allow you to do it,if its non eu,

and if its eu it wont, it'll direct you to a few duty paid offers, i dont see why you couldnt take them back home as its duty paid

As of right now, my Mrs is a perfume wafterer and shes at home because its closed so you cant!

And the one where she works the flow of pax means you have to walk through it to get to your gate regardless,
so now its clsoed they are spirited down a little rat run

[DaveH23]

This was done regularly at Newcastle airport for many years.

For anyone who has been familiar with the airport layout over the years will know that when you go down to the gates you used to be able to go through the domestic departure gates and double back on yourself through domestic arrivals (Now a gate).

Because there is no customs on domestic arrivals people used to buy the cheap £1 easy jet flights with no intention of flying. Used their ticket to get the duty free then simply walk back out the front door unquestioned.

One of the reasons why they got rid of the 15 mins free parking in the short term/pickup drop off car park was because at the time of the paper tickets people would walk back to the entrance and pick up a new ticket if they exceeded the alloted free time and use their new ticket to leave without paying.

[Arranguez]

At Edinburgh you could simply walk out. Easy. Heathrow requires a bit more effort and an escort as would City.

[Carbon Sasquatch]

At larger airports, you need to be escorted and have to go through immigration and customs.

So as someone said above, physically you can, but you’d need to be going through the nothing to declare channel.

I’ve missed a few flights in my time, but it’s getting harder to be stuck airside. Airports are installing gates that won’t let you through 30 mins prior to departure.

[GuyW]

Arranguez said:

At Edinburgh you could simply walk out. Easy. Heathrow requires a bit more effort and an escort as would City.

Depends on the terminal at Heathrow. If T5, the 'official' way is to wait for the (hourly) escort back through. Alternatively, head down to the transit train, and simply stay on it once it gets to T5 C. You'll then be on the 'landslide' which goes back to take T5 C & B passengers back to A and the E-Gates and exit.