ALBAWABA - Many travelers find it challenging to resist buying some duty-free items as they make their way through the airport before an international flight. But have you ever wondered why it is necessary to show your boarding pass before being able to purchase anything, whether it's a luxurious perfume bottle or just a box of chocolates?
To understand the answer clearly, it is essential to know what duty-free shopping means. Usually, when you buy something, there are various local taxes added to the price. For example, in New Zealand, there is a Goods and Services Tax (GST) collected at a rate of 15%. However, luxury products like tobacco, perfumes, and branded bags have higher tax rates or "duty" applied to the tax paid for transporting goods across international borders.
For instance, if you shop in France and pay all the required taxes there, but then bring what you bought back to your home country, you will need to pay fees to bring them into the country. Therefore, duty-free stores, such as those found in international airports, exist at both departure and arrival points so that travelers don't have to pay twice. This benefit is specifically for international travelers, and customs require duty-free shops at airports.
There are many airport personnel and customs officers who ensure that these individuals do not benefit from duty exemptions when they are not actually traveling. In this context, Peter Lewis, the Delivery Service Manager at Auckland Airport in New Zealand, explained that the boarding pass serves as evidence of international travel, granting the person the right to shop for duty-free items.
Mark Thompson, Chief Commercial Officer at Auckland Airport, added that showing a boarding pass is a common practice in most duty-free shops at airports.
He said, "It may seem somewhat strange that you have to prove that you are taking, for example, a box of chocolates out of the country. After going through security procedures and passport control, isn't it clear that you are traveling abroad?"
However, it turns out that this is not necessarily the case. There are many airport personnel and customs officers who ensure that these individuals do not benefit from duty exemptions when they are not actually traveling.
Why is it necessary to present a boarding pass in duty-free shops? Airlines and aviation experts warn of rising ticket prices.
On the other hand, pilots and flight crew members who work on international flights, as they are treated like passengers and cross international borders, are required to present their passports instead of boarding passes.
Nevertheless, it remains to be said that your purchases from duty-free shops may not always become your property unless they are in the air. This has actually happened before. After passengers passed security procedures at Auckland Airport on Jetstar last year, they were forced to return their duty-free purchases after the flight was canceled at the last minute.
Despite the rarity of such occurrences, in these cases, you can either get a refund or ask the retailer to suspend the purchase until your booking is rescheduled on a new flight.
