US duty-free sales permitted through aircraft delivery

Tina Milton

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Guidelines issued by the Transportation Security Administration have handed the US duty-free industry a lifeline by permitting sales if purchases are delivered directly to the aircraft

Duty-free sales in the US will be permitted if purchases are delivered directly onto the aircraft. This was the message delivered in a statement to travellers from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today.

The International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores (IAADFS) has been negotiating with the TSA to clarify the situation for its members in the US. The TSA statement said: "Due to enhanced security measures most liquids, gels, lotions and other items of similar consistency will not be permitted in carry-on baggage. These types of items must be packed in your checked luggage. Duty-free items are permitted if delivered directly onto the aircraft. However, passengers making connections from international to domestic flights must transfer the items to their checked luggage before boarding their flights. At pre-clearance airport passengers must put duty-free items into their checked luggage since the aircraft deplanes behind passenger security checkpoints."

The statement emphasised that duty-free policies will, however, differ by airport and advises passengers to contact the airport they are travelling from to check its status before departure.

The TSA announcement also noted that travellers departing from the following cities to the US need to pack duty-free items containing liquids or gels into their checked baggage - Aruba, Bermuda plus Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg in Canada and Freeport and Nassau in The Bahamas.

When passengers land in the US after leaving these cities they do not go through customs and therefore will not have access to their checked baggage. Due to security restrictions they will not be allowed to board a connecting flight in the US with liquids and gels.

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