Duty Free Purchase confiscated
 

I recently was traveling SFO-NGO-MNL. Inside the secure area at San Francisco, I purchased some pefumes as gifts at the Galeria Duty Free Shop. While making the connection in Nagoya, Japan, the security agents there said I would have to surrender the perfumes as they were "not allowed to be taken aboard the plane". I am very tolerant of airport security but I think this went a bit too far. What a waste. This was not the case passing through Hong Kong on a previous trip. You might notice some sweet smelling security agents next time you pass thru Nagoya!

Seizure of goods purchased at duty free shops in other countries/zones is definitely an increasingly global issue, especially as the "security" idiocy -- the idiocy that is part and parcel of the "war on liquids and gels" -- has spread.

A lot of waste .... for little or no security benefit.

The same thing would have happened if you flew into the U.S. and connecting there with Duty Free bought in another country or on board your flight. The only way to avoid it is to put it into your checked baggage before going through Security again.

how can u put it in your checked baggage that is already checked in (I was in the "secure" gate area?
Duty Free Shops are suppoosed to offer products that are not a threat to anyone flying.

Welcome to Flyertalk!
This is why many of us are no longer tolerant of or have respect for airport "security". It does almost nothing to provide true security, while doing massive amounts to disrupt, harrass, and inconvenience travellers.

Liquids are not a credible threat.

what? no tamper proof packaging?
 

Ret110101,
bummer. At least you had the good sense not to get thrown in a Japanese jail for making a stink (bad pun intended). ^

It's just so obviously crazy and pointless, seeing as the merchandise from airside Duty Free is already in the sterile zone!
Same as not being able to take an extra drink from the airside club or lounge on the aircraft..... so obviously pointless!
...but I'm sure thousands here will agree.... :confused:

the sad truth
 

mattm199, very true. But millions more out there will disagree.

You can't generally ... at least not easily. Sometimes going landside and trying to check it in airside works ... but that's presuming you have time and/or are given something in which to place it and check it in.

For arrivals into the US, you are generally required to collect and clear your bags at the port of entry into the US whether you are transferring or not. At that point you can stick your duty free bought abroad into luggage that will be checked in again.

The "war on liquids" and other airport "security" procedures are just a dog and pony show. Being required to throwaway duty free of this sort or get creative just gives additional proof through the day and night how wasteful these rules really are.

Millions of BAA BAAA BLACK SHEEP!

Assuming liquids are a credible threat, there are already ample ingredients in the sterile area for anyone who knows what they are doing and has malicious intent.

If you were in the secure area, how did you come into contact with security?

Normally, items purchased at a duty free shop are allowed and the airline holds them on the plane. I don't know how the process works exactly at SFO.

i was transferring from one flight to another. in nagoya, you pass thru two levels of security even in the secure area. the one by the departure gate is the one that took my purchases. after that, they did a body search on me. they said it was a random search and i cooperated fully without complaint.

Sorry.

Misread your post.

I thought you were in SFO.

This is why many of us no longer buy Duty Free and won't until this is repaired. Might as well close the Duty Free shops.

Especially bad in the UK. Where they sell you goods you can't transfer to another flight once in the US.