Can You Carry Duty Free Alcohol Purchases On To Your Connecting Flight?
As you’re browsing the international duty free shop have you ever wondered if you’ll be allowed to carry the perfume, wine, liquor, etc onto your connecting flight?
As many travelers to the US discovered prior to January 2014, in order to make your connecting flight you have to go through security again, which means no liquid more than 3.4 oz or 100 ml. And it also meant any international duty free liquid purchases had to go through into your checked baggage when you re-check it. No checked bags? Your carryon would have to be checked or your purchase discarded.
But the TSA duty free policy changed in early in 2014 and now there is hope for those with connecting US flights. How to take that big bottle of alcohol (or perfume) through security?
- Make sure it’s in a transparent container — if the contents can’t be visually seen then you risk having it confiscated.
- Purchase it in an international duty free shop.
- Have the duty free shop seal it in a “secure, tamper evident bag.”
You can’t seal it yourself and you can’t open it during the flight (or at any point prior to security) to admire your purchases. Restrictive, but still better than having to forfeit.
Note: If you use the My TSA app it will still say that you can’t bring bottles on connecting flights but you can refer to the TSA liquids Rule page if you run into trouble.
Does the same hold true when entering Europe, i.e. arriving in Amsterdam from the USA transiting to Budapest. Can you bring alcohol purchased in USA through Amsterdam in a sealed bag to Budapest?