... to wonder who buys luggage air-side at an airport and why?

[5Foot5]

Just that really.

Recently came back from our family holiday and on the way out we flew Manchester to Heathrow and then Heathrow to our final destination.

At both Manchester and Heathrow after we had checked in and gone through all the security and got to the air-side bit of the airport we had time to kill so went for a bit of a wander to look at the shops. In both cases we found shops selling expensive items of luggage - not just little wheel on cases but sometimes quite large cases.

DD and I were both struck by how odd this was. Surely by that stage of the journey you have all the cases you need thank you very much and have just checked them in to the hold so why would you want to buy another one? And supposing you do buy one - what do you do with it then? It's hardly going to be classed as carry on luggage is it?

Genuinely puzzled and wondered if anyone could shed any light on this?

I'm puzzled too!

Perhaps they offer a delivery service?

It has always puzzled me as well.

Probably people buy it because it's cheaper? Duty free prices? Or in Heathrow, it could be designer stuff that you can't find so easily? Plenty of mega-rich people pass through Heathrow!

As to what to do with it, most of the expenisve shops at duty-free have a collect on return service, you buy and pay for it before your trip, and collect it at a desk on your return. They take your date and flight details and have it all ready for you

air crew needing new luggage?

Perhaps people buy them and pick them up on the return journey.

I've bought new bags airside. But only cabin baggage size - and thats when my poor, abused, work bags have exploded en route.

With the larger bags, some airlines will let you check bags in at the gate and some airlines let you take big bags into the cabin

We were able to buy stuff and collect it when we came home in duty free.

Its cheaper.
I bought my last lot of luggage - which is amazing - from www.redoxx.com .
They ship internationally but dont have any uk stockists. So I bought online, arranged shipping to my hotel, travelled hand luggage only with my parent's old, unwanted suitcase, dumped the suitcase at the hotel and travelled back with the new stuff.
You could do similar and buy new luggage at the airport if you travelled light and dumped the old temporary bags airside, transferring your stuff.

I've bought a cabin bag knowing that I would be coming back with lots of thoughtful gifts from a visit to family. Large hardback books, fisherprice garages that sort of stuff.
If you are travelling business class, you can often take a slightly larger case on board.
Mostly it's a window - if you've just wrestled with a suitcase or listened to it's irritating squeak all the way from the car park you are probably more disposed towards buying a new one and ditching the old asap. Whether or not you can arrange to have it added to your flight I seriously doubt.

All the people who work at the airport can shop there too btw. Doesn't have to be air crew. Heathrow employs some stupid number of people.

It would be interesting to see if you could rock up at the airport with no luggage and buy everything you need to your holiday at the airport.

Foxmulder - I have alway dreamt of doing that. Turning up at the airport with just my passport and buying everything there! Pants, toothbrush, books etc.

I don't see why you couldn't, Fox. Might be fun!

My parents.

They live din Spain came over to Gatwick and had their case smashed, and were leaving the following day from Gatwick to Florida. There was no way Virgin would except the case in the state it was, so we all had to go case shopping.

Oh sorry didnt read the airside bit..... yes its puzzling, what would you do with it

You can buy things airside and collect on your return to the UK- so you could buy a big suitcace and not have to take it on holiday with you .

(my BIL bought my Sis a mullberry handbag in this way... lucky her!)

Lets say you buy a new suitcase and then fill it with duty free and other items you buy airside and take it onto the aircraft. Haven't you then well and truly exceeded your baggage allowance? Can you imagine if a fair few people did it.

foxmulder I too have the same fantasies about rocking up empty handed apart from a passport and credit card.

Obviously a larger airport would be better - one that has Boots ad Accessorise and more. Humberside airport (when I last went) only had a small duty free type shop. I would have been sorely disappointed!! ;)

I do like to look at and stroke the luggage in the shops though.

I hadn't realised about the collection on the way home thing so I suppose that sort of does make sense.

Though not being a frequent traveller, buying a new suitcase ready for my next journey would be the last thing I would think of just when I was about to board a plane

I once bought a nice holdall at Edinburgh Airport, after Easyjet check in staff refused to believe that my fake Louis Vuitton holdall fitted their dimensions. The airport holdall was slightly larger and I folded the Louis Vuitton one and stowed it inside along with all my luggage, and checked in with no further problems.

My mum. Frequently . She seems to have a weakness for suitcases. She always collects them on the way home, not sure where from though!