Penny pinching at Heathrow

[SLeanne]

We are due to go away soon from Heathrow T4. OH and I like a couple of drinks before the flight (at 9pm). However, I was shocked last time that a glass of wine is over £10 a glass. If we are discreet, could we get away with buying a bottle in Duty Free and drinking it before the flight (and disposing of the empty bottle before boarding). I know it's not allowed but has anyone done it before and got away with it? Quite frankly I'm getting sick of having to spend C 100 quid for something to eat and a couple of drinks each (family of 4) and am looking at ways of cheating the system 🤔

Yikes. OP have you considered the reason you are getting the responses you are is due to the way you are replying to people? You come across as very defensive, argumentative, rude and at times stuck up! (Are we all to really believe you have a degree in wine, have paid off your mortgage and cars blah blah blah but won’t pay £10 for a glass of wine before your holiday?🙄) …..maybe it is true but I’d personally prefer to live a little, enjoy life not counting the pennies and still be paying my mortgage than be so tight that I need to hide the fact I’m drinking my duty free wine because a glass is too expensive. Unless you’re intending to get totally sloshed it wouldn’t cost the earth to have one or two drinks.

shoplifting! Oh, the world’s going to the dogs. It’s really is .

Never in a million years would I get ripped off at an airport. Always take a packed lunch and never drink til I get to my destination. My stinginess beats the urge for alcohol any day of the week. The airports are absolute thieves.

I have just checked the menu for the Wetherspoons in T4, called The Star Light and both red and white wines start at around £5 which is the same as my local Wetherspoons

Pay for club and youll get free booze on-board

This thread is absolutely bonkers 😂

I travel to and from Europe by plane several times a year. Many a time I have bought wine from duty free, not once has it been placed in a "special bag" or labelled in any way. From memory this may have happened once or twice on long haul but not always, i think maybe when i bought it on a stopover and was going to need to go through an additional security check. Which is a valid reason why it would need to be specially bagged. Otherwise there is no need or reason.

They even have bloody self service check outs in some duty frees now!

Not once have i ever seen anyone "gate checked" for what they bought in duty free. Nor have I ever seen or heard of anyone being pulled over in immigration to check their purchases against their boarding pass 🙄 where are you people getting this stuff from? I don't believe half of it.

OP, buy your wine from duty free and bloody enjoy it! The vast majority on this thread clearly have no idea what they're talking about! But it's entertaining at least.

Are you the OP who repeatedly started numerous threads about getting sacked from their big 4 job and wouldn't listen to helpful advice? It's the same tone and rudeness to PP. Defo reads more frugal student/entry level professional wanting to save a few bob getting sloshed to start their 'holibobs' than a financially free individual

Probably the same person by the responses on this thread.

Still skanky to decant wine in a toilet.

Cheap and skanky. 🤢

LOL! What? This is not the glamorous start to the holiday you should be aspiring to.
Book one of the cheap loungekey or priority pass Lounges and get wasted there. You also get stale sandwiches as a bonus

I hear you OP - your friendly Tribes person here - T4 has a Wetherspoons, (Prince of Wales) if you are a Vino drinker it is cheaper too get a bottle than £7-9 glasses of wine, I hear your pain, forget the judgers, it is a rip off there but it does work out cheaper to get a bottle between you than paying per glass. Have a lovely holiday OP 🍷x

This thread is madness, we bought duty free wine at Bristol airport in October, opened it, put in our empty water bottles and had a drink before flight, no one cares. They not going to check when you get on your plane if you have all tbe duty free you bought in airport.

Dury free only sells alcohol in sealed bags and you cannot drink it in the airport or on the flight. You're risking your whole holiday.

I think you are getting a hard time op. Nothing wrong with trying to save a few quid here and there. Airport prices are ridiculous.

I really don't get the drinking at the airport pre boarding and have never done this.

I do really like a glass or two of wine when im finally on my long haul flight though and I can relax. You said food and drink was free so you must be flying long haul. Just wait. Have a couple of bottles of wine on the plane and a snooze. Maybe this is a day for compromises.

Sounds like the start to a fun holiday.

Follow the OP for more cost saving tips such as making up your lunch every day from the breakfast buffet - with maybe some lukewarm wine in a flask to wash it down, or heat up some noodles in a kettle to save on dinner costs.

Just get a bottle from the supermarket and neck it in the queue for security.

But OP is waaaaaaay too classy to go to Wetherspoons, don’t be silly! Because she’s rich. And that makes you classy apparently.

You know you can just open those bags, and no one cares if you do?

I’m a very nervous flyer so a drink before really helps. I never get drunk and am never a nuisance (I’m too scared to be a nuisance!), so I get it. But I’d always pay to get proper airport drinks, anything else is too risky and they may stop you boarding. You’re not allowed to drink any duty free in the airport or on board.

DH is a pilot and they’ve kicked people off before for it.

Actually I've changed my mind! It's not a bad idea and it doesn't have to be skanky. In fact if anything drinking in Wetherspoons is skanky, there's wines are dreadful, :)

You can get a decent high quality bottle of red from duty free for about £40 - £50 pack a little M&S cheese board or buy crisps and find some seating space together. You can spread out with your luggage and a glass of GOOD wine and relax.

We try to fly business long haul but maybe not a bad idea for a short haul. It's annoying when your flight is £59 and you're spending more than that in departures.

I say do it!

£40 to £50 on a bottle of wine! OP said she wants to penny pinch!

You are being a bit awkward.

Faaaaackin hell. Imagine being this tight 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Chicago airport was charging $22 for a medium glass of white wine last month when i was there...😬

I bet these people who are too miserable to spend money in the airport are the same people who sneak alcohol into private functions to drink rather than buy at the bar.

if you can’t afford to buy alcohol at the bar then don’t drink.