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 🤔

OP, why are you ignoring numerous suggestions to go to Weatherspoons where the drinks are regular pub prices? Do you just begrudge generally having to pay for drinks? Bottles are sealed into bags when you buy them in Duty free so you could quite easily be seen removing it. Just buy the glass of wine!

I meant, to have a debate meeting

You are not allowed to drink duty free booze in the departure lounge. It is sold in sealed bags and you will be banned from your flight!!Really not worth the risk for saving a tenner!

I’m with you op.
Look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves.

Wetherspoons in Heathrow are 3 times the normal price actually

Depends if the drinks are cheap I suppose

It's giving 'hard up student going back packing' not 'family of 4 going on one of several holidays a year'.

A glass of wine in Heathrow Wetherspoons starts from about £5.50 OP. I don't blame you for wanting the wine, a drink and a meal in Three Rivers in T5 is a ritual for us too, but if I was really penny pinching to the degree of thinking of ways around it then I just wouldn't have it at all, I'd eat before I left home or take a picnic and refill my bottle at the water fountain.

You could try this?

Correction, wine at T4 Wetherspoons starts from £4.95.

Not necessarily

How nasty.

Hate to break it to you @SLeanne you would make more money by not having any alcohol before your flight than you would skankily sneaking your duty free purchase…..#frugal

Remember that if you open the bottle, you'll have to drink it all as you won't be able to take it on the flight. Do you want just one glass, or a few to finish the bottle?

I'm curious - what is the cost saving of doing this versus buying x 2 large glasses? Is it considerable?

As for decanting it sneakily into bottles in the loo ...

To be honest I’m not sure you’re going to get rich by necking wine from duty free in Heathrow, 😃

the issue for those thinking the issue is drinking, it’s not, for most of the posters, it’s the not wanting to buy in a bar and sit in th4 departure area necking the duty free. That’s what folks think is tacky.

but it’s going to make the op rich. So…

I mean I know you'll get 1/2 bottle v a large glass but that's actually A LOT to drink before flying

Mortifying! This is honestly a different level of penny pinching AND desperation for a drink.

OP hasn’t mentioned children of school age.

True. John Paul Getty made his guests pay if they used the phone at his house!

Don't start with me on this. Beaujolais nouveau should be chilled. I am not going to carry on. You will end up looking foolish

So true. I had a large bottle of water in my handbag coming through security from Barcelona to Gatwick. Didn’t realise until I had got off the plane and reached into my bag to get my purse

If it’s a family of four and all adults, a bottle isn’t going that far is it ?

Your duty free bag has to stay sealed until you go through customs at the end of the flight.

I’ve just had a flight where the man in the next seat pulled out a bottle he had bought in duty free and used a tooth brush to push the cork into the bottle so he could drink it on the flight 🤦‍♀️

Do some research. A quick google search will bring up many articles from wine magazines/experts stating that some reds can be served chilled
So no, sorry to disappoint, not the foolish looking one here