Passengers Refuse to Show Boarding Cards After Startling Claims About Airport Retailers

Anyone who runs the airport gauntlet on a regular basis will know that you end up keeping your boarding card almost glued to you hand – such is the regularity with which you have to pull it out. It’s one thing to have to flash your papers when you’re moving from one part of the airport to another, but why is it necessary to do so when all you’re at is purchasing a bottle of water or the likes? A new report published in The Independent on Saturday last has shed some light on this, and passengers aren’t exactly thrilled. According to the UK paper, the call for your boarding pass is nothing to do with the legalities of travel and everything to do with savings on the rate of VAT paid by the retailer.   Put simply, outlets in airports are not required to pay VAT charges on any sales if the passenger is travelling outside of the EU. In essence, this means that the retailer can often make savings of more than 20 per cent, often without passing on any of these savings to the passenger. Consumer affairs expert Paul Lewis said: “I think the problem here is that the retailers are not being straight with the public.” “They are asking to see passengers’ boarding cards but not telling them that this is so they can make more money by not paying the VAT on what they’re selling. What of course they should be doing is passing on the savings that they make to the passengers who are travelling outside Europe." The Independent has followed up the story with a report today, Tuesday, that some air travellers are now refusing to show their boarding card at UK airports. The passengers had previously assumed they were legally obliged to present their passes. Protests have already been reported in branches of WHSmith and Boots, including at Heathrow Airport. Hat Tip: The Independent UK