Travellers around the UK are holding a mini-uprising on social media after discovering they aren’t legally required to show airport retailers their boarding passes.
Thinking it was a legal requirement, travellers for years have searched through their carry on luggage to produce the documentation every time they tried to purchase a giant Toblerone bar or discounted perfume at a gateway.
But according to The Telegraph, all that effort in finding the right documentation was merely to help airport retailers claim back tax.
The truth was revealed by airport retailers such as WHSmiths and Boots in the UK, who admitted scanning the boarding pass isn’t required to complete a sale.
They said travellers are entitled to decline when asked to show their pass and information from the boarding pass is only used to claim back VAT – value added tax – on purchases made by customers flying to non-European destinations, such as Australia.
Unsurprisingly, the truth has shocked a number of travellers and even angered a few who feel they’ve been misled into supplying personal information.
Twitter user, ‘Skhan10’ said it was ‘violating’ to think of how the information was used.
I actually feel violated thinking back to all the times I have shown my boarding pass at airport shops and gifting these corporations money
— سمير خان (@Shkhan10_) August 12, 2015
Others like Yuri said they were annoyed because of the lengths retailers had gone to in the past to ensure he showed his boarding pass.
This really annoys me. Boots in particular made my kids come and find me to get a boarding pass for chewing gum https://t.co/CuCxqimevX
— Yuri Schimke (@yschimke) August 11, 2015
And there are people like Aisha calling for travellers to just say ‘no’ next time they’re asked for their document.
Time to show the red flag to airport shops who demand travellers to present their boarding passes. VAT rip-off.Don’t show your boarding pass
— Dr Aisha K Gill (@DrAishaKGill) August 11, 2015
KarryOn has contacted an Australian gateway and is awaiting comment on whether Australians are legally required to show our documentation.
