Duty Free to your door
2008-04-15
British Airways is set to offer duty free goods - without buyers ever needing to set foot aboard a flight.
BA will sell duty free perfumes, watches and electrical goods on its HighLifeShop website, as part of a growing industry-wide trend among airlines keen to maximise revenues in addition to fares.
The airline will pay the VAT on the products in a bid to keep them at similar prices to those charged on aircraft.
Retail business director Richard Cushing said: “We have tested the service to gauge what customers think and there has been an excellent reaction. It will never be a major part of what we do, we are an airline, but we wouldn't be doing this if it didn't make commercial sense.”
The BA website will also include other flight-related products.
Ryanair generates 16 per cent of its revenue from ancillary services and has been testing in-flight mobile services.
