There is just a little profit in the Duty Free trade. It also requires a little time to do the transaction.
Airlines started missing out when the Departure area's expanded their Duty Free's. Then the rules changed in some places - so that the arriving PAX could save transporting all that inflammable weight.
What I've been waiting for for years, is for the airlines to:[list=1][*]Ban taking Duty free on board - using the space argument - or charge just a little extra for the transportation ![*]Expand their own in flight catalogues - like some of american ones - but offering anything they want - they have the captive audience after all[*]accept the purchase in the air and transmit the resulting transactions to the arrivals airport[*]deliver the goods on arrival with amount and credit card slip for the signing - this allows for corrections in case a article has become out of stock.[/list=1]
This would give the Airlines the business back (and profitable it is) but it would also stop having to cart junk around, burning up fossel fuels for nothing. Double benefit - and the current stores could also get in on the acts as they are there already, so its no extra staff for the airline and less stress for the sales (sorry delivery) people.
I wonder just how much AvGas or JetAv is used per day to turndle those trolleys and plastic bags around the sky ? Anybody like to submit their assumptions and the result ??
