London - Holidaymakers trying to beat airline baggage charges by taking only hand luggage are being ripped off by travel-sized toiletries costing up to eight times more than family-sized bottles.
Passengers flying abroad are limited to 100ml bottles and tubes for shampoo, toothpaste and other toiletries in hand luggage, so increasing numbers buy miniature bottles at the airport.
Toiletries sold in Boots, Asda and Superdrug were compared with their smaller equivalents at Manchester and London airports in a survey for the Travelsupermarket.com holiday website.
Researchers found that a 150ml spray can of Dove anti-perspirant costs £1 (about R12) on the high street. However, the travel-sized version at the airport costs nearly double, at £1.99, for just 35ml.
Similarly, a 500ml bottle of Johnson’s Top-to-toe Bath costs £2.67 from Asda, but a 50ml bottle a tenth of the size from airport branches of WHSmith is £1.99 – a 637 percent rise per millilitre.
Bob Atkinson, from Travelsupermarket.com, said: “Consumers can easily get caught out paying over the odds.
“We found over 30 products where the mark-up was over 100 percent – or double the normal price per millilitre.
“In most cases passengers are in a no-win situation. They either have to pay out to put their bags in the hold, or travel hand-luggage only and shell out for miniatures. Savvy travellers can get around this. My tip is to invest in and reuse small bottles which you can decant your regular products into.”
A WHSmith spokesman said: “Airport stores sell a tailored range of products for people on the move. We are committed to offering customers convenience and value for money.” - Daily Mail