Madam, - A couple of months ago, my wife and I travelled to Malaysia to visit her family, and when leaving Dublin Airport, I purchased two one-litre bottles of Black Bush whiskey, from what is rather humorously referred to as the "Duty Free Shop". As we were travelling on to Malaysia we got the benefit of the so-called "duty free" price which was €27.30 per litre.
On our return journey ten days ago, we stopped for a few days in Langkawi Island, which is a duty free resort island in north-western Malaysia. In a liquor shop in the main town there, I was able to purchase two more one-litre bottles of Black Bush at a price of 51 Malaysian Ringgits each. When converted at the current rate of around 4.50 to the euro, this gives a price of €11.33 per litre.
This means that the Dublin price is €15.97 higher than that in Malaysia, 7,000 miles away, or 240 per cent. When will Aer Rianta decide that the term "duty free" is a total misnomer as it applies to this country, and be honest enough to remove that title from its shops?
No one objects to a reasonable mark-up being made, but in this case, the term "reasonable" can hardly be applied. - Yours, etc.,
TERRY STEWART,
Marina Village,
Arklow,
Co Wicklow.