This Transatlantic Airline Is Bucking An Industry Trend By Reintroducing Duty Free Shopping On Its Planes

Spanish flag carrier Iberia is bringing back part of the in-flight experience that many other long-haul airlines have abandoned…. No, we’re not talking about nostalgic moments like hot towels for everyone or hard candies to help equalize ear pressure during takeoff and landing.

Both of those little touches seem consigned to history, but the Madrid-based carrier is resurrecting something else that we thought was never going to return. That is, of course, the return of the fabled Duty Free cart.

Passengers traveling on Iberia’s long-haul flights can once again flick through a dog-eared copy of the Duty Free magazine and ponder whether they really do need to splurge on another bottle of fragrance, a pair of sunglasses from a brand no one has heard of, or even a random travel accessory.

The Rise And Fall Of In-Flight Duty Free Shopping

In the 1980s and 1990s, it would be almost unthinkable to step onboard an international flight and not have a Duty Free catalog waiting for you in the seatback pocket, but what once was a nice little money earner for airlines started to turn into a costly expense.

US airlines were the first to abandon the concept, with United Airlines jettisoning its Duty Free magazines in 2015, quickly followed by both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

International carriers in Europe, however, held on to the in-flight shopping experience until the COVID-19 pandemic, when duty-free sales were initially suspended to reduce interaction between passengers and cabin crew.

When travel restrictions were lifted, the onboard shop never returned, with airlines deciding that the revenue gained from Duty Free shopping wasn’t worth the hassle.

Space Constraints Are Also A Problem

The other issue that airlines have faced is their constant battle to make every inch of space onboard work as hard as possible. Airlines have changed cabin layouts to squeeze more seats onboard, and in doing so, have shrunk galley spaces for cabin crew.

That has inevitably meant that there is no longer the space for a Duty Free cart to be loaded on some aircraft. Only a few months ago, Lufthansa made the decision to end Duty Free shopping on its flights for exactly this reason.

Which Airlines Still Offer In-Flight Duty Free?

Along with Iberia, its fellow IAG-owned airline British Airways also offers in-flight Duty Free with a small selection available on select routes between London Heathrow and Toronto and the Maldives. The airline also offers pre-order Duty Free shopping on all other international routes.

Elsewhere in Europe, low-cost carriers EasyJet and Ryanair still view in-flight Duty Free as an important ancillary revenue stream, but other European airlines aren’t as convinced.

As well as Lufthansa, other carriers in the region to have abandoned Duty Free in recent years include Scandinavian carrier SAS, Dutch flag carrier KLM, and Finnair.

Internationally, in-flight Duty Free is a mixed bag. Mega airline Emirates has embraced the in-flight shopping experience and started pushing it even more during the pandemic, while other carriers abandoned the concept.

In contrast, its regional rival Qatar Airways suspended in-flight Duty Free in 2019, citing the high cost of carrying the inventory around the world.