Episode 9 Rip Off Britain

We asked you who's left you feeling ripped off

when it comes to your holidays,

and you came back with a catalogue of travel disasters.

It was a nightmare. That particular day was a nightmare.

First impressions when we walked in was, "What have we booked?

"What have we paid for?" It was disgusting.

So, whether it's a deliberate rip-off, a simple mistake,

or indeed a catch in the small print,

we'll find out why you were out of pocket,

and what you can do about it.

Your stories. Your money.

This is Rip-Off Britain.

Hello, and welcome once again to Rip-Off Britain,

where for this series we've come to the sunny and,

as it turns out, rather windy Canary Islands

- Lanzarote, to be precise -

investigating the holiday and travel stories

you've asked us to look into on your behalf.

Today, we're focusing on problems that can arise

even before the holiday itself has actually begun,

cos they're all to do with things that can crop up at the airport.

As I'm sure you've discovered, of course,

these days, some of the big airports really fancy themselves

as destinations in their own right, thanks to all the shops,

the restaurants and facilities

designed to fill the time before you even get on your plane.

But however they're dressed up, for most of us,

the airport is just a means to an end,

rather than somewhere to enjoy, in that sense.

And in the nicest possible way,

we want to get out of there as quickly as possible,

without being delayed, or indeed, spending a fortune.

But sadly, of course, both of those things can happen

all too frequently.

So, today, we're going to be advising you

on everything you need to know if they do.

We're going to be revealing some quite extraordinary ways

that airports and even the airlines themselves

can leave you out of pocket,

with plenty of advice on putting that right.

And if you're someone who is seduced

by all of those bargains in duty free

- well, aren't we all? -

I think we've a report you're not going to want to miss.

Coming up, how airlines are still wriggling out of paying compensation

for delayed flights, even after the courts have said they should.

I think that the companies should abide by this new legislation,

not try and bamboozle people with technical terms.

And with charges for using trolleys or just for being dropped off,

have our airports gone too far in squeezing out those extra pennies?

I feel a little bit let down by some of the airports in the UK.

I'd really like to find that consumers aren't being exploited,

but I have a feeling they might be.

Now, we've talked about flight delays on this programme

quite a lot, and in particular, about the way it seems that

some airlines would do their very best to avoid paying compensation

to passengers who've been seriously delayed.

But we very much hope that it might not be a topic

that you would need to complain about again,

basically because, last year, new rules were introduced

to make sure that passengers did get the pay-outs

to which they were entitled.

Unfortunately, however, that is still not always the case,

and, indeed, you've been telling us that some airlines appear

to have ever-more-creative ways in which they can avoid

paying the compensation that you think you really do deserve.

Six hours.

12 hours.

31 hours.

We weren't really sure why we were delayed.

We should've been feeling rejuvenated

after two weeks away, and we got home exhausted.

Dozens of you told us that you'd experienced lengthy delays

on your holiday flights, without receiving any compensation.

In all too many of such cases, airlines blamed the delays

on what they called "extraordinary circumstances",

caused, they said, by "technical defects", which, at the time,

had been a valid reason to deny a compensation claim.

But all of that changed in 2014,

when the Supreme Court stepped in to say that technical faults

do not always constitute "extraordinary circumstances".

Legal firm Bott & Co saw that as a watershed moment for passengers.

It's so significant, because 85% of the defences

that we get from the airlines say,

"Technical defect, couldn't have anticipated it."

But despite that ruling, it seems many of you

still haven't found it any easier

to claim compensation after a long delay, and

you reckon that some airlines have simply found a new form of words

that they can use as a reason to avoid paying out.

In 2014, retired teachers Janet and Les Patman

booked a winter cruise in the Caribbean.

We decided on the Caribbean because neither of us had been there before,

and Janet particularly wanted to go there.

This really was a holiday of a lifetime for us,

and our expectations were huge.

The following January, as much of the UK was enduring a dismal winter,

Janet and Les arrived at Gatwick for their flight with Thomson.

At check-in, they were told there would be a short 30-minute delay.

We boarded the plane, I think just after 12 o'clock,

and we were excited to get a glass of champagne,

and we thought we were ready to go.

But the champagne was finished

long before there was any sign of the flight taking off.

Cabin crew told passengers that the onboard TVs were broken,

and there was a fault with all of the plane's toilets.

Unfortunately, having just had a glass of champagne,

lots of us ladies, particularly,

were very keen to start using the toilets

that were out of use, but nobody knew why.

The flight eventually took off 90 minutes late,

and whilst the TVs had been fixed, the toilets hadn't.

Cabin crew told passengers that they were expected to be fixed

by the time the plane reached cruising altitude.

But when this didn't happen,

the captain announced they'd be turning back to the UK,

where the loos were repaired on the tarmac.

Of course, everyone by this time needed to go to the toilet.

It took...what was it? About another hour?

-Yeah, over another hour.

-On the tarmac.

Everybody was queuing right down the plane

for all the toilets that now were available

before we could set off again.

Five-and-a-half hours after they should have originally taken off,

the plane finally left.

And while Janet and Les did have a fantastic holiday,

when they got home, they couldn't forget the shaky start

that the delayed flight had caused, so they complained to Thomson.

It was a very disappointing flight,

and, really, I think we needed an apology.

But Thomson said the couple was not entitled to any compensation,

falling back on those familiar words "extraordinary circumstances",

which, in this case, the airline blamed on what it called

a "hidden manufacturing defect".

So how can they use that as their get-out clause

when that wasn't an extraordinary circumstance?

It's not like a hurricane or a tornado.

Litigation executive, Kevin Clarke, agrees.

He believes the words "hidden manufacturing defect"

are just the latest catch-all excuse that airlines use

to get themselves off the compensation hook

and that, in many cases, what's described as such a defect

may be no such thing.

A hidden manufacturing defect

is something which is diagnosed by the manufacturer of the aircraft,

or by another competent authority

and is something which affects every single aircraft in their fleet.

So the best example I can give is Boeing calling a particular airline,

telling them there's a problem with this part,

and all of those aircraft in that fleet are grounded.

But Kevin doesn't think that what happened to Janet and Les

falls into that category.

What the airlines are describing as a hidden manufacturing defect

isn't actually a hidden manufacturing defect.

It's a premature failure of one part on one aircraft.

Things like blocked toilets, burst tyres, a bolt in a wheel,

and that's something which the courts said last year

was not an extraordinary circumstance,

and airlines should pay compensation for that.

Before the rules were tightened,

Kevin's law firm had seen airlines using "manufacturing defects"

as a defence in less than 5% of cases.

But a year later, they say it's being used in

a whopping 80% of them.

Other law firms we've spoken to agree they've seen

a similar increase, with one of them very firmly of the view

that when those words pop up,

it's often simply a "tactic airlines are using to stall the claims".

Simon Calder is among those who say

the airlines shouldn't be able to get away with it.

But, as he says, the trouble is no-one's stopping them.

There's no real penalty if an airline decides

it's going to be really awkward with the passenger.

There is, in each country, a national enforcement body.

In Britain, it's the Civil Aviation Authority,

but they seem to be fairly toothless in saying to the airlines,

"Look, it's your fault, you've got to pay up."

After years of confusion on this, just like buses,

no sooner had there been one landmark court ruling

than another came along almost straightaway.

This one, also in 2014, allowed passengers from the UK

to claim for delays longer than three hours

up to six years after the event.

That should have helped Richard and Margaret Rose claim for

a seven-hour delay that they had flying home from Madeira in 2011.

Given the delay, inconvenience and distress that had been caused,

I saw no reason why we shouldn't put the claim in.

Richard had initially complained to airline Jet2 in 2013.

On that occasion, when the dreaded words "extraordinary circumstances"

had been used to dismiss his compensation claim,

the delay had been put down to

an "unexpected flight safety shortcoming".

But Richard was encouraged by the court ruling

that technical faults should not routinely constitute

those "extraordinary circumstances".

So he wrote to the airline again,

and this time, it had a different justification

for rejecting his claim.

Now, the delay had apparently been caused by - you guessed it -

a "hidden manufacturing defect".

But Richard was not convinced.

It rapidly became clear to me

that this was some kind of a technical defence

which the airline was proposing to rely upon

to avoid paying out the compensation.

Getting nowhere, Richard instructed a firm of specialist solicitors

to deal with his claim.

It was getting technical,

so I decided to pass it over to the experts.

It is well over two years now since I started the claim.

I still have nothing to show for it.

We've heard from plenty more delayed passengers

who've had similar experiences trying to get compensation

from a variety of airlines.

In part, the hold-up resolving their claims

was down to one big-name airline

fighting back against the courts' decisions.

Ryanair argued that its own terms and conditions,

which said passengers can't claim for a delay

more than two years after it happened,

trumped the EU's ruling that said you could do it for six.

But in August of last year, it lost its case.

The law is now pretty clear -

if your flight arrives three hours or more late,

and it's not because of a very limited number

of extraordinary circumstances,

then the airline owes you compensation.

Even so, in the months since that latest court decision,

the lawyers working in this field have told us

they've still seen little change in the attitude of many airlines,

and they've had to issue hundreds of court proceedings

in order for passengers to get any compensation.

But, for both of the cases that we spoke to,

there's been good news -

Jet2 has finally resolved the case of Richard and Margaret,

and agreed to pay compensation.

And when we contacted Thomson

about Janet and Les's five-and-a-half-hour delay,

thanks to those broken loos,

it said it "operates a fair and thorough process

"to deal with EU delay claims"

and that, having reviewed Janet and Les' case,

it has now paid their claim.

Though that's a welcome relief,

Janet and Les say it's been a long, hard slog

to get the compensation they feel they were entitled to all along.

I think the companies should abide by this new legislation,

not try and bamboozle people with technical terms.

Perhaps if more of us did actually make a stand,

then the company would have to change its ways.

During the course of the series, we've had plenty of advice

to keep you out of trouble and save you money

when you arrive at your holiday destination.

But the unexpected demands on your pocket can start long before that -

in fact, before you've even set foot on the plane.

Airports are big business -

huge money-making machines,

with a captive market of people who have time on their hands

and money in their pockets to spend, spend, spend.

And, with passenger numbers going up,

clearly there's the potential for businesses located here

to make a lot of money.

But airports are also very expensive buildings to run,

and to keep going, they need to find plenty of ways to generate cash

which is why, in recent years, charges have started to creep in

for all manner of things that were previously free.

And while the sums involved may not be huge

- usually just the odd pound here and there -

all those little extras can quickly add up,

making quite a dent in your holiday spending money

before you've even left the country.

Phyllis Tyson from Harrogate got in touch with us

to complain that her local airport, Leeds Bradford,

now charges £3 just to be dropped off outside the terminal,

although there is a free "hour zone" car park

just a few minutes' walk away.

And once inside, there's another little charge to pay.

Using a trolley for your bags will cost you £1

that you won't get back.

Phyllis' e-mail got us wondering

how many of these little extras at airports

are now becoming standard charges we should expect to pay,

and, indeed, whether they're a peculiarly British thing,

or will we find the same costs at airports around the world?

To help us see how our airports compare to those in other countries,

we enlisted the help of globetrotter Chris Barstow.

He's clocked up nearly 170,000 miles in the last year,

flying around the world for both business and pleasure,

and he always keeps an eye on what he spends.

I've noticed in the last few years

that airports seem to be charging more money

for things that they didn't used to,

and I found myself spending a lot more money at airports as a result.

I think, as a frequent traveller, I feel a little bit let down

by some of the airports in the UK,

because I feel like I'm spending a lot of money

that I would want to spend in my destination

just at the airport.

So we asked Chris to keep track of the extra costs he's racking up

on his next set of travels.

Though by no means an exhaustive worldwide study,

his various stops may give us a snapshot as to whether UK airports

really do charge more than the rest of the world.

So I'd really like to find that consumers aren't being exploited,

but I have a feeling they might be.

The first destination that Chris contacts us from is Brunei,

7,000 miles from the UK.

I'm currently in Brunei, on the gorgeous island of Borneo.

Been travelling for a long time to get here.

It's been really hot today as well,

but just cooling down here in the evening,

so just relaxing with a cocktail by the pool.

Brunei feels a world away from Manchester,

where Chris flew from,

and where he was cheesed off by one of those charges

we'd heard about at Leeds Bradford.

I found in Manchester Airport, you had to pay to use the trolleys,

which I found incredible.

If you've just come off a flight,

you don't want to be worrying about finding loose change

just to use a trolley.

Chris's next airport stop was Stansted.

I was dropped off at Stansted Airport by a friend

and it cost £2.50 just to drop me off,

which I thought was a ridiculous charge.

Stansted will charge you for a trolley, too,

but here, the money is at least refunded when you return it,

unlike at Manchester, where you don't get your pound back,

and at Luton and Bristol, both of which keep their £2 trolley fee.

Fly from Heathrow or Glasgow, however,

and you'll get the pleasure of a trolley absolutely free.

Meanwhile, on his most recent stops,

Chris found other charges he didn't like, too.

What I found in Manchester Airport and Stansted Airport

is that you only get one hour of Wi-Fi free, so again,

if you've just arrived in the country

and don't have a SIM card for a UK phone,

you can end up spending a lot of money.

Chris's journey then took him to Milan,

home to some of the world's biggest fashion houses.

So how do its airport costs stack up?

In Milan, I used two airports -

didn't have to pay any charges for trolleys or Wi-Fi,

so that was a pretty positive experience there.

After a brief stopover in Italy,

Chris touched down in the major international airport

of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

Nearly 50 million passengers pass through there every year.

But will they need to have some extra change handy?

I had an 11-hour flight from Milan to Kuala Lumpur,

but I was pretty pleased to find

that almost everything in Kuala Lumpur is free -

free trolleys, free Wi-Fi, so it was a good experience, really.

It was a really good welcome to the country.

Travel writer Lisa Francesca Nand

has been keeping an eye on the rise and rise

of the costs appearing at airports,

and she's not impressed by some of them, either.

I mean, how can you charge someone to drop someone off and pick them up

when it might take only up to 30 seconds?

The thing is, they can get away with it -

we're a captive audience.

Airports are actually private businesses and, unfortunately,

that means that they can charge as much as they like.

They want to earn as much money out of us as possible.

It does feel very unfair.

The UK's 24 international airports have quite a range of other charges

you've told us that you think are unreasonable.

At Bristol, you'll be charged £1 for weighing your luggage

if you use one of their special weighing machines.

Belfast, Aberdeen and Leeds Bradford

all charge smokers £1 to use their smoking shelter.

Several airports will charge you an airport development fee

to help fund further development there - that'll cost you £10

flying from Norwich,

whereas a trip via Durham will set you back

a £6 so-called "passenger facility" fee.

And while you may not be able to avoid some of these charges,

it may soften the blow if you at least know they're coming.

I'd love to say that excessive airport charges

are going to change but, unfortunately,

I really don't think they're going to.

Back on the trail with Chris

and he's made the more than 2,000-mile journey

from Borneo to Perth in Australia,

where he hits his first "extra" charge since leaving the UK,

and it's for something all too familiar.

It wasn't ideal to discover that you had to pay to use a trolley.

Um...4 is about...just under £2,

so it's an annoying charge to have to pay after a long flight.

One advantage, though, that they have in Australia

is that your can pay by credit card,

which means, even if you don't have local currency,

you can still pay the charge,

but obviously it's not great having to pay extra money

when you're at the airport.

Over 2,500 miles across the country, in Brisbane,

those pesky luggage charges remain.

In fact, they're standard in most Australian airports.

Now, obviously, neither we nor Chris

have visited every airport in the world,

and while the UK does seem to have more of them

than anywhere else on Chris's route,

it's reassuring that it's not just here

where those extra charges are taking off.

But we asked the Airport Operators Association,

which represents UK airports,

why we're increasingly having to pay them.

It told us that without the "modest, generally optional" fees,

airports would have to levy higher landing fees on airlines,

which would lead to higher air fares

and make air travel less accessible for millions of people.

And while reiterating that the charges are usually less than £5,

it insisted that customer surveys suggest that passengers

are happier than ever with UK airports.

But from his latest stop in Australia,

Chris wouldn't entirely agree.

Small they may be, but to him,

these charges remain an annoying inconvenience,

especially if you don't know they're coming.

I know that airports have to make a profit,

I think that's understandable, but I also think it's important

that consumers know how much they have to pay for certain services,

and also that they shouldn't be exploited.

Still to come on Rip-Off Britain -

can you still bag a bargain in airport duty-free shops?

Or could you find a better price a lot closer to home?

Don't just fall for the fact

that it says it's a bargain, you're saving money.

You may find you're making no saving

or even spending more than you need to.

One of the travel issues you contact us about most

is that of problems to do with flights,

whether they've been delayed, cancelled,

or there's been a mistake with your booking.

I must say, it can put a real dampener on your whole trip.

And then getting some airlines to listen to your complaint

can be a challenge in itself that would test, I think,

even the most patient amongst us.

Several of you brought your complaints on this

to our pop-up shop which we held in Nottingham last summer,

and our travel expert, Simon Calder,

was on hand to give some terrific face-to-face advice.

Over one weekend, we set up a one-stop consumer advice clinic,

where we and our experts were on hand

to talk about all manner of travel issues.

-With one team of experts...

-Ready and able to help...

The pop-up shop is ready for business, and it's open.

So, come on in, everybody, yes.

One of the first through the door to see Simon Calder

was Marlene Moss.

She wasn't able to book the seats she wanted on a flight to Spain.

She was a given an explanation she couldn't quite believe.

As you'll see, nor indeed could Simon.

-Hello, Marlene.

-Hello.

I gather that the dreaded health and safety have been at you, have they?

-I believe that's it, yes.

-Well, what's the problem, then?

We wanted to pre-book seats for a flight.

We went to the agent to book -

"Can we have row six, middle seat and aisle seat?"

I'm not keen on a window seat, my husband isn't either.

They said we couldn't do that because they were not...

We'd got to have a window seat and a middle seat

because they are not allowed to leave a window seat free,

-for health and safety reasons.

-For health and safety?

-Yes.

Did they explain what precisely were the health and safety issues?

-No.

-This is outrageous.

Clearly, they are in the business of telling complete porky pies to you

-in order to make more money.

-This is what we thought, because...

The only rule that applies is the Civil Aviation Authority rule,

saying we've all got to be able to get out of that plane

in 90 seconds flat, and we're going to be able to do that

whether or not the window seat is occupied.

So health and safety - that is absolute tosh.

Let me tell you what they're trying to do.

-Me and Angela are off on our holidays again.

-Again?

-We're sitting in...

-Where are we going this time?

So, we're sitting in row 6C and 6B.

That seat is empty.

The company will not be able to sell that seat,

because it's a single seat on its own,

and most people going on holidays

are going to be going together, aren't we?

And so, therefore, it's a purely money-making thing.

They're hoping that you and Angela will be together in 6A and 6B,

so that they can sell me 6C, and my companion is in 6D,

and they just want to make more money.

And for them to blame health and safety

is an absolute outrage,

and I would urge you to go back to the travel agent and say,

"Can you please show me the health and safety regulation

"to which you refer?"

And of course, they won't be able to, and just say,

"Can you be a bit more respectful of your customers next time, please?"

-Yeah.

-What are you going to do the next time you book a seat?

-Don't pay money...

-I don't think we'll book, to be quite honest.

-No.

-Don't pay money.

-You just take pot luck,

-and sort it out.

-On a short flight, yes.

Some people will even pay money NOT to be next to their husband.

LAUGHTER

Well, I wasn't going to say that, but you can.

But it wasn't just flight problems our experts were advising on.

Holiday journalist Lisa Francesca Nand

was checking to see whether passing shoppers were clued up

on how to avoid accommodation scams when booking online.

-Have you ever booked online?

-Yeah, a couple of times.

-And do you feel safe?

-Yeah, pretty safe.

What about if you're not booking a package?

What about if you're booking a private villa?

I don't know, I usually book separately anyway when I do it.

So how do you actually check if the villa is real?

Well, there's several things you can do,

and I think, really, you need to become your own private detective.

You could get online, use one of the map services,

and see what the local area looks like.

Check that the villa's there, because some people have gone

and the villa doesn't exist. Look for the owner online,

and see whether he or she has had anything come up about them,

cos you could find one of these scams where people pretend to be

the hotel or the villa and they're not,

they're actually someone else's website,

and then you pay them, and then your money's gone.

£2.2 million was lost last year through holiday scams,

with the average scam being about £900 worth,

so it's big business and you do have to be really, really careful.

And Simon also had some great tips

on when it's best to book your trip away.

Simon, I'd like you to meet Jack and Molly.

They're about to go travelling.

Oh, fantastic - where are you going?

We're not quite sure yet, are we?

Hopefully somewhere in Spain, or maybe one of the Greek islands.

-We want somewhere hot.

-Nice and hot.

What time of year are you going?

October - the first week of October.

OK, very good timing, because you're going to find

that anywhere in the Mediterranean, you've got wonderfully warm sea

because it's been cooking all summer, basically,

you haven't got crowds, and you've got great deals,

cos you've gone in between the end of the main school summer holidays

and the October half-term.

That time of year, you've got to go fairly well south,

so Crete would be great, and the Costa Del Sol.

If you want more guarantee of good weather, then further south,

so maybe down to Essaouira in Morocco, or the Canaries.

If you're going off peak, you're going to get great value,

maybe as little as £200 for a week.

What you need to do, because of the timing that you've got,

hold your nerve, watch the prices.

I wouldn't even begin to start looking

until maybe the beginning of September.

How does that sound?

Very good. I want to go now.

LAUGHTER

You know, snapping up a last-minute bargain

at the airport duty-free shop before you fly

is a real holiday ritual for many of us, including me -

as much a part of jetting off as packing your suitcase

and remembering to take your passport.

But are you really getting the great deal you think you are?

Well, after comparing some prices,

I'm afraid we can tell you the answer is, no, not always.

And, you know, with some products, you might even be better off

buying them on the high street.

For many of us, the duty-free shop is where the holiday really starts.

Since the first one opened its doors in 1947,

they quickly developed a reputation

for being a place to pick up pre-flight bargains,

with perfumes, jewellery, booze and tobacco

all at reduced prices,

leaving us with a bit of extra spending money in our pockets.

But over the years, what "duty free" actually means has totally changed

and these days, not everything filling those airport shelves

is quite the bargain you might think.

So, with all that competition from other retailers,

how much of what we see in the duty-free shops

is really such a good deal?

I feel people shop in duty free because they think it's cheaper.

I think we're getting a good deal.

Every time we've gone, it's always been a good deal, going out,

and we always buy gifts for one another when we're coming back.

Yeah, I go shopping at duty free to buy tobacco, roll-up tobacco.

It's usually generally cheaper.

I have ended up buying something that I wouldn't normally buy

because of the price.

For decades, duty-free stores were packed with genuine bargains,

and that's because, as the products they sold

were intended to be consumed outside of the UK,

the Government deemed them exempt from the usual taxes and fees.

But in 1999, all that changed -

these kind of savings were no longer available to everyone.

From then on, if you were travelling anywhere within the EU,

you would now have to pay these taxes, or duties,

just as you would in a normal high-street shop.

Travellers were only now able to purchase products

that were truly tax free or duty free

if they were flying outside of the EU -

say, to the States.

But many still assume we're getting the same savings we always did,

especially because so many of the items are sold

at what's claimed to be very competitive prices.

Today, duty-free shops make a lot of noise

about their special offers and their special deals.

But when we're doing our shopping, how much should we put in our basket

and how much should we leave on the shelf?

Personal finance expert, Sarah Pennells,

understands how tricky it can be to work out which are the best deals.

I think, for a lot of us, by the time we get to the airport,

we're already in holiday mode,

we feel like our holiday has started.

And when you're going through the airport shops,

you see all those signs saying,

"You're saving money, it's duty free."

But just bear in mind, just because the sign says

you're saving a tenner or whatever and it's a real bargain

doesn't actually mean it's the case.

So we put Sarah's theory to the test, and went duty-free shopping.

We compared the prices of some well-known brands on sale

at World Duty Free - the UK's leading duty-free retailer -

with what you'd pay for the same items online

or on the high street. So, which would work out cheaper?

Take this designer men's fragrance.

At duty free, on the day we checked,

it was on offer for £34.25.

That was described as a discounted price,

but we found it cheaper at Tesco, where it was £28,

£6.25 less than in the duty-free shop,

which, for some of you, came as quite a shock.

It's surprising, cos whenever you go to duty free,

you expect it to be a lot cheaper.

That's a big saving.

Next, we compared some of the deals on big-name alcohol brands.

Pushing the boat out with this well-known champagne,

when we checked, would cost you £42.49 at duty free.

But swap the airport for Sainsbury's,

and the same size bottle was on sale for £37,

more than a fiver cheaper.

That is a significant difference.

I'm surprised, to be honest.

You'd think it would be cheaper at duty free.

But that's not the case.

This big-name liqueur - £16.49 at duty free,

but just £12 at Tesco - a saving of £4.49.

Yeah, it's a lot cheaper, isn't it?

That's a massive saving.

And it wasn't just the supermarkets

that could beat the duty-free stores.

This men's scent was on offer at duty free

with a discounted price tag of £37.55.

But Boots had the same fragrance on offer at £31.50 -

that's over £6 cheaper.

Wow. Wow. A lot cheaper, eh?

But perhaps the most surprising offer we came across

was for this luxury brand of gin.

Buying it at the duty-free shop for £24.99

would, according to the price tag,

save us £6.25 on the average high-street cost.

But on the day we checked,

all the six biggest supermarket chains

were selling it cheaper -

in one case, for just £18.

That's £6.99 less than in duty free.

But our research did also throw up

some genuine bargains on offer at World Duty Free.

This ladies' scent, for example -

the cheapest high-street price we could find it for was £64.

But in duty free, it was nearly £20 less, at £44.95.

Likewise, this men's eau de toilette was £9.90 cheaper at duty free

than anywhere else we checked.

And other sure-fire duty-free winners are cigarettes and tobacco.

Because of the health risks,

these products carry a lot of government duty

to discourage us from smoking.

But once that duty's removed,

if you're taking them outside of the EU,

you're likely to make big savings.

As an example, on the day we checked, World Duty Free

was selling 200 Lambert & Butler king size cigarettes for £57

to anyone travelling outside of the EU,

but the cheapest we could find them for elsewhere was £84.64.

When we asked World Duty Free about our findings,

the store told us that,

while supermarkets and high-street retailers

might lay on "limited time only" low-price deals,

with prices fluctuating over time,

a duty-free retailer is able to offer

"fantastic value consistently all year".

It said in a retail landscape

dominated by the "tactical discounting" of big stores,

it doesn't claim its products will always be the cheapest,

but compares its prices to the usual ones on the high street,

when specific products are not on promotion.

And it said our checks,

done in the week of Black Friday in November,

were at a high point of the year for discounting,

when high-street prices "change on a daily basis".

The store went on to say that under its price promise,

it will refund the difference

if you find identical goods cheaper on the high street

within 28 days.

So, should we spend or save at the airport?

Sarah Pennells has this advice to help you decide

whether what you're about to buy is a true bargain or not.

Next time you're going on holiday,

I'd say that you should do all your research

before you get to the airport, if you can.

Check the prices of things that you buy regularly,

so you know whether you're actually making a saving.

Don't buy something just because you're in the airport

and you're already in holiday mode.

You can always check the prices

using your smartphone in the airport

and, for goodness' sake, don't just fall for the fact

that it says it's a bargain and you're saving money.

You may find you're making no saving,

or even spending more than you need to.

Our travel expert, Simon Calder, is sharing his top tips

on favourite destinations across the globe.

This time - Turkey.

It's one of the great crossroads of the world,

where Asia meets Europe,

and, on an average day, an astonishing 100,000 visitors arrive

from abroad to enjoy the beaches, culture, and fabulous food.

Before you're allowed on the plane to Turkey, you'll need one of these.

It's an e-visa and it costs 20 US dollars - that's about £13 or £14 -

but it's quick and easy to apply for online.

But beware - there's lots of unofficial sites

that could charge you an awful lot more.

For instance, I've just tapped "visa Turkey" into a search engine,

and the very first result is an agent

that wants to charge me five times the going rate.

So make sure you're dealing with the official Republic of Turkey.

Once you've made it onto Turkish soil,

it's worth seeing more than just the sea.

Forget those organised, expensive package excursions

and, instead, do it yourself with the help of Turkey's very efficient,

reliable and clean intercity buses.

They're also very cheap.

Take the 75-minute journey from the resort of Kusadasi

to the intriguing city of Izmir.

It costs less than £4, you'll get in-bus movies,

an attendant will bring you drinks and snacks.

You might even get free Wi-Fi.

Izmir is Turkey's third-largest city,

with plenty to keep you busy on a day trip,

and there's one sight that won't cost you a single penny.

Tired of pounding the streets?

Achieve some altitude with the help of the beautiful Asansor.

This century-old lift is free to ride and, at the top,

provides some of the finest views of the city.

We're back at our pop-up shop.

Next in line to see our travel expert Simon Calder

were Sam and Jenny Smith.

They came to see if Simon could shed any further light

on why, after paying extra to pre-book seats

on a flight to New York,

they HADN'T got the ones they were expecting.

We paid £26 each way, each,

which worked out at £104, and we selected our seat

from a configuration they'd got on the internet.

They looked to be near to the bulkhead,

and we thought, whilst it's not an extra-legroom seat,

normally there's that little extra where you can turn your ankles

a bit on a long flight.

We went down to Heathrow, got on the plane,

and they showed us to our seat,

and instead of getting on this lovely bulkhead seat,

we were in the row behind.

At the end of the day, we paid this money, £104 -

we didn't get what we'd booked.

I would never, ever pay a penny

to sit in a particular seat on a plane.

I know I've got my ticket,

so unless it's overbooked, I know I'm going to get a seat.

Mind you, if you are going to book your seats,

and I know lots of people want to do,

pay attention to the seat charts.

I've actually had a look at the plane you were on.

You were trying to book those seats there, D and E,

but, in fact, you were booking them in the row behind.

They've drawn little, tiny black faint lines,

which, with your magnifying glass, you'll be able to see.

So you thought you had those ones. In fact, you had those ones.

When the airline eventually got back to you,

and said you can't have any money back because that's what you booked,

they were right.

Just suppose you'd been going for some extra-legroom seats,

you would have had to pay an awful lot more than £26.

The going rate at the moment is about £50 for those seats.

So, I think you can just put it down to experience, I'm afraid.

Buyer beware, and of course, you have the prerogative

to take your money elsewhere.

Thankfully, the route you flew on, London to New York,

is the most competitive

international air route in the world,

and there's about eight great airlines

that will take you on the same journey.

But Simon had more positive news for Caroline Murphy,

who came in with the same problem

we heard about earlier in the programme.

She'd been left out of pocket

when a flight home from Turkey was delayed.

It was a couple of years ago, on the way back.

We got onto the plane and we were on the plane for nearly two hours.

-Was it a UK airline?

-It was, yeah.

OK, that's good news so far. So, tell us what happened.

They sat us in the airport for nearly two hours again.

So the plane was broken, you sat on it like lemons.

-Yeah.

-They eventually said, "Right, everybody off.

"We'll put you in the terminal, still trying to fix the thing..."

They gave us some food,

then eventually they got us into a hotel,

-which was, like, one in the morning.

-Oh, no!

We were just exhausted, and I was a day late for work.

-So you missed a day's work?

-I did, yeah.

OK, so the airline then came around

and gave you your compensation, I presume?

No, I didn't get nothing.

-Because...

-Didn't even get a letter of apology.

Well, you can expect quite a lot more than that.

If it's a delay caused by a technical problem,

the law absolutely, strictly says

they owe you compensation,

as long as you're either flying from an EU airport,

which you weren't, or you're on an EU airline, which you were,

so they owe you 400 euros for that.

-Right!

-It doesn't matter too much if you haven't still got the ticket,

as long as you've got some record of having made the trip,

so well worth doing, they owe you the money,

and, clearly, they didn't tell you about it, but it's yours to claim.

Good luck with it, and don't give up. It's your money.

Yeah, it is. Thank you very much.

If you want any extra information about how to deal with

problems that you've had with a flight, say, or an airline,

whether you think they're trying

to dodge the compensation you think you're due,

or you feel that you haven't been treated fairly,

there's plenty of very useful advice on our website...

..where you'll also find information

on some of the other issues that our experts tackled at our pop-up shop.

If you have a story you'd like us to investigate,

then get in touch with us via our Facebook page,

our website,

or e-mail us.

Or, if you want to send us a letter,

then our address is...

Well, as someone who can never resist

a bit of retail therapy at the airport -

in fact, these were bought on the way out here -

I was really interested to see that I might get a better bargain

at the supermarket rather than at duty free.

But, I suppose, in a way, I shouldn't be surprised

because, at the airport, we're a kind of captive market, aren't we?

So, I suppose it begs the question -

why would they always give us the better bargain, anyway?

And the other thing is that it just goes to show what we always say -

don't take everything at face value.

And, of course, smartphones and tablets

mean that we can ALL do our own price comparisons these days

right on the spot, so it's easy to see

when you're REALLY making a saving.

Well, I'm afraid that's about it from us for today,

but please do keep all your letters and e-mails coming.

And, of course, let us know if, in spite of what the courts have ruled,

an airline tries to deny you compensation after a lengthy delay.

Well, as I say, that's where we have to leave it for today,

but we will be back investigating even more of your stories very soon,

-so until then, from all of us, bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye.