Airport Security Check at LHR

No.

Nope, it will have to go in your checked bag at LHR to go on to LAX. If your bag is checked through, you cannot take the wine onto the plane at LHR.

You guys sure? Most airports in the EU will put duty free in those specially sealed bags that let you take them through the security check. It would be odd for Madrid not to do that.

I think they still take all duty free and put it in a sealed bag when you get on the plane and you claim it after the flight. When we flew home from Argentina, they kept all of the duty free in sealed bags at the front of the plane and we had to claim it when we got off of the plane. When we landed in Atlanta on our way home from Buenos Aires and had to do customs/immigration, we had to put our wine in our checked bag at that point bc we had to go through a security checkpoint, which means no liquids over the 3oz rule, even if it's from duty free! They do give you your checked bags ahead of time so you just have to make sure you can stuff it in there.

I was told when I left Spain, connecting to another flight at LHR, that I could take a bottle of sidra onto the flight from Spain (via the sealed bag thing), but would have to put it in my luggage to go on to the US from LHR.

I think there are two questions here: 1) Can you buy the wine at a duty free price? Since you are travelling to London first, I think you may have to pay the higher price rather than the duty free price but I don't know the answer to this. 2) Can you take the purchase through the security check at LHR? I have the same understanding as Peter from Manchester. I thought that you could connect with duty-free purchases from the EU as long they remained in the sealed bag with the receipts. If you were connecting in the U.S., it would be a problem, but I thought I that changes had been made to allow connections in the EU. I've never bothered to try this so I don't have any first hand experience here with EU connections and liquids. When I flew out of Madrid two years ago, I did get the sealed bag and I carried it on the plane (unlike the Argentina experience that Angela described). I had a direct flight to the U.S. though. I thought the pickings at the duty free shop in Madrid were rather limited though.

As long as your purchased wine is in a duty free sealed bag you can take it on your flight to the U.S. providing you don't leave the secure area at Heathrow. Once you arrive in the U.S. you must put your wine in your checked luggage IF you are taking a U.S. connecting flight out of LAX. Avoid all the worries by purchasing a "wine skin" at your local liquor store (or on-line) and just check the darn thing. Course this involves buying it prior to checking in in MAD. How much of a price difference is it and is it worth it are considerations only you can make. I've brought olive oil home from Spain using a wine skin with no troubles. (I do put the sealed wine skin inside a giant ziplock bag just for extra insurance because I'm a bit of a "what if?" person.

Here is the answer I found on the Heathrow website in FAQ's: "Connections and transfers I am transferring through your airport. Can I carry liquid items in my hand luggage if they were purchased in the duty free store at my previous airport? If your journey involves transferring or transiting through any BAA airport, you may be permitted to carry liquids, aerosols or gels – including duty free – through security in either of the following cases:
1.The items have been bought in the passenger-only zone at an airport in the European Union*, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland, or on board an aircraft operated by an EU carrier or one from Norway, Iceland or Switzerland . The items must be packaged in a sealed tamper-proof bag provided by the airport/airline, inside of which is proof of purchase showing that the items were bought on the day of travel." So you "may" be able to take it though, provided it is sealed in the tamper-proof bag by the duty-free shop in Spain. But I did see someone have to discard his bottle of gin he said he purchased duty-free. maybe he opened the bag or something. Given the wine selection I have seen at duty-free shops, it sounds like a lot of trouble to me. I'd rather buy a nice bottle of local wine at a small shop and stick it in my checked luggage (we check going home only, so we can bring olive oil, wine, etc.)

Thank you all for the feedback.

Art; Sasha's answer is "spot-on". You most likely will go through security at LHR even though you are in transit. Seems every time you have to change terminals at LHR, which requires a security check. They are making accomodation for duty free, so go on the LHR website and verify. It is also important to note that on arrival to the US, most likely, you will need to put that same liquid into your checked bag, otherwise you will lose it at the security check. The exception would be if your arrival airport is your destination airport and that airport happens to have a direct exit that does not require re-checking your bag.

If you have an onward flight connecting at LHR, and your baggage is checked through you can carry your duty free - as long as it's in a sealed bag I fly from DUB - JFK/ EWR every month and usually end up flying through LHR with a bottle of Irish Whiskey(!) - never had a problem - although they do check the seal and date of sale on the duty free bag! BTW Never take the 8am flight from JFK to LHR and expect to make the flight to DUB... simply. physically. impossible to make the connection... still the hotel BA put you up in isn't too bad LOL