Airport Guide to Duty-Free Bargains

SUMMER travelers abroad who somehow manage to avoid unloading every available cent during their trip get a last chance to do so at the final stop before returning to the U.S.: the duty-free shops at practically every large international airport. The foreign-flight waiting rooms in these terminals are technically international territory, and concessionaires operating in them are not required to charge taxes. Most specialize in heavily taxed items, especially liquor, tobacco, cosmetics and perfume. But at some airports the careful shopper can also pick up excellent buys in cameras, radios, tape recorders, French cashmere sweaters, British woolen yard goods, Swiss watches and leather handbags, to name a few of the more widely available goodies. Some tips on airport emporiums:

LIQUOR. Returning U.S. citizens are limited by customs to one quart of duty-free spirits per person, so it hardly ever makes sense to buy more than that amount of hard liquor. But wines and other low-alcohol drinks are taxed at a much lower rate than, say, Scotch. Thus lovers of good sherry, port or Bordeaux might find it worthwhile to lug more than one bottle back to the U.S. Oddly enough, local libations are not necessarily cheapest at home: Beefeater gin sells for $3.80 a quart at London's Heathrow Airport, but for only $2.50 at Paris' Orly and $2.85 at Amsterdam's Schiphol. Popular brands of Scotch generally sell for $4 to $5 per quart in Europe, Africa and Asia.

TOBACCO. Cigarettes, which can be brought back to the U.S. in "reasonable" quantities, are priced lowest at the duty-free shops in Shannon, Johannesburg and Tokyo ($2.40 per carton). Elsewhere they cost 25-c- to $1 more. Caution: locally manufactured versions of many U.S. brands are sold in parts of Europe and Africa. To some Americans they do not taste the same as their regular smokes. The point of manufacture is printed on each carton.

CAMERAS. Prices are lowest in Tokyo's international airport at Haneda, but travelers to Japan would probably do better to make their purchase at one of the many camera stores in every big city, where the selection is much broader and prices almost the same. Sample prices at the airport: Nikkormat 35-mm. FTN with f-1.4 lens, $172. The same camera costs $268 at Amsterdam's Schiphol and $260 at Shannon, but it is still a bargain at either place compared with its $388 retail price in the U.S.

LOCAL CRAFT WORK. Since such items are normally not heavily taxed in the country of origin, they are usually not a bargain at the airport. Nevertheless, anyone who forgot to get something for Aunt Minnie can airport-shop for Indian applique work in Panama ($8), Welsh tapestry cloth in London ($7), Eskimo carvings in Montreal and local indigo-printed cloth in Nairobi ($10). Also available at some duty-free shops: locally produced canned delicacies.

Europe's most elaborate duty-free shops are at Shannon airport in Ireland and Amsterdam's Schiphol. Visitors to the ould sod--even those in transit--can browse through huge quantities of bulky hand-knit sweaters ($19.75 and up), Connemara blankets ($9.75), Royal Tara china and linen. The same merchandise is taxed up to 17% outside the duty-free area, but occasionally it can be found on sale for less than airport prices. Amsterdam's 25-store operation is a veritable shopping center, offering unset diamonds, a large selection of Dutch silverware, typewriters, electronic calculators and film projectors, besides standard items. Also in stock: more than a dozen models of European cars and motorcycles (available to Americans only) that enable customers to get on with the real purpose of their trip: seeing Europe.

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