Why airport food is so expensive

In fact, you may even stumble across airport restaurants owned by Michelin-starred chefs such as Wolfgang Puck. The downside to this obviously is that the fees and commissions tacked onto high-end food are greater than the fees and commissions tacked onto cheaper food.

Plain and simple, airports make a lot more money on higher-quality food. Discounted food is next to none at airports, so the best way to save money is by purchasing food before arriving at an airport and carrying it in with you. When it comes to liquid ps, you can take up to 3. Therefore, I recommend bringing an empty reusable water bottle with you so that you can fill it up at a water fountain once you pass through security.

Some credit card companies offer airport lounge benefits. For example, my travel credit card of choice is the American Express Platinum. Airport lounges are a great place to load up on complimentary drinks and snacks before a flight. Similarly, it may behoove you to focus on one airline program.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Travel Discussion. The 6 annoying reasons why airport food is so expensive. Table of Contents. Share Tweet Pin Share Reddit. Airport food bores a hole in our pockets and is likely to do so in the near future as well. And all because of the following reasons.

Airports are high-security zones which means that most passengers cannot get their own food. This also means that demands are high for food and beverages. Now, airports also have limited resources, owing to a combination of reasons.

This means that the supply is less and cannot meet the demand. And obviously, when demand supersedes supply, prices surge. A retail outlet is opened in an airport on a premium. When a retail spot opens up in an airport, the city puts out a Request for Proposal RFP and opens it up for bids. An aspiring restaurant or storefront must declare a Minimum Annual Guarantee MAG , or a base amount it pledges to pay the airport each year, based on set percentages of projected sales.

Once a business manages to beat out competitors and lock down a location, it faces another hurdle: Extreme construction and remodeling costs. There are a lot of precautions to take. These extra costs are factored into the prices we pay for a water bottle, a breakfast burrito, or a pack of earplugs. Some 3. This growth, and the relatively outdated nature of airport retail, presents an interesting opportunity for entrepreneurs. Mobile apps that deliver food directly to boarding areas like At Your Gate and Airport Sherpa are already making their way into the space.

Privacy policy. Generic filters Hidden label. Hidden label. Why is airport food so expensive? The reasons you pay a massive markup on a water bottle are more complex than you might think. By: Zachary Crockett zzcrockett. Heaven forbid you need a neck pillow, earplugs, or some Advil… What exactly makes airports so expensive? Forcing us to snake our way through duty-free shops to get to our gates. Who knew airport ice cream could be so popular? Before you jump in, just remember to remove your shoes and belt.

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