I just paid 4.10 euros ($5.90) for half a focaccia sandwich and a cup of coffee near the gate to the airplane for the second flight of my trip.
The price was outrageous, and the sandwich was barely mediocre. But given the value of my time, plus the hassle of going through security again, it wasn’t sensible for me to go to the main part of the airport to grab breakfast.
My demand is quite inelastic, and the near monopolist at this smaller airport is taking advantage of that. I know that the price in the main part of the airport is lower for the same quality food, and the average quality is better too. I wonder: is this generally true?
The only exception I’ve ever encountered to this rule is the superb Wolfgang Puck restaurant inside security in the American Airlines terminal at O’Hare Airport.
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The McNamara terminal in Detroit Metro Airport, which services Delta (formerly Northwest), actually has a very good selection of restaurants in the gate area, and has no food choices at all before security. I suspect that as new terminals are built in the post-9/11 era, this will become the norm. Especially because you are no longer allowed to bring any beverages through security.
The prices are definitely inflate to a degree — maybe 25% more expensive than in the real world — but it is not the $28 tuna sandwich that Jerry Seinfeld used to talk about.
FYI, the Wolfgang Puck branded sandwiches at airports are not good.
A number of airports have outside price guarantees, meaning there is no obvious markup over outside world prices.
Many posts here seem to think that the traveller is at the mercy of the food vendor. But you can bet the food vendor pays a very high price for his space in the terminal, and probably goes through the security nonsense too.
I also feel the same way about complaining about the food on the airplane. Whatever you get to eat while flying at 85% the speed of sound 10 kilometers in the sky is a miracle, but perhaps not a culinary miracle.
Me; I’d take a food pellet and a knockout pill and be done with it. Sorry if I drool on you.
MSP (Minneapolis) has some great food options beyond security and very few before security (I think they just opened a new restaurant before security b/c they realized the imbalance). In addition to the usual chains, there are two outposts of the local French Meadow Bakery (organic, great salads, sandwiches, and desserts – and very vegetarian friendly), plus a D’Amico takeout place (also local).
Unfortunately, I typically fly out of Richmond (RIC), where the options are minimal. Thankfully they realized that they needed three Caribou Coffees – one on each concourse and one before security – rather than forcing people flying out of one concourse to down their coffee quickly before heading for the TSA checkpoint.
The most mind-boggling to me is LAX. While their separate terminals for different airlines makes the security more bearable, the lack of a central location past security results in far fewer food options than most airports. Add in that most of the restaurants that do exist close at 10:00 sharp, it makes food options for red eyes almost non-existent. I can’t figure out why the restaurants don’t see this lack of supply and stay open later with their jacked-up prices… I guess they make enough during the day that it’s just not worth it. Worst pricing I’ve seen there; $4 for a normally $.75 bag of pretzels.
Try Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International airport’s then, some people said they’re better than most airports, though locals still say they’re overpriced and not good enough.
If I could just put my carry-ons in a locker once past security (what happened to lockers? You’ve already *been* through my bag!), I wouldn’t mind heading to a restaurant in an outside-security area (especially if there was a “no-bags” line-hop option for the return trip).
Who else hates putting their bags down into “What got spilled there?”
I have fond memories from my travelling days of “Blue Burrito” at the Phoenixe airport – I think in the United Terminal. Does anyone know if it’s still there?