With the biggest expense while traveling typically being the flight itself, airports and other transportation hotspots are often set up to milk their travelers for as much money as they can. From paid parking to snack carousels, travelers are bound to spend extra money before boarding making their way onto their often-expensive flights.
Shockingly, the average traveler will spend up to $140 at the airport for expenses like snacks, water, lounges, extra bags, and parking. But, it’s not their fault — there’s a much larger strategy at play that helps airports to make this extra money.
Financial expert George Kamel breaks down these extreme markups and the discrete infrastructure of airports, reminding travelers of important ways to save money while traveling.
This financial expert revealed the insane mark-ups airports make on their snacks — and encourages travelers to bring their own.
In a TikTok posted amidst the holiday travel rush, Kamel filmed himself comparing the prices of airport snacks with their retail price at the average grocery store. From pistachios to coffee, he revealed the shocking upcharges airports were making on their travelers' food.
“This ‘Frappuccino’ is $6.75, but you can buy it right now at Kroger for $3.69 — scam,” he says about a popular coffee choice. That’s far from the only snack he compares. He also holds up a bag of pistachios, marked at almost $20 in the airport when the same bag is only $5 at typical grocers.
The insane and incomprehensible truth is that people are buying these snacks, regardless of their prices — in fact, almost half of airport travelers purchase some kind of snack or meal while at the airport.
Many airport snacks have prices marked up over 100 percent from their typical price at the average grocery store.
Despite the incredible upcharges airports make to their airport snacks and meals, people are purchasing them. Whether it be to supplement rigid food options on the plane, or for mere convenience, airport snacks are flying off the shelves.
While you’re drinking a $20 beer or snacking on some overpriced pistachios, you’re probably more focused on your trip ahead than making a fuss about the pricing. But, don’t worry — they’re not being overlooked.
The Port Authority, the agency responsible for overseeing many travel hubs in New York and New Jersey such as JFK, released a “vendor policy guide” in May 2022 meant to crack down on the overpricing and extreme mark-ups of airport snacks, meals, and beverages. With the new policy in effect, vendors are urged not to mark up food and drink by more than “10 percent from street prices” and are encouraged to adopt more affordable snacks for travelers.
To help combat the convenience problem for many passengers, JFK released a new website aimed at helping travelers find cheap options for essentials like food and water.
High turnover, rent fees, and higher security checks are partly to blame for the outrageous airport snack markups.
Airports don’t just increase their prices for no reason, despite popular opinion. Studies on airport prices reveal several reasons for their markups, and a lot of it has to do with their employees.
Not only do vendors in airports have to pay high amounts in rent for their space, but they also have increased employee turnover rates. For the employees that do stay, they have to account for the extra time and money it takes for them to park, make their way through security, and work strange and often long shifts.
So, while we might be getting the sharp end of the stick as travelers — at least there’s a little peace of mind that they’re not increasing the prices for nothing.
Outside of bringing your own snacks, there are several ‘airport hacks’ that can help travelers to save money.
While Kamel suggests bringing your own food through security to snack on at the airport — a tip many forget is possible — there are several other ways to save money while traveling.
TikToker @rachandlaurexplore shared a few of these tips that she utilizes when flying from an airport, the first being public transportation. Instead of spending money on gas and parking at the airport, utilizing a train or bus route to the airport can be a cheaper alternative.
In addition, she says she often packs her own food and never forgets her reusable water bottle for the airport. Parking, airport snacks, and water are the three biggest airport expenses for travelers, all of which can be alleviated with a little bit of extra planning.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture analysis and human interest stories.
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