Rip off airports - lets name and shame

[tb10er]

I'll start with Dalaman (DLM).

We were warned that food prices were steep, but they were unbeleivable.

Take for example an McDondald's meal (no, I didn't want one). A few miles down the road it was 10ytl (approx £4.80). At the airport, 22ytl.

A small bottle of water which could be bought in the market for 0.25ytl, selling for 4ytl.

Needless to say we did our bit and boycotted the food places.

:yuk:

[Seat62K]

Good idea for a thread. If one is referring specifically to food and drink, Spanish airports are poor value. Try getting a small (50cl) bottle of water for under around 1.3 euros. The franchises and/or AENA must be raking it in...... (By the way, given that you can't take water through security, I'd have thought there is a strong case for airports to provide water for passengers.)

[Founder]

I can add to this that Stockholm Arlanda is also one very very expensive airport, at least after you've passed through security. One fanta for example is well above 2 euro. I bought one sandwich and one fanta for 9 euro there a few weeks ago...

[azzbo]

Norwich. Not only is the tax one of the highest in the UK but you have to pay £5 to enter departures at the airport (on top of everything else). If only Stansted was slightly closer...

[strake]

What azzbo said....

Unbelieveable rip-off...so much so, they now have permanent machines installed to take departure tax.

[clareprop]

A-ha, so I am not the only one to be annoyed at Norwich airport.
I go through there twice a month with a colleague...because we have to. That's £24 just for the privilege..!

[Rollingthunder]

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Vancouver Intl. 160 shops and restaurants. They are prohibited by the terms of their leases from charging higher prices than exist in their establishments in the city.

Apparel
BC Sports Zone
Mountain Style Shop
Northern Impressions
Roots


Books, Music & Newsstands
Daily News
Great Canadian Book Company
Hudson News
Hudson News and Euro Café
Jetway Café & News
News II You
Pacific Coast News
Relay
Sea to Sky News
Vancouver News
Vancouver News Connection
Virgin Books & Music


Confectionery
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory
Tidbits Retail Cart


Convenience
7-Eleven
BC Lottery Ticket Centre
West Coast Liquor Store


Fashion Accessories
$15 Boutique
Charmed Designs Retail Cart
The Shop
Tickers Watches Retail Cart
Tie Rack


Flower Shops
Salamandra Flowers
Vancouver Airport Florist


Golf Shop
PGA Tour Shop


Personal Care
Crabtree & Evelyn
The Body Shop


Souvenirs & Gifts
British Columbia and Beyond
Christmas in Vancouver
Designer Option Sunglasses
Discover Vancouver
Discovery Channel
Gifts of the Raven
Kids Works
Moda Italia
Postcards from Vancouver
Tic Toc
Vancouver Kitchen


Specialty Foods
The Fish Market
Vancouver Marketplace


Travel Accessories
Bentley's Leather


Vancouver 2010 Official Licensed Merchandise
The Olympic Store

Bars & Restaurants
Hanami Japanese Restaurant
Jetside Bar
Koho Restaurant and Bar
Medallist Bar & Grill
Palomino Bar & Grill
Stanley's Happy Landing Lounge
Voyages


Casual Dining
Galiano Café and Bakery
Legends Bar & Grill
Milestone's Restaurant & Bar
Pacific Grill


Coffee Bars
Green Bean Café
Hudson News and Euro Café
Starbucks
Toast! Café


Fast Food
A&W
Burger King
Cinnabon
Flying Wedge Pizza
Fortune Wok
Hanami Cafe/Hanami Asian Cuisine
Hanami Express
Harvey's / Swiss Chalet
Jetway Café & News
OPA! Souvlaki of Greece
Orange Julius
Skyway Café
Subway
Sunshine Coast Juice Company
Tim Hortons
Toshi Teppanyaki Express
Wok n' Roll


Fine Dining
Globe@YVR

[PAXboy]

It was in the mid 1990s, if memory serves, that BAA had a big advertising effort to prove that the prices in their shops were the same or lower than in the High Street.

That's one advertising campaign they won't be dusting off to run again ... :rolleyes:

[The Real Slim Shady]

Knock Ireland West

Just before you go through to security they sting you for a 10€ Airport Development Fee!

[ryansf]

Monastir in Tunisia!

Due to the Dinar being a closed currency, they only accept Pounds, Euros and Dollards airside - only in note-form! And also the prices are still in Dinars! :confused: After buying a sandwich and a coke for the value of about £2, I received change in the form of a £5 note from a £10.

[man friday]

De gaulle,

two sarnies, with the gastronomic properties of cardboard, a bottle of water, bottle of coke and a pack of crisps cost the best part of 40 euros.

the selection of catering airside is poor, especially for a nation that rates its self in the kitchen.

[k3lvc]

It was in the mid 1990s, if memory serves, that BAA had a big advertising effort to prove that the prices in their shops were the same or lower than in the High Street.

That's one advertising campaign they won't be dusting off to run again ... http://static.pprune.org/forums/images/smilies2/icon_rolleyes.gif

Seem to remember BAA still make this claim but can't find any online advertising for it - know they had to thighten up their advertising after this adjudication from the Advertising Standards Authority

BAA plc (http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_43093.htm)

[dontpressthat]

What about parking???

Seem to remember coughing up in the region of £18 to park for a few hours at EMA earlier this year... OUCH!!

DPT

[Seat62K]

Yes, parking! I have occasionally paid more for my parking at STN (£23 in short stay) than for my return flight (£10 of which is APD). Crazy!

[dazdaz]

Not sure if most posts are referring to pre-boarding the a/c. Myself, have a great 'dodge' on a/c for free water. Carry an Asprin. Under EU legislation the company are required to supply free water when a pax requires to take their medication. 99% of times free bottle of water. Trust me it works.

Daz

[kingston_toon]

Bourgas Airport was eye-wateringly expensive for a sandwich and a beer airside. I can't remember the exact cost but I wasn't the only one remarking on it in the queue to be served. For the record, this was in Costa... the more local-looking cafe upstairs was closed. :(

[trickii]

I nominate the airport in Vancouver British Collumbia who don't inform the passengers that suddenly there is a not soo cheap departure tax before you get on the Plane.No doubt someone managed to convince the govenor for personal gain in rip off Alley. I don't pay £5 for a cup of coffee anymore at Geneva and assume that all airports in western Europe are at least someway in competition on prices.I could never understand who would leave stale food out day and night because they fail to cut the prices to shift it.Maybe McDonalds is doing us all a favour by opening up in/near airports to provide downward price pressures on the local collections?:ugh:

[Impress to inflate]

I used to fly out of Terminal 4 Heathrow 4 times a year and what a rip off. I would fly out once a year with my family on long-long haul and have a six hour transit stop at T4. Try feeding three young kids at at T4, you can't !! I believe they may now have a family style place to eat but I bet it ain't cheap.

Dili has to be a rip off as well. $25 entrance tax and $10 departure tax. The cow at the bag xray machine then asks for another $10 departure tax, a scam she tries with everybody. Last time she tried it on me, I call her bluff then told the old lady in the departure lounge about her scam. Old biddy went back and caused a scene demanding her $10 back. Good on her.

Niigata a :mad: hole. Got stuck there 16 years ago. A coffee and a small bar a choc cost the same as a small house. I was looking forward to looking at the duty free as I thought it would be full of the latest Japanese gadgets but what a shock. Swatch watches was all they sold.

[jack_essex]

I do believe that ALL airports sell food/drink at completely over the top prices. Flying back from Reus, the last flight of the day and only one shop and one restaurant open. A bottle of water was about 3 Euros, a sandwich near 7 Euros and if you even thought about a bottle/glass of wine you would have to take a loan out! Considering the flight cost £5 including all taxes and charges you could end up paying close to £15/20 just to get something to eat and drink. This of course, does not just apply to Reus, but to most airports in general.

[Saintsman]

When you get your ticket, why do you have to go straight through to departure? Stay land side until just before boarding and you can drink the bottle of water you brought with you and eat the sandwiches that you purchased in the supermarket before you set off. If people didn't pay the high prices they might start becomming more reasonable.

[Al Fakhem]

Bombay Airport (both Santa Cruz domestic and Sahar international). As there are no shops or F/B outlets landside, you have to go airside and pay the princely sum of Rs 350 for a 330 ml bottle of beer - that's US$ 8.50. Completely ridiculous, given the low labour cost.

[WHBM]

A particular rip-off is airport parking charges and the way they are tapered.

Say it is £1 per hour up to 10 hours, levelling off there at £10 per day.

However if you park for just over 24 hours it is not assessed as 1 day plus the hours, but two days, so jumps from £10 to £20.

It is particularly significant because of the number of passengers who depart on an outbound flight, then return on the inbound working of that flighta day or so later, so they have parked for just over the 24 hours.

[call100]

I do believe that ALL airports sell food/drink at completely over the top prices.
Airports don't sell any food or drink. You buy it from the outlets that are not owned by the airport company.

[Luke0705]

I saw this thread and though ill put dalaman in, low and behold its already in!!

15 YTL for packet of crisps (roughly £7) but it was in their currency so you cant spend it on anything else when your leaving!!

Still they shouldnt be alowed, we saw many people just walking off when the fast food workers prepared their order then asked for the money, I couldnt work their because i honestly would be so embarassed to ask for that amount!!

[Young and Stupid]

Well, for parking I have to nominate BHX. Ever since Glasgow, there's been no drop off point at BHX, so what they did was convert what was the short stay open air carpark into an even shorter stay carpark. Costs £1 for the first 20 minutes (even if you just stay for 10s) and then £4 for every subsequent 20 minutes.

[Boss Raptor]

I wouldnt say that anything either food or duty free shops was expensive - but several of the Duty Free concessions will now only take Euros refusing the local Romanian LEI which is not a lot of use to me when I have pockets of LEI and UK Pounds to go home with (so why the 'ell am I going to carry Euros on that trip or pay on my CC in Euros at rubbish exchange rate?!) - the manager's answer to that when I finally had enough and threw a wobbler 'well u can go and change some pounds or LEI to Euros over there...'

I now boycott those particular shops - how can they be allowed not to take their own national currency - there has to be an Euro exchange rate price hike somewhere?!

[WHBM]

Airports don't sell any food or drink. You buy it from the outlets that are not owned by the airport company.
Aha, many fall for that one.

The outlet structures are physically owned by the airport. The operators are just brought in to do the day-to-day running of them. There are a range of styles of contract but commonly the airport will try to jack the rental up as high as possible, discussing on the basis that there is a certain passenger flow, an assurance that the airport will not allow a rival, etc, while squeezing the store operators margin to the minimum. The bulk of the operation's margin goes to the airport.

This explains why, despite sky-high prices in the catering premises, you are nowadays invariably served by a minimum-wage oik with little grasp of English or food presentation.

An alternative is for the airport to take say 90% of the margin (yes, that high), after the operating expenses (stock, staff, overheads, etc). The operator gets 10% of the margin. THis is more tedious for the airport as they have to scrutinise the detailed operating costs, but can give them a still greater total take. There are a range of approaches for the pricing to be determined. Things like magazines with a price printed on them invariably get sold at standard price (apart from foreign ones with no UK price shown), everything else is a commercial judgement.

Car parks are invariably priced by the airport, despite them saying NCP, BCP, or whoever. They is just the actual day-to-day operator. "For the environment" has been a heaven-sent opportunity for airport owners to jack car parking prices sky-high and then say its for your own good.

[call100]

Yes I know that, I wasn't falling for anything just pointing out the fact that the Airport don't actually sell anything.
Since LOCO ops the airports have had to respond to the airlines demands for lower costs by obtaining revenue from other sources....If the public want LOCO then this is the only alternative for airports.