Ever experienced a stomach growling hunger right after the security check at the airport but that tiny samosa is priced at ₹300 and a sandwich is close to ₹500? Such a situation has probably happened to every traveler. However, why is it that airport food always makes your wallet thinner?
After you have passed through security, you cannot go back. Neither can you step out and get a cheap snack nor can you order from your favorite food delivery app. Inside the airport, you belong to the “captive market.”
Since there are only a few options and no competition from outside, the sellers can charge high prices, simply because they know you cannot turn to any other source. No matter whether you want biryani, coffee, or a chocolate bar, you have to pay for the convenience.
Being an operator at an airport is very different from being a café owner at a mall. The rent of the retail spaces at airports can be three to four times higher than that of regular mall spaces. In addition to that, the airport operators have to bear the cost of strict security clearances, specialized licenses, staff working for 24 hours a day, and the logistic restrictions that make it difficult for them to bring in food supplies.
Every single ingredient and every cup of coffee is subjected to multiple security checks and authorized suppliers. Inevitably, all these costs are transferred to you- the passenger.
At the food courts where the stalls are limited, the players are very few, and hence there is minimal, if any, price competition. While some government mechanisms such as Udan Yatri Cafés have tried to make the situation better by providing low-cost meals, these are still very few in number.
Most of the airport food industry, being led by private entities, is run with the prime focus on generating profit, rather than making the products affordable to the consumers.
There are no official limits imposed on the prices that airport food outlets can set, just like flight tickets. The only regulation of prices is the willingness of the customers to pay them.
As long as travelers keep purchasing expensive meals just because they want comfort and convenience, prices will remain at that level. The principle is very simple - demand determines the price.
Be reminded that the ₹500 sandwich is not only about the product materials - a part of it is for the premium rent, security, convenience, and lack of choice. Therefore, a takeaway before you get to the airport or just budgeting a little extra for the airport hunger pang might be a better idea.
