You’re a careful traveler, so you arrive at the airport with plenty of time and without any prohibited liquids, such that you get through security easily. But then what happens? Faced with several hours of free time, you might settle in at the gate to scan social media or watch a downloaded movie, but at some point, you also might get hungry or a little bored. And then what? As various memes imply, the rules go out the window when it comes to snacking and consuming in the airport. If the only food outlet open is a hamburger joint, people will scarf down a cheeseburger for breakfast. They will start drinking alcohol well before they would ever do on a regular weekday, and they will indulge in cinnamon buns or donuts that are strictly forbidden in their normal healthy diets.

Such choices likely reflect the unique consumption context that an airport implies. Especially for leisure travelers, arriving at the airport seems like the start of vacation, when most people loosen their self-imposed consumption or behavioral rules. They already are willing to make changes to their regular diets and try new things, because their goal is explicitly to take a break and leave behind their day-to-day, regular lives.

But along with these unconventional and experimental consumption choices, travelers also appear willing to pay far more, even for the same candy bar or magazine, than they would ever expect to pay in their local grocery store. In turn, conveniently located storefronts in terminals can charge much higher prices. A recent, lighthearted (and unscientific) survey of the prices for buying a bag of Chex Mix in different airports revealed just how much higher. Posting on X, a frequent traveler noted that, for the same 8.75-ounce bag, she paid $4.76 at Dallas Fort Worth airport, $5.99 in Indianapolis, and a whopping $9.99 at LaGuardia. Others quickly chimed in too, revealing that Bostonians could grab some Chex Mix at Logan Airport for $5.69, but Chicagoans were out of luck: At both O’Hare and Midway, the snack bag cost more than $12.

Although many fliers might seem willing to pay such prices, some rules are in place to protect these largely captive audiences. Many municipalities subject sellers in public transportation settings to what is referred to as “street pricing plus” standards. That is, they can add a mark-up—which acknowledges that many of these retailers pay substantial fees to be able to operate in the airport—but the increase they impose cannot exceed some set percentage above what a vendor in that area would normally charge. For example, in Los Angeles, the vendors can add an 18 percent upcharge. But in Portland and Salt Lake City, local legislation demands that they charge only the street pricing rate, without any designated “plus” amount.

Of course, even if they have to dump their drinks, travelers could just bring healthy, affordable food items from home. But when the rules no longer apply, and consumers feel free to indulge in ways they would never do in their regular lives, who wants the boring snacks that they have at home?

Discussion Questions

1. Do you indulge more (whether in terms of what you buy or how much you pay) when you travel?
2. What is a reasonable price markup for vendors in an airport? That is, should they be allowed to charge more than the “street price” level?

Sources: Natalie B. Compton, “Chex Mix Has Become the Symbol of Overpriced Airport Snacks,” The Washington Post, February 7, 2024