Skift Take
Airports are ramping up their retail offerings both to become destinations in their own right and squeeze a profit out of flyers listlessly waiting around. Whether it's as successful as this Times trend piece argues is another matter.
Airport shopping used to be mainly for the desperate or bored. But as airports seek to generate more revenue, they have been expanding their offerings of stores and other services, and some time-constrained business travelers now say they find gift-worthy items before their flights.
Places that were once found only in the heart of cities are now setting up outposts in airports.
Mike Lowrey, an employee of Renaissance Books, said it was among the airport’s few remaining independent stores, defying what had been the common belief that “the only thing business travelers’ delicate sensibilities can bear are familiar, upscale, nationally advertised, brands.”
The Daily Newsletter
Our daily coverage of the global travel industry. Written by editors and analysts from across Skift’s brands.
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Tags: holidays, retail, shopping
Photo credit: The Ginpo Airport in Seoul during the holiday season. Makoto Nakashima / Flickr.com