However, that won’t be the case any longer…
Port Authority’s new policy will enforce a price cap on concessions to follow “local, off-airport ‘street prices’ plus a maximum surcharge of 10 percent” in order to bring down airport’s infamous food & drink prices, while still allowing airport vendors to succeed.
The revised policy is in response to previous reported concessionaire violations. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) came across a complaint on social media back in July 2021 for a beer priced at $27 in Terminal C. The OIG concluded the vendor was using an “erroneously added surcharge on top of an inflated base price.”
On top of the excessive prices some airport vendors were charging, the OIG found the former ‘street pricing’ policy lacked clarity and specificity for concessionaries to follow.
The OIG hopes to alleviate such findings with this new policy providing further explanation and processes. “All airport customers should rightly expect that policies which limit the pricing of food and beverages at concessions will be followed and enforced,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Nobody should have to fork over such an exorbitant amount for a beer.”
Port Authority promises “tough pro-active enforcement” and routine monitoring of concession prices to ensure that the new policy is being followed. In addition to the revised ‘street pricing’ policy, vendors must offer a range of lower-priced food and drink options to cater towards a larger amount of airport customers.
“In addition to outlining clear, specific and detailed steps that must be followed to adhere to the street pricing policy, it also redoubles the emphasis on including lower-priced value items at every concessionaire. The Agency is grateful for the work of the independent Inspector General for pointing out the flaws of the previous policy and recommending some key ways to rectify it,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton.
Furthermore, Port Authority has launched the “We Value You Program” to ensure a value-for-money framework that will provide airport customers with a world-class dining experience in relation to quality, service, and more.
Find out more specifics on the new policy in the Port Authority’s press release here.