By Dom Serafini
’Tis the season to be jolly. ’Tis also the season for air travel in unfavorable weather — cold in the Northern Hemisphere, hot in the Southern.
I must say, however, that I like air travel. What I don’t like are the airports — and that is in any city, country, or season. It’s usually at least a two-hour ordeal (not counting the time and effort it takes for me to get to the airport) until I’m finally in my seat on an airplane, and then, not even the incessantly loud cry of a baby, the cold air emanating from the emergency door in the emergency aisle (my preferred seat), the terrible airplane food, the dark over-brewed tea, or even drinks with ice cubes can bother me.
What bothers me, though, are the airports’ chaotic passenger drop-off areas, the too few attendants at the check-in desks, the unmanageable security zone, the unintelligible announcements over the PA systems, and the disinterest of the boarding area personnel. And above all, what bothers me the most are the outrageous prices of food and beverages found at various airport stores.
Fifteen dollars for a yogurt with granola? Four dollars for a small coffee? Five dollars for a tiny bottle of water? Yes, at airports like LAX in Los Angeles, JFK in New York City, or MXP in Milan, Italy, one could shop around among several competing shops, but the time-consuming attempt at saving a buck won’t amount to much. (Milan tends to be cheaper than LAX or JFK, but prices are still exorbitant.)
Stores blame the high cost of their products on the increased rents and concession fees that airports charge them, which can be three times higher than in normal settings, which means that duty-free items are cheaper than those available on the city streets only if the sales taxes are very high.
All of this makes me jump to a conclusion. Airports are not built as a public service or to benefit passengers, but are sites where discomfort is created on purpose in order to be monetized. Indeed, only by creating hardship will travelers be willing to spend exorbitant amounts of money just to get some comfort. And let’s not get me going on deplaning, reaching the border control, going through the passport check, the baggage claim operation, and the long and often confusing lines for a taxi!
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