Book your vacation through Family Travel Concierge - info@familytc.com
It’s not surprising that airports have a collective bad rep. Flights are delayed, luggage is lost, babies cry, and food is often less than inspiring. But the good news is that it’s not all doom and gloom when it comes to today’s airport trends, and these negative perceptions could start to change as airports are increasingly focused on keeping travelers happy, entertained, and ESPECIALLY well-fed.
This year, more so than any other, airports have pushed to incorporate more varied restaurants and shops. As Mashable’s Travel Editor, Jessica Plautz, says, “One of the biggest complaints among airport travelers is a lack of options.” Though airports are primarily focusing on adding recognizable brands and celebrity chefs, plenty are bring in local favorites as well. This can help to “sell” travelers on the airport’s location – whether they plan to leave the terminal or just hang out until their next flight.
Adding Variety
It’s become increasingly clear that
dining variety in airports is crucial to costumer satisfaction. As Jacob Gross
reports in The New York Times Style Magazine, while only 7%
percent of passengers purchase food onboard, 55% dine in airports. In response
to this increase in traveler airport dining, there has been a 500% increase in
the amount of space in U.S. airports that is devoted to restaurants and bars
since the 1960s. But improvements to actual offerings is a much more recent
trend, occurring over the last few years. Well-known celebrity chefs, such as
Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, have expanded their restaurant empires to
airports, and 13 former contestants of Top Chef Masters currently own
real estate in airports worldwide.
Retail in airports has developed
similarly. Designer clothing brands have begun to infiltrate airport retail
space that was once dominated by newspaper kiosks and bookstores. Designers
such as Michael Kors are leading the way; he currently has about 50 airport
stores worldwide. “People still want to shop in physical destinations,”
Britteny Dee, a writer for Fashion Times, explains. “Airports have
become the perfect venue for brands to reach both new and loyal consumers
because there is guaranteed foot traffic.” And this foot traffic has increased;
in fact, it has doubled over the last 15 years. Airports also generally have a
more affluent, ready-to-spend crowd than your average shopping center, thanks
to the presence of international and business travelers. For large,
well-developed and well-recognized brands, opening an airport outlet is a
relatively low-risk endeavor.
Introducing Local
In 2014 in particular, however, the main
goal has shifted from solely bringing in well-known establishments, to bringing
in beloved local spots as well. Hildegarde Assies, co-founder of
airporttrends.com, points out that this is due in part to the recent decline in
consumer trust in large, national chains. For example, earlier this month,
Thrillist published a ranking of the best U.S. airports for food and drink; the
factor they weighted most heavily was the presence of regional cuisine.
Dallas/Forth Worth International, with its four barbecue restaurants, eight
Mexican options, eight bars, and outpost of Texas native Stephan Pyles’ Sky
Canyon, took the top spot. “The general consensus is that default airport food
outlets are not good,” said Plautz. “But places like the San Jose airport are
becoming their own destinations, with great additions like local restaurants in
the terminals.” Farley highlighted San Francisco International Airport. “With a
farmers market, that is truly a farmers market, in the terminal, it really
sells you on the San Francisco location right away,” she said.
 |
| Farmer's Market Cafe, SFO |
Taking a Cue from International Airports
It’s international airports that have
truly led the way with both the “going high-end” and “going local” trends.
Germany’s Stuttgart Airport is the only airport in the world to boast a
Michelin-starred restaurant, thanks to Top Air, a gourmet restaurant serving
innovative spins on Bavarian classics. Plautz referenced United Arab Emirates
airports as being ahead of the curve in high-end and local retail and dining as
well, and Heathrow’s Terminal 2 is also replete with luxury and local
shops and restaurants. Among other British favorites, Terminal 2 features The
Gorgeous Kitchen, opened this summer, which is run by a group of local chefs.
It also has numerous boutique shops helmed by local owners. Zurich
Airport highlights locally made products in its dining and retail areas by
dubbing them as either “Swissness” or “Zurichness.”
 |
| The Gorgeous Kitchen, London Heathrow Airport |
Trends Continuing into 2015
So U.S. airports may be slightly behind
the innovative game when compared to those in international markets, but a new
cycle of development has begun, and they are quickly catching up. Sure, some of
the more unfortunate trends may not be going away anytime soon. The
Federal Department of Transportation reports that domestic flight delays and
cancellations have increased by almost 10 percent in the last year. Nearly 400
TSA luggage handlers have been fired over the past decade for stealing from
passengers, and the significantly higher number of reported thefts implies that
it’s even more common. In 2010, Continental Airlines started the “no free food”
trend, and the money-saving strategy caught on; not one major airline today
offers free meals to coach passengers on domestic flights.
But at least travelers will be able to
find great food and retail before they board. Airports are going to continue to
add high-end and local airport dining and shopping in 2015. Earlier this month, United
Airlines announced its plans to completely overhaul Newark
Liberty Airport’s Terminal C by adding 55 new dining options. Many will be fine
dining, sit-down establishments helmed by the likes of renowned chefs such as
Alain Ducasse, Jose Garces, and Mario Carbone, the mastermind behind New York
City favorites such as Michelin-starred Carbone and ZZ’s Clam Bar. Five of the
55 are slated to open this summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment