Why are food and drink prices so high at airports?
It’s no secret that eating or drinking at airports can be an expensive experience. Many travellers complain about paying €15 for a simple breakfast, but why are prices so high? The truth is that costs for operators inside airports are significantly greater than on the high street.
There are three main reasons:
1. Airport rents and concession fees
Airport restaurants and shops pay not only rent but also a minimum guaranteed concession fee, plus a percentage of their sales to the airport operator (such as AENA in Spain). This can reach up to 20% of turnover.
By comparison, a regular high-street restaurant should never exceed around 10% of its income on rent. For example, if a café sells €50,000 per month, it should ideally pay no more than €5,000 in rent. In an airport, however, that figure could easily be €10,000 or more.
2. Complex operations
Running a business in an airport is logistically demanding:
- Extended opening hours to cover very early flights and late arrivals.
- Unpredictable peaks due to flight delays or sudden waves of passengers.
- Restricted access and security checks for staff and goods, which means more time, paperwork, and specialised personnel.
- Special delivery procedures, with suppliers needing advance authorisation and designated time slots to access airport facilities.
All of this adds cost and complexity compared with a normal café in town.
3. Staffing
Airport staff contracts are also more expensive for operators:
- Powerful unions and tough labour agreements.
- Higher wages with additional allowances for night shifts.
- Many employees have long service records, meaning higher salary brackets.
So, who makes the money?
It’s easy to assume that brands or operators are making huge profits from charging travellers more. But in reality, most of the extra cost goes towards covering these unavoidable overheads.
Of course, none of this makes it easier to swallow a €15 airport baguette, but it does explain why prices are not directly comparable to the high street.
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