Airport retail habits revealed in new study

With the revelation that airport retailers have been claiming millions in VAT savings, travel specialist Loveholidays.com recently commissioned research into airport buying habits, which revealed airport passengers spend an average of £52 in the airport and on their flight.

With 238 million people flying out of the UK each year, this potentially adds up to billions in airport expenditure.

The results also reveal the products passengers typically purchase on their outward journey. Magazines, books and entertainment narrowly take the top spot, with 39% stocking up on these at the airport.

Meals, snacks and sweets are the second most common airport expense, with 38% of customers purchasing these prior to a flight.

The top 10 most common expenses on an outward journey:

1. Magazines/books/entertainment for the journey (39%)
2. Food at the airport (including meals, snacks and sweets) (38%)
3. Parking (33%)
4. Drinks at the airport (31%)
5. Duty Free at the airport (26%)
6. Drinks on the plane (25%)
7. Food on the plane (including meals, snacks and sweets) (23%)
8. Airport hotel (20%)
9. Taxi (17%)
10. Duty Free on the plane (10%)

The results show 25-34 year olds are the biggest spenders at the airport – with purchases on food, drink, magazines and other concessions amounting to £82 per visit.

Broken down geographically, the Scots are the biggest spenders, with an average of £72.83 per airport visit. Edinburgh in particular spends more on drinks at the airport than any other city, with 52% opting for a pre-flight beverage and and 36% purchasing drinks on the plane.

Matthew Lawson of Loveholidays.com said: “We would advise passengers flying outside of the EU to still be prepared to display their boarding pass, as a selection of retailers – such as Burberry, Gucci and Louis Vuitton – offer a genuine VAT discount to customers and it’s likely that many more will be pressured to follow suit.”