I’d like to think that I have realistic expectations of airport prices, as I expect to pay more for a drink or snack at an airport than at your typical retailer. However, a purchase at Miami Airport (MIA) today left me with my jaw on the floor…
$20+ beef jerky at Miami Airport
We just flew out of Miami Airport, and Ford and I went into a store in the airside terminal, and he decided to buy some beef jerky (don’t ask why… but I promise there’s a semi-good reason!).
Specifically, he bought a 2.25 ounce bag from Lorissa’s Kitchen. The price wasn’t visible in any obvious way, but I figured that the typical retail cost of this might be $5 or so, and maybe at an airport concession it would cost somewhere around $7-9.
So, how much did this actually cost? $18.99 plus tax, for a total of $20.32.
That’s right, a 2.25 ounce bag of beef jerky cost over $20. For those curious, buying this directly from Lorissa’s Kitchen costs $4.99 for the same bag.
Does Miami Airport have pricing caps for concessions?
This brings me to a topic I’m curious about. Many airports have pricing caps for concessions, whereby retailers can’t charge more than a certain amount over what retailers outside of airports would charge. Now, admittedly this is hard to enforce, and it’s why we see violations at airports even with these rules.
But with Miami being my home airport, I can’t help but now be curious about the policy here, as I’m not sure what it is. Does the airport still have a cap on how much of a premium retailers can charge?
The last reference I can find to this is from late 2021, when Miami’s mayor committed to keeping caps in place, after previously considering removing them. Specifically, as part of a competitive pricing rule, retailers can only charge 10% or 15% above market prices in the Miami area. There had been talk of this being reversed, until it was discovered that most airports have such protections in place, so it would make Miami uncompetitive.
Does anyone have any insights as to what Miami Airport’s current policy is? Are airport retailers allowed to charge whatever they want, or are these limits still supposed to be in place?
Bottom line
I’m used to seeing inflated prices at airport concessions, though $18.99 plus tax for 2.25 ounces of beef jerky that retails for as little as $4.99 is a new record to me. I know that in the past Miami Airport had a cap on how much retailers could charge above a standard retail price, but it’s not entirely clear to me if that’s still in effect. If it is, it might be time to do a full-on audit the next time I pass through the airport. 😉
What’s the most outrageously priced snack or drink you’ve seen at an airport retailer?
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