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Say goodbye to overpriced food and drinks at New York area airports!
The Port Authority, which is the agency responsible for LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airport just released a new policy for vendors to stop over-pricing items. In the 35-page report it is made a rule that concession prices can't be more than 10% higher than 'street prices' for the same or similar product. Vendors will also have to now offer lower priced menu items and they can let their customers know that they can complain about a possible over-charge on social media!
"All airport customers should rightly expect that policies which limit the pricing of food and beverages at concessions will be followed and enforced," said Kevin O'Toole, the chairman of the Port Authority, in an official statement. "Nobody should have to fork over such an exorbitant amount for a beer. The Aviation Department's new compliance and enforcement measures announced, ".....make it crystal clear that all prices at concessions will be routinely monitored to ensure they are aligned with the regional marketplace. And all airport customers and concessionaires should expect tough pro-active enforcement going forward now that these revised standards are in place."
People have always complained about the prices inside airports, however a specific social media post that went viral last year is what inspired this change. In 2021, Cooper Lund tweeted a photo sharing a list of beers around $28 each. The tweet led to the Office of the Inspector General to investigate and eventually finding out 25 different people were incorrectly overcharged for beer.