Australia’s airport rip-offs exposed

INFLATED airport prices are stinging travellers with the cost of a night’s luxury accommodation before they even take off.

Got time to kill waiting for your flight? Shopping at the airport isn’t the best idea for your bank balance.

INFLATED airport prices are stinging travellers with the cost of a night’s luxury accommodation before they even make it on the flight.

A new study reveals staggering price differences between everyday items bought inside and outside of airports, including parking, water, coffee, snacks, nappies and sunscreen.

At Australia’s most expensive airport, Sydney, these items bought at the airport totalled $261 – almost double the $132 cost of equivalent items bought elsewhere.

A flat white from Hudsons Coffee at Brisbane Airport costs $4.40, compared with the standard $3.80 from Hudsons in the Brisbane CBD. And at the Adelaide Airport Hudsons, the price difference is even steeper, at $4.60.

A pack of 30 nappies cost $20 at Melbourne Airport’s Amcal – a mark-up of almost 50 per cent on the supermarket price of $14.

And a Perth Airport retailer charges $4 for bottled water that is available from Coles for a mere $1.

Parking was the biggest cost facing travellers, with a week-long park costing as much as $209 in Sydney, double the standard inner-city weekly rate of $100. In Darwin, the difference was even more marked, with airport parking ($84) six times as expensive as the $14 for a city council carpark.

Brad Gurrie, the managing director of Travelzoo Australia, which conducted the research, said airport visitors were being ripped off.

“Airport visitors are particularly vulnerable because they have nowhere else to go,” he said.

“We need investigation and potentially regulation to ensure they’re not paying over the odds before they fly.

“The money-making tactics at our airports are enough to take the shine off any holiday – especially when you consider the difference in cost could be enough for an apartment stay on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.”

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission monitors the quality, prices, costs and profits relating to the supply of aeronautical and car parking services by Australia’s four major airports - Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. However, it does not report on prices at shops within airports, and businesses are free to set their own prices.

Australian Airports Association chief executive officer Caroline Wilkie said when it came to parking, there was strong competition, with off-site options being offered near most airports.

“Airports offer customers a variety of parking options at varying price points. A number of airports now also offer discounts for booking online,” she said.

“There is also a mix of off airport parking available at most airports as well, which leads to strong competition on price.

“Airports need to plan for peak times and to ensure that all passengers have easy access to terminals, which impacts on how parking is priced and demand for parking is monitored.”

Originally published as Australia’s airport rip-offs exposed