Top-performing North American airports ranked by 2005 sales per enplanement.
For a go-go nation, air malls are gaining momentum. Pittsburgh International Airport jump-started the trend by designing its space around stores, not planes. And New York’s John F. Kennedy International — second on the list when ranked by enplanements (or departing passengers) — upped the ante by adding Bulgari and Cartier. “After 9/11, airlines began focusing on revenue from nonairline sources to offset airline costs,” explained Pauline Armbrust, chief executive officer of trade magazine Armbrust Aviation. Not that airport retailing is hassle-free. For example, “product must be sniffed out by dogs looking for bomb residue,” said Armbrust. Also, “street pricing is enforced,” pushing down profits. But why aren’t major hub airports such as O’Hare or Atlanta on the list? “Transferring passengers don’t spend a lot of money,” Armbrust explained.
1. Pittsburgh International
Sales per enplanement: $12.27*
Designed in an X configuration, Pittsburgh’s airport is a high-gloss venue fashionistas can love. The roster of stores reads like a tony mall, including Clinique, Brooks Brothers and Godiva Chocolatier. Gap Women opened its first, and only, airport clothes shop here, and there are two full-service XpresSpas in the terminals. A chapel, post office and kids’ sports space are nearby. Dubbed the Airmall, the airport opened in 1992 and was designed by British company BAA — operator of retail-packed U.K. airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick — so that “shoppers must pass by stores before they get to their gates,” said Armbrust. Some refer to the new, hybrid airport as a “mall with planes outside.”
2. John F. Kennedy International, New York
SPE: $9.62
Like a walk down upper Fifth Avenue, JFK has loads of eye candy. Terminal One sports high-end shops such as Clinique, Coach, Hermès and Ferragamo alongside upscale eateries such as The Napa Valley Wine Bar. Terminal 4, which opened in 2001, kicked off its store openings with a fashion show called “Come Fly With Me.” Shops include Runway Retail, DKNY and Fossil. Each terminal in JFK, which hosts more than 41 million air travelers a year, is distinct and run differently. “But Terminal 4 is privatized, and it has among the highest sales at JFK,” said Armbrust.
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3. San Francisco International
SPE: $9.16
The airport, once the subject of a short-lived 1970 TV series, is nearly a minicity after a $1 billion renovation in 2000. It now has a walk-in medical clinic, public showers, an aviation museum with more than 6,000 books and 20 rotating art exhibits that show everything from tiki culture pieces to Wurlitzer jukeboxes. The more than 100 stores include Coach, Sephora, Brookstone and the only airport golf store with an on-site simulator.
4. Newark Liberty International, Newark, N.J.
SPE: $9.05
Amelia Earhart christened the Art Deco administration building here in 1935. Now the expanded airport has a wide range of retailers such as DKNY, Kenneth Cole, L’Occitane, Hat World and the Metropolitan Museum of Art store. Some 33 million passengers traveled through Newark airport last year, making it a high-traffic locale. The glossy D-parture Spa, created by fashion designer Gina Stern and her husband, has oxygen therapy, facials and chair massages.
5. Calgary International, Alberta, Canada
SPE: $8.98
More Space Age than ever, Calgary’s airport got a 10-year, $728 million makeover and a new arc-and-spoke design. Retail options include Calgary Harley-Davidson and Riley & McCormick Western Stores for plaid shirts. The world’s first oxygen spa, called O2raOxygen, courts weary travelers with facials and aroma-oxygen sessions, created by a former flight attendant as an antidote for stale airplane air, though the concept has yet to catch on. Then there’s the interactive display, SpacePort, which has a moon rock, jet-plane simulators and a NASA space shuttle prototype.
6. Honolulu International
SPE: $8.81
Fun-loving people on vacation spend plenty here. There are no big-name apparel shops; instead, goods range from leis to sunglasses to Aloha Keiki Magic gifts and Maui Divers jewelry. Hawaii’s governor, Linda Lingle, recently unveiled a $2.3 billion modernization program for the airport over a 12-year period. Though less commanding than airports such as Calgary, Honolulu has its draws, including an aerospace museum where visitors can create a computer-assembled airplane and see if it can fly.
7. Portland International, Portland, Ore.
SPE: $8.65
Need a haircut? Head to the Relax Station in the airport. You also can get a shoe shine, manicure or massage there. The Relax Station is in the Oregon Market, a simulated downtown shopping mall with a clock tower and gas lamps where travelers can shop at Nike or the Pendleton Shop. Offbeat amenities for killing time include the first airport DVD rental store, called In Motion Pictures. There are also exhibits such as terrazzo-and-bronze inlaid floor maps of the Pacific Northwest and Native American baskets and beadwork.
8. Ted Stevens Anchorage International
SPE: $8.54
Quirky stores such as Moosellaneous, Bush Pilot’s barber shop and Mosquito Books abound here. Call it survival gear. But with so many passengers on their way to trans-Pacific locales such as Hawaii and points east, Anchorage International is a key crossroads. Crack snow removal keeps the airport moving, despite more than 60 inches of snow a year dumped on the city. The airport is adding 440,000 square feet of additional overall space.
9. McCarran International, Las Vegas
SPE: $8.26
Located on Wayne Newton Boulevard, this airport is definitely viva Las Vegas. The slot machines alone bring in tens of millions of dollars in revenues annually. But there are also plentiful casino gift stores, from the Bellagio to Circus Circus to the Mirage for those Siegfried & Roy trinkets. Stores include Bijoux Terner, Fossil and Marshall Rousso apparel. Like Honolulu’s hub, McCarran International prospers from the free-spending leisure crowd, said Armbrust. The fitness center, the first in the country in an airport, is open 24/7; so is the flower store.
10. Ronald Reagan National, Washington, D.C.
SPE: $8.06
With its soaring vaulted ceilings and gleaming glass expanses, the capital’s airport has aesthetics going for it. Noted Argentine architect Cesar Pelli designed Terminal B/C, and high design goes hand in hand with more than 100 stores, some upscale, such as Brooks Brothers and a Smithsonian unit. Last year, the airport was used by 17.8 million passengers. There is even a 34-space parking area for people with cell phones who are picking up arriving passengers.
Sources: Armbrust Aviation, a trade magazine devoted to coverage of the airport revenue world. *figures cover three categories: food and beverage, specialty sales and news and gifts.