The path from airport door to gate seems to get longer and longer—I’ve clocked some well past a half mile—so it’s always helpful to find a moving walkway.
Some find them a relief from walking; others (like me) walk on them and save time rather than steps. But some airports are ripping them out because they let you ride past shops that you might otherwise spend money at.
Gary Leff, of View from the Wing, has just pointed out the removal of one on the longest concourse of Terminal 8 at JFK. The walkway has been replaced by clusters of seats and tables, pleasant enough if you didn’t have to walk to a further gate.
The reason for the removal? It’s part of a new concession contract issued by American Airlines, the terminal operator, designed to increase the airline’s revenue from its share of sales. How big a business is it? Leff points out that in 2019, on a smaller base of concessions, sales were $107.4 million.
Terminal 8 is not the only place where airports are trying to force travelers into the shops, or at least by them. At Dallas/Fort Worth, $1 million was spent to remove a walkway; others have been removed at Chicago O’Hare. Other tactics, aside from removing walkways, include forcing passengers to thread their way through a maze of duty-free and similar shops between security and the gate areas.
Of course, if all this has, indeed, raised your blood pressure, please feel free to stop for a calming tea or a cocktail—at airport prices.
I’ve opted for a glass of red wine!
Wise choice!