Airports Flying High on Non-Aeronautical Passenger Revenue

Nov. 14, 2013
ACI-NA Releases Airport Concessions Benchmarking Survey Results

SACRAMENTO--Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA) today unveiled the findings of the 2013 Airport Concessions Benchmarking Survey at the 2013 ACI-NA Airport Concessions Conference in Sacramento, Calif. The survey incorporates data on concession revenue from 94 airports, reflecting 79 percent of passenger traffic in the United States and 48 percent of traffic in Canada.

“This year’s survey readily shows that airports continue to creatively reinvent their concessions programs to improve the travel experience and explore new revenue streams,” said Deborah McElroy, interim president of ACI-NA. “North America’s airports are committed to providing world-class customer service, and the concessions they offer play an important role in surpassing passengers’ needs and expectations.”

Passengers spent an average of $3.31 on news, gift and specialty retail and $5.15 on food and beverage per enplanement in 2012, compared to $3.10 and $5.00 respectively in 2011.  With competition increasing for air travelers’ dollars, airports are embracing local culture to set their concessions apart from the crowd.  More than half of survey respondents’ retail and dining options are of an airport-specific or local/regional brand.

More airports also went mobile in 2012: 39 percent have a smartphone app, up from 33 percent in 2011.  Mobile apps are proving to be an essential platform for promoting concessions: 78 percent of airports with an app reported that they share special concessions offers and information with passengers via their mobile devices.  Meanwhile, more than 90 percent of participating airports monitor their concessions programs and customer satisfaction via social media.

Airport data reported to the FAA show that total revenue from terminal concessions (food, beverage, retail and services) was $1.54 billion in 2012. Revenue from food and beverage programs at U.S. airports represented 35 percent of the total 2012 terminal concessions revenue; retail represented 41 percent.

The 2013 ACI-NA Airport Concessions Benchmarking Survey presents a comprehensive overview of the data and trends shaping the cornerstone of airports’ non-aeronautical revenue.  Among the survey’s other findings:

  • 50 percent of responding airports have automated retail units, which produce an average gross sales per until of more than $100,000.  These units provide immediate access to a vast array of products—from electronics to cosmetics to apparel—and can be found in nearly all large hubs and most medium airports.
  • Duty-free gross sales at North American airports were approximately $740 million in 2012.

Click here to view 2013 ACI-NA Airport Concessions Benchmarking Survey results.

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About ACI-NA
Airports Council International - North America represents local, regional and state governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada. ACI-NA member airports enplane more than 95 percent of the domestic and virtually all the international airline passenger and cargo traffic in North America.  More than 350 aviation-related businesses are also members of the association, which is the largest of the five worldwide regions of Airports Council International.