Recently, I had to do an overnight business trip which required me to make a 2 hour flight. Given the flight time, time of day of the flight, and accompanying delay, I decided to buy dinner at the airport. Why stay hungry for hours on end, right?
With a little bit of time on my hands before the flight, I ambled over to the little food court that was within my gate. In surveying the choices, I found pizza, Chinese food, and subs. The pizza kiosk looked empty, and the Chinese food looked pretty unappealing. When you see tired business travelers eating greasy noodles out of a to-go container, it’s not exactly a siren song that draws you to buy that stuff and consume it:)
So, I instead decided to purchase a sub sandwich and, a drink. In surveying the choices, I settled on a full-size sub, and a large bottled water for the flight. I like to bring water on the flight, just in case. After the sub was made, and I grabbed the bottled water, the employee rang me up.
The total? $13.
Yes, it was $13 (and some change, actually) for a sub sandwich and a bottle of water.
Sure, the sandwich wasn’t small, and the bottled water was a probably over 20 ounces, but that’s quite an expensive price to pay. Even the lady that rang up the order remarked that you could probably buy two of the same meals for that same price if you were outside the airport at a regular location. If the same meals were made at home, I’d venture to guess that one could probably make five of the same meals. To be fair, I didn’t take a really close look at the prices when I ordered, only because it was clearly a fast food, food court quality meal I was buying. How expensive could that actually be, right?
Well, it was quite expensive by most standards here in the U.S. Fortunately for me, as I mentioned earlier, I was on a business trip. It was a legitimate reimbursable expense, so I wouldn’t personally feel the pinch. But still, it’s not something I want to pay, whether I’m ultimately responsible or anyone else is.
That got me thinking about how expensive it can be to travel by air. Sure, the tickets themselves represent the bulk of the expense. But there are other expenses that can really add up, and make the airport a place that drains your pocketbook unexpectedly and in a hurry. Normal rules and price ranges don’t quite apply there, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of being on “vacation mode” and lose perspective on keeping expenditures in line.
With that inspiration, I’ve drawn upon my travel experiences to come up with 5 ways to save money at airports:
- Pack your Food. When packing for your trip, prepare an easy to transport meal that can be placed in a carry-on. You’ll have to be sure to pack food that can go through security (check on specifics ahead of time), but most items should work. Maybe a sandwich and an apple, for example, would make an easily transportable meal that’s not messy and could be eaten while waiting for your flight or while on board. Instead of spending $10 for an airport meal, you could pack one for $3. For a family, this can add up quickly.
- Drink Water Before Arriving. Since you can’t bring water bottles into the gate area, make sure you drink a fair amount of water before getting to the terminal. No need to drink like a fish and then be running to the bathroom all the time. Just drink enough so that you won’t be super thirsty upon arrival. Now, I do recommend getting water while at the terminal, in case you’re stuck on board and then subsequently delayed at some point. That said, at least you can purchase less water. A $2 bottle of water is better than a $4 bottle of water! Or, alternatively, you could bring an empty reusable water bottle and fill it at a fountain in the gate area.
- Bring Reading Material from Home. Many people like to bring items to read onto the plane. If it’s a long plane ride, that’s certainly understandable. Personally, I do this as I can be quite focused on the plane and prefer to read instead of sleep. If you’re like me, plan ahead and bring a book or magazine from home. If you choose to make an impulse purchase there, you’ll likely pay full price and might be missing out on reading something you’ve already purchases. Plan ahead, and you can save from $5 to $25 and up.
- Avoid Clothing, Souvenir, and other Airport Retailers. These items purchased at the airport are probably not going to be cheaper than what they would cost at a normal location. Rather, they’re likely to be priced at a premium. Remember my sub sandwich example? Think of that multiplier, except for bigger ticket items. Again, some people get into vacation mode, escape from reality, and buy things that they don’t need while paying a premium price.
- Park in Economy Lots or Take Public Transportation. This applies to the part of the airport travel experience that occurs before you get to the terminal. Now, if you’re flying from a small, regional airport, this might not make a difference. But if you’re traveling out of a larger airport, it’s something to consider. For me, parking in the garage would cost $31/day vs. $16/day in a remote, “economy” lot. Over the course of 5 days, that adds up. Another option is to take public transportation to the airport, if available. This would likely result in even more significant savings.
What about you?
Do you ever follow any of these approaches to saving money when traveling at airports? Do you have any other tips?
Pack lightly and avoid baggage fees! What a ripoff these fees are! Who sucked the fun out of traveling?
Moneycone – yep, avoiding baggage fees is a good idea, as those can be quite hefty these days.
I haven’t flown in a few years, partially because of the ridiculous fees and such. I used to bake banana bread to take when we had a morning flight though. The last time we flew, we each had our own carry on bags which held all our clothes so we didn’t have to check any baggage.
Everyday Tips – carry on is the way to go in current times, as those checked bags can be painful…especially for a family!
I totally agree with you! Most people like convenience and waiting in the airport has become longer and longer. Unfortunately, you can not bring water into the airport.
krantcents – waiting in the airport can be longer this time of year, at least for a large part of the country, due to unpredictable icy weather. Time for the airport vendors to clean up, and time for us to plan ahead.
I always pack my food. Better price and better quality. I bring an empty water bottle with me and fill it at the water fountain after I’ve gone though the security check point.
Up until the baggage fees I was a heavy packer. I just pack one bag and carry it on. It makes it easier on the other end when you can avoid the baggage claim.
Molly – it does seem like people have changed behaviors a bit with these checked bag fees. I totally try to avoid them these days. I’m actually becoming an efficient packer now:)
I do everything but bring the empty water bottle because I use the metal ones and I’m afraid that they would throw them out. The rules keep changing so often I just feel so uninformed.
Sandy – yep, I know it can be hard to keep up with the changes. I think it’s good to stick with some general guidelines and go from there….such as drinking/eating beforehand, packing food, not buying retail items, etc.
Get someone to drive you to the airport, or take a taxi (unless you will be back soon), as the taxis are a killer. Other than that, the empty water bottle is an interesting idea. Airports are usually ripoffs, even the duty free areas!
… However, I have noticed that airports in other parts of the world are not overpriced, or at least, they seem cheap by comparison. So, if you’re flying elsewhere, eat before you get to the airport, or wait until you’ve arrived. 😉
Invest it Wisely – good points, and interesting one on waiting until arrival to eat, depending on the destination! Hadn’t thought of that angle.
Oh, @everydaytips when I came back from Korea, I had one huge bag with my blanket and mask (don’t ask…) in it, and a backpack with laptop, and that was stuffed pretty full, and then I think I had a mini-suitcase too. I don’t know how I got on with all that stuff, but nobody questioned me… I believe I was only allowed to bring one suitcase back with me and I had been there for 4 months!
Best travel food, in my opinion: Good quality bagels with a little bit of butter (they hold up no matter how long they’re carried) and apples (they hydrate as well as nourish). I always carry something like nuts mixed with M&Ms and some dried fruit, too.
A friend just offered this suggestion: Bring along all the magazines that have stacked up because you didn’t have time to read them. Leave them in airports or hotel lobbies for someone else to read when you’re done. I don’t subscribe to any magazines, so I always carry at least one paperback.
Donna – good tips, I especially like the apple recommendation. They do hydrate well, comparatively anyway. Better than eating a bag of chips or pretzels, which will get one thirsty in the process. With mixed nuts, I would go with the unsalted variety if possible
Most of my airline food is reimbursed too. And I’ve got some favorite restaurants at various airports across the country. I actually do a lot of my regular clothes shopping at an airport hub that I go to… Competition seems to work in that airports with a lot of food options also tend to have more reasonable prices. If you’ve got time and you’re starving, you may want to hit a larger terminal if you’re in a less-populated terminal for more options.
It’s interesting that at airports in more socialist parts of the country, there are laws saying that the airport prices can’t be any higher than the next highest non-airport restaurant. So eating at ABP in Logan is no different than at their museum location.
Nicole – good point on competition at airports, especially regarding larger terminals. I went to a more “remote” terminal at a large airport when I purchased the $13 sandwich and drink. Not much around there…..I wouldn’t consider the unappealing looking Chinese food as being competition:)
All good points, Squirrelers. And might I add, if you pack sandwiches from home, as we just did coming back from Grandma’s 101, stick to your guns with finicky kiddos.
“I’m hungry”
“Good, we brought ham and cheese sandwiches”
“Is there any mustard on it?”
“Yes”
“I don’t like mustard, I’m in the mood for something else”
“Oh, OK, I hope you enjoy being hungry”
Twenty minutes later…… “Are there any ham and cheese sandwiches left?”
101Centavos – good tips, and you just hit upon my achilles heel. Not kids, but my tendency to cave in such situations. The way you played out that story is how it goes if done well….
I’m the person in line GULP GULP GULPING my water before they seize it!
I hate throwing away my money!
I sure hope they recycle all those containers.
Oh, another thing is to NOT buy any duty free liquids (e.g. alcohol) if you are transfering to another flight. Your cheap duty free wine will likely be discarded by security 🙁
Young and Thrifty – I’m with you on drinking (water, that is:) ) as much as comfortable before getting to the gate. Why pay $4 for a bottle of water. Good tip on duty free liquids, by the way.
Another thing to consider in some cities is an airport shuttle. Our airport is a fair ways out of town, and up until very recently it wasn’t serviced by public transportation (even now it’s only a couple times a day). A cab from there set me back at least $60 each way (if not more as that price was from a couple years ago) The airport does however have a shuttle service to all of the major hotels in town for about $15 each way. I take the shuttle from/to one close to home where either a friend can drop me off/pick me up or I can take a bus. Just another money saving method to consider 🙂
Cassie – great point on the airport shuttle. I have taken those before, actually as a kid when my parents didn’t want to drive to the airport and park. I didn’t like the bus, and it wasn’t convenient, but it ended up being a money saver I’m sure. With less travelers, and less individual shuttle bus fares to pay, it can be a real money saver. Thanks for sharing!