Airport Malls Redefine ‘Shopping on the Fly’

If you have to travel in the next few weeks, don’t complain. It could be your best opportunity for getting holiday shopping done.

In fact, if you have a long holiday list, try to route a flight through Pittsburgh, London’s Heathrow (Terminal 4), Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, Dubai (in the United Arab Emirates) or Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport and build in three- to four-hour layovers. Those airports have been lauded as among the best places to shop in the rapidly expanding retail market linked to transportation hubs.

If you’ll be home for the holidays and are stuck for gift ideas, airlines, resorts and Internet sites that specialize in travel have gift packages and certificates galore.

“Airports are just beginning to recognize the economic horsepower of retail,” said Steven M. Reiss, an airport design specialist at HNTB Aviation, an architectural and engineering firm in Kansas City, Mo. “In terms of outstanding return for both retailers and airport authorities, we have yet to see the airport project that has too much retail.”

And it’s not just souvenir shops.

The Airmall at Pittsburgh International Airport is so comprehensive that it’s tempting to think of it as a mall that also has air service. Godiva, Mont Blanc, Bow Wow Meow and Brookstone are in the “gifts on the fly” category. There are a dozen stores in the mind-and-body category (Perfumania, Clinique, the Body Shop) and 13 devoted to fashion (all the Gaps, Tie Rack, Sunglass Hut, Nine West).

Now imagine the 20 million travelers who will pass through the airport on their way to the 100 gates, and you can see how the adage “location, location, location” rings true.

Portland, Ore., Denver and Dallas/Fort Worth also scored high in the Airport Retail News’ 1999 Best Airport Concessions Poll.

Weighing in as a competitor in the next poll will be Northstar Crossing, which opened in July at the Lindbergh Terminal in Minneapolis-St. Paul. It has 65 restaurants and stores.

Even in airports that have not been mall-ed, the emphasis on retail has been renewed, including a focus on regional specialties. T.F. Green Airport in Providence, R.I., for instance, has an ocean and seafood emphasis.

The future for Bradley International Airport near Hartford, Conn., also looks very retail. Plans call for $156 million to expand the main terminal, improve baggage handling and provide more shopping. Ditto at Philadelphia International Airport, where a $135-million upgrade will include a shopping center. And next to Portland’s airport, there are plans for CascadeStation, a “world-class office and retail district.”

If gift certificates are on your buying list, you can find a holiday shopping area at the travel Internet site https://www.expedia.com by clicking on “deals” in the blue bar at the top of the home page, then “special deals” on the next page. You also can purchase gift certificates by clicking on the Holiday Travel Center button, where you can find Hyatt, Cameraworld.com, eBags and others.

Midwest Express, the airline famous for its hot-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies and wide seats, which has service from L.A. and hubs in Milwaukee and Omaha, Neb., is waiting for you to call for gift certificates. And here’s a bonus: With a purchase of $200 or more, the giver gets 500 frequent-flier miles. For information, call (800) 452-2022. Midwest’s Internet site, https://www.midwestexpress.com, has route maps and timetables.

Preview Travel (https://www.previewtravel.com) has certificates in denominations of $50, $100 and $150. The site also offers American Airlines Vacations certificates.

Southwest Airlines is selling gift certificates in denominations of $10, $25, $50 and $100. You can get an order form at the carrier’s ticket counters or at https://www.southwest.com/programs_services/giftorder.html. Southwest also offers $10, $25, $50 and $100 gift certificates for Southwest vacations; call (800)423-5683, see a travel agent or visit https://swavacations.com.

Christopher Reynolds will return next week.