Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 8, 1993 TAG: 9306080042
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium
Add a large soft drink for $2.10 and you've got a bill to spoil any hungry traveler's appetite.
People who travel by plane always have grumbled about high prices for snacks and sundries at airports. At Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, however, high prices are getting closer scrutiny because of allegations they reflect corruption.
Two concessionaires already have pleaded guilty in a federal probe examining whether merchants bribed Atlanta officials to get the most attractive rental space at Hartsfield, one of the world's busiest airports. More indictments are expected.
Whatever is causing the high prices, even veteran fliers are stunned.
"I think it's ridiculous to pay those prices," said George Roll, a Dallas businessman making his way through the Hartsfield baggage claim recently. "They're all higher than they need to be, but they've got a captive audience."
Hartsfield officials declined to be interviewed. But a spot check by The Associated Press of selected concession items found that some prices there were far more expensive than at other large airports.
A hot dog that costs $4.20 at Hartsfield was $2.75 at O'Hare International in Chicago, $2.69 at Los Angeles International and $1.79 at Kennedy International in New York.
A large soft drink, $2.10 at Hartsfield, was $1.69 at Kennedy, $1.69 at Los Angeles and $1.60 at O'Hare.
Michael Hampson, who flew Monday to Roanoke from his home in Atlanta, can attest to the high prices at Hartsfield. He said the prices at the snack food stand at Roanoke Regional Airport were reasonable by comparison.
The snack bar at Roanoke Regional Airport charges $2.25 for a hot dog, $1.95 for a large soft drink and $3.95 for a ham and cheese sandwich. Hamburgers, available only at the airport's restaurant, range from $4.95 to $5.50, and milk and soft drinks cost $1.10.
However, Trish Butler, one of the snack bar attendants, said she gets five or six complaints a day from disgruntled travelers. Many people walk in, look at the prices and walk out, she said.
"We're dealing with tired people, and when they come in here it's like the straw that broke the camel's back," she said. "One out of four will walk out before they pay the prices," she said. Those who do buy figure they "have no guarantee they'll get lower prices elsewhere."
But David Farley of Roanoke, who frequently flies on business, says the high prices come with the territory.
"It's a part of traveling," he said. "The food is overrated . . . but the prices are comparable to fast-food places."
The Roanoke airport snack bar is operated by Concession Air of Buffalo, N.Y., one of the largest concession systems in the nation's airports, Butler said.
Mark Wisniewski, general manager of food and beverages for the Roanoke airport, said their prices haven't changed in three years. Prices at snack food stands reflect the size of the city, and he contends prices in Roanoke are appropriate. However, he said, "the service sizes have gotten smaller."
Staff writer Larry Brown contributed to this story.
by CNB