AirMall
AirMallUSA was a developer and manager of retail, food and beverage concessions at various US airports, with a major presence atPittsburgh International Airport.In 2014 AirMall was acquired by the GermanFraportGroup, which continued the airport concession operations.
History
[edit]The first AirMall opened atPittsburgh International Airportin 1992. Today the company also operates AirMall atBaltimore/Washington International Airportand Boston'sLogan International Airport,however Pittsburgh remains by far the largest. An AirMall opened atCleveland Hopkins International Airportin the spring of 2009 as well. The stores in the AirMall were the first in the US to price their merchandise the same as they would at a store in a typical retail setting, a policy that was later followed by concessionaires at some other airports in the US.[1]
Originally owned byBAA USA(then a subsidiary ofBAA plc), AirMall was then owned by the New York-based investment company Prospect Capital Corporation. In August 2014 AirMall was acquired by the GermanFraportGroup, the operator ofFrankfurt International Airportand another ten airports around the globe. Fraport has since merged its North American concessions business into itsFraport USAdivision.[2]
Pittsburgh International Airport concessions
[edit]Opened along with the new airport in 1992, AirMall in Pittsburgh was the largest airport shopping complex in the United States.[3]The current mall, now under Fraport management, is located within the airport's airside terminal, mostly in the "Center Core" area, with some shops and restaurants extending into the concourses. Prior to9/11,and the opening ofThe Mall at Robinson,the Airmall served as a shopping destination for residents of the western suburbs ofPittsburgh.
Because the mall is located beyond the security checkpoint, where only ticketed passengers and authorized personnel had been permitted for more than a decade after 9/11, and the reduction of the use of Pittsburgh International as aUS Airwayshub, sales have decreased in recent years. On April 13, 2007, it was announced that guests staying at the attached airportHyatthotel would be able to obtain passes to shop during their stay.[4]Even with sales being down due to US Airways cutbacks and theGreat Recession,the AirMall in Pittsburgh still accounted for the highest per passenger spending of any airport in the country, at an average of $13.60/passenger.[5]
In 2017, Pittsburgh International became the first US commercial airport to allow the general public access to the area beyond the checkpoint. Visitors must first sign up for the "myPITpass" program on the airport's website; following approval, they must still pass the same security checks required of ticketed passengers.[6][7]TheAssociation of Professional Flight Attendantscondemned the move.[6]
After theAllegheny County Airport Authoritymoved to end Fraport's concession lease at the Pittsburgh airport, Fraport sued; the case went to trial in 2022.[1]The airport authority cited lax safety standards by Fraport for pulling the lease; Fraport denied this.[1]As of May 2023, The Allegheny County Airport authority appeals ruling ordering the return of evicted AirMall operator.
References
[edit]- ^abcBelko, Mark (14 July 2022)."Airport, airmall operator bartered over possible buyout, witness testifies".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Retrieved30 July2022.
- ^"Fraport USA".Retrieved30 July2022.
- ^"BAA USA - Pittsburgh International Airport".www.baausa.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2006-02-14.
- ^"Airport hotel guests to get Air Mall access".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.Retrieved2017-09-04.
- ^Pfister, Bonnie (18 October 2008)."Airport's mall leads nation in per-passenger spending".Archived fromthe originalon 5 March 2016.Retrieved30 July2022.
- ^abDavis, Kathleen J.; Blackley, Katie (5 September 2017)."Airmall At Pittsburgh International Airport Opens To Non-Passengers".WESA (FM).
- ^"Pittsburgh airport's gates, shops, restaurants to open to non-flyers".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.