Paying $7 for a bottle of soda at the airport has become so normal that most travelers barely question it anymore.
But two U.S. airports decided years ago that enough was enough.
Through the years, many airports have stepped up their shopping and dining options. In fact, some newly refurbished airports look more like shopping malls than airports. But with those higher levels of amenities have come increasingly high prices.
Why airport prices are so high
There are plenty of reasons why airport pricing is so high – we went through the list in this post. And yet there are two airports in the U.S. that buck the system and require vendors to charge the same price as what a customer would pay outside of airport property.
Portland’s (PDX) “street rricing” policy
One of the things that makes Portland International Airport stand out, besides travelers’ obsession with its carpet, is its long-running “street pricing” policy. In short, airport vendors are required to charge the same prices they would at their regular off-airport locations, instead of jacking up prices just because travelers are stuck behind security.
That means no surprise airport markups on food, drinks, or merchandise. Even things like happy hour specials are supposed to match what you’d find elsewhere in Portland. To make sure vendors follow the rules, PDX regularly audits concession prices and also looks into complaints from travelers. The goal is to keep pricing and quality in line with what customers would expect from those same businesses elsewhere in the Portland area.
PDX is especially known for featuring lots of local favorites, including places like Blue Star Donuts and Burgerville, but the policy applies to national brands, too. So yes, your Starbucks coffee or bottle of Coke should cost the same as it would outside the airport.
In other words, if you’re flying through Portland, you can grab a meal or snack at the airport without feeling like you just paid airport ransom prices for it.
Salt Lake City (SLC) followed suit
Inspired by the success of Portland International Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport has adopted a similar approach to help keep prices reasonable for travelers. Like PDX, SLC doesn’t allow airport vendors to charge more inside the terminal than they do at their regular off-airport locations.
If a business wants to raise prices, they have to notify the airport’s concessions team and show that the same increase also applies at their non-airport locations around Salt Lake City. Enforcement at SLC is a little less formal than Portland’s system, relying more on feedback from travelers, airport employees, social media, and email complaints. If pricing issues are reported, airport staff investigate them, and vendors can face fines of up to $500 for violations.
The goal is simple: travelers shouldn’t have to pay ridiculous airport prices just because they’re stuck behind security.
And in many cases, the policy appears to work. Coffee from Millcreek Coffee Roasters costs the same as it does outside the airport. Jimmy John’s prices reportedly match their regular locations, too. Even Apple products sold in the terminal are priced the same as they are at local Apple Stores.
In other words, SLC is trying to make the airport experience a little less painful on travelers’ wallets — which, let’s be honest, is pretty rare these days.
Meanwhile, in New York…
And while PDX and SLC have taken the customer-friendly approach, it appears that in 2025, the Port Authority of NY and NJ allowed vendors at EWR, JFK and LGA to raise food and beverage prices from 10% above street pricing to 15%. That’s on top of their 3% surcharge to help cover employee benefits. And if you’ve ever bought food at any of those three airports, you know the prices are actually higher than that. Nice, huh?
Meanwhile, somewhere at JFK, a sad airport sandwich just became $2 more expensive.
H/T: Daily Passport
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