Airport stores are no longer just for
duty-free products. Rather, today's travelers are treated to
selections ranging from high-tech toys to high-end fashion. Here
are 10 of the world's best airports for putting a dent in your
wallet.
Changi International, Singapore
Changi is the largest retailer in
Singapore, and the store
consistently ranks number one among airport shopping experiences
worldwide. The emphasis is on luxury goods, with outlets for names
like Burberry, Hermès, and Chloé (which opened its first-ever
airport boutique here). In Changi's stores, travelers can get
serious and plunk down $8,000 for a limited-edition bottle of Rémy
Martin cognac sporting a diamond-embedded stopper or, like one
shopper did while waiting for a flight, drop $100,000 on designer
jewelry.
www.changiairport.com
Burberry, Terminal 1/Transit Mall East and Terminal 2/Transit
Mall South
Chloé, Terminal 2/Transit Mall Central
Hermès, Terminal 2/Transit Mall South
John F. Kennedy International Airport, New
York
An impressive number of upscale boutiques, including Ferragamo and
Bulgari, can be found in JFK's multiple passenger terminals.
Whether you want to pick up a jeweled Bohème fountain pen to use
while you're working on our crossword puzzle, an 18-karat-gold
Roadster watch from Cartier to keep track of the current time zone,
or a coffee-table tome about Botticelli from the Met Store, it can
all be found right here.
www.kennedyairport.com
Bulgari, Terminal 1, Gate 4
Cartier, Terminal 1, Gate 4
The Met Store, Terminal 4, Mezzanine Level
West; Mont Blanc, Terminal 1, Gate 4
Salvatore Ferragamo, Terminal 1, Gate 4
Schiphol Airport,
Amsterdam
The shopping may be considerably lower-end here, but Schiphol
stands out for the wide range of products offered as well as for
its exceptional customer service. It's also a duty-free-shopper's
dream, rated as a top-five spot worldwide. You can even check out
the cool tax-free finds before you get there through the airport's
website. Also worth noting is that at Schiphol, all major
currencies are accepted - so you can buy a few pieces of lovely
Delft pottery and packets of tulip bulbs from stores like
Fleurtiek in Schiphol Plaza with whatever bills you happen to be
carrying in your wallet.
www.schiphol.nl
Schiphol Plaza, located outside the terminals
Zurich Airport, Zurich
Zurich is another duty-free mecca - and one of the few remaining in
Europe. But the prime benefit of shopping here is the hours.
Elsewhere, store hours are regulated by Swiss law. So, for
instance, while other shops must close at five p.m. on Saturdays,
the ones at the airport can stay open until eight p.m. And, unlike
many stores in Zurich, the ones in the airport don't close for
lunch. So you'll have more time to get yourself one of those famous
Swiss clocks from Türler, a bottle of perfume from Bulgari for
someone back home, or one of the bags in Navyboot's new line for
men.
www.zurich-airport.com
Bulgari, Level 1
Navyboot, Level 1
Türler, Level 1
Calgary International Airport, Calgary
Worried you'll have to pay more at the airport than you would at
the mall? You won't at Calgary International, whose claim to fame
is its street-pricing, no-padding philosophy. So whether you're
picking up duds for the Calgary Stampede at Riley & McCormick
Western Boutique, investing in a fancy new
PDA at Telus Mobility,
or eyeing the orchid-scented body lotion at Fruits & Passion,
rest assured that the price is right.
www.calgaryairport.com
Fruits & Passion, Departures Level East
Riley & McCormick Western Boutique, Concourse C/D
(pre-security)
Telus Mobility, Departures Level West
Pittsburgh International Airport,
Pittsburgh
Seeing names like Nine West, the Body Shop, Gap, Brookstone, GNC,
and Victoria's Secret, you'd think you were at the mall. And you
are - Pittsburgh International's Airmall. Designed to supply
travelers with "the comfort you feel at your hometown mall," and
sporting the same prices as the stores outside the airport, the
Airmall is a concept that changed the face of airport shopping when
it was introduced here in 1992. It has won travel-industry awards
and been featured on the Today show, among other national
broadcasts.
www.pitairport.com
The Body Shop, Center Core
Brookstone, Center Core
Gap, Center Core
GNC, Concourse A
Nine West, Center Core
Victoria's Secret, Center Core
Heathrow Airport, London
While Heathrow already boasts an impressive selection of retailers,
a new terminal opening early next year will deliver two additional
floors of shopping that will include a Harrods outpost selling
designer labels not available at its other airport outlets. For
now, though, passengers can peruse the new Mulberry shop (the
first-ever airport boutique for the brand), the Way In denim
concept store, Chanel, and British favorites like Ted Baker and
Kurt Geiger. And if you're having trouble deciding what to get, you
can call on one of the airport's shopping consultants (the service
is complimentary).
www.heathrowairport.com
Chanel, Terminals 3 and 4
Harrods, all terminals
Kurt Geiger, Terminal 3
Mulberry, Terminals 1 and 4
Ted Baker, Terminal 4
Way In, Terminal 3
Portland International Airport,
Portland
Think locals would never drive to the nearest
airport to do some shopping? They do in Portland. The
pre-security-check stores are just that good. Travelers passing
through love it, too, because of the airport's commitment to
Oregon-based retailers. Visitors can take home a pair of Air Max
360 cross trainers from
Nike, new and used books from Powell's, or
glass ornaments made from Mount St. Helens ash from the Real Mother
Goose.
www.flypdx.com
Nike, Oregon Market (pre-security)
Powell's Books, Oregon Market, Concourses C and D
The Real Mother Goose, Oregon Market
Leonardo da Vinci Airport,
Rome
Rome's airport is another one that's known
for having generous regional goodies, particularly when it comes to
food. Give as a gift, or save for yourself, a bottle of
Castelgiocondo Riserva (wine) or Olio Nuovo (olive oil) from
Frescobaldi, a nice selection of pastas from Good Buy Roma, or a
package of potent Cuor di Cacao chocolates from Venchi. Also
notable are 75 new stores, including Prada's only foray into an
airport.
www.adr.it
Frescobaldi, Terminals A and C
Good Buy Roma, Terminals A, B, and C
Prada, Terminal C
Venchi, Terminals A and C
Jorge Chávez International Airport,
Lima
The $148 million in upgrades to Jorge Chávez are a little over two
years old now and include the huge Perú Plaza shopping center.
South America's only landside (pre-security) airport retail
shopping experience, it gives travelers and locals alike a chance
to browse through stores such as Ilaria (for handcrafted jewelry
made with Peruvian turquoise, quartz, and amethyst) and Alpaca 111
(for garments crafted from alpaca, llama, and vicuña wool).
www.lap.com.pe
Alpaca 111, Terminal 1
Ilaria, Terminal 1
Bonus:
Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland
Consider Hopkins one to watch. With its current concession contract
about to expire, the airport is looking for developers to not only
update and upgrade its current lineup of stores but to also add an
additional 20,000 square feet of retail space.
www.clevelandairport.com
kid stuff you're on the
road, jetting here and there, and you miss the kiddos, so you want
to remember them with a special treat from your travels. these are
our five favorite airports when it comes to shopping for the wee
ones.
pittsburgh international airport,
pittsburgh
this one makes our list of favorites again. moms and pops can pick
up goodies galore for the offspring: animal-themed slippers from
the soxx shop, an airplane-shaped pedal car from creative kidstuff,
a precious moments doll from audrey's attic, and more. if you ask
at one of the information booths, they'll give you a free coloring
book with an aeronautical theme.
www.pitairport.com
audrey's attic, concourse a
creative kidstuff, center core
soxx shop, center core and concourse a
hong kong international airport, hong
kong
terminal 1's skymart houses child-friendly shops like toys &
games, magic of hong kong disneyland, and okashi land (full of all
the snacks and sweets the kids in asia are eating these days). the
skyplaza, over at the newer terminal 2, has even more options,
including trendy apparel for everyone from newborns to tweens at
kingkow, games and gadgets at the exploration store, and even
thomas the tank engine at michael's.
www.hongkongairport.com
the exploration store, terminal 2
kingkow, terminal 2
magic of hong kong disneyland, terminal 1
michael's, terminal 2
okashi land, terminal 1
toys & games, terminal 1
san francisco international airport, san
francisco
the airport stores are closed and you still haven't gotten a
souvenir? at sfo, that's not a problem. just head to one of the
zoom vending machines, swipe your credit card, and pick out a nice
digital camera, a cell phone, or an ipod. when the shops are open,
consider kids city, compass books, and inmotion entertainment.
www.flysfo.com
compass books, terminal 3
inmotion entertainment, terminal 3 and international terminal
kids city, international terminal
zoom travel stores, international terminal and walkway between the
international terminal and terminal 3
orlando international airport,
orlando
orlando is one of those rare airports that cater to children, featuring an arcade, a giant aquarium, and mini versions of local theme parks. but if the tots aren’t tagging along this trip, you can still remember them with a thoughtful present from one of the disney, seaworld, universal, or kennedy space center shops.
www.orlandoairports.net kennedy space center, main terminal
magic of disney, main terminal
seaworld, main terminal
universal, main terminal
manchester airport, manchester manchester gets a nod strictly for its claire’s franchises, which, as any parent with a young girl can tell you, are meccas for hair bobs, jewelry, makeup, and other girly doodads. plus, you can find cds, videos, and games at impulse, as well as trademark teddy bears and other tidbits from the new hamleys toy-store outpost.
www.manchesterairport.co.uk claire’s, terminals 1 and 2
hamleys, terminal 2
impulse, terminal 1