– I am on my way to Trondheim from Bodø, via Sandnessjøen. The flight was canceled and I have received a food voucher of NOK 150. It might be enough for a pack of biscuits, says Vebjørn Berg at Bodø Airport. The sarcasm in his response is justified. The price of goods at Norwegian airports can make traveling by plane expensive. Vebjørn Berg is upset about the high prices at Norwegian airports. Photo: Kasper Holgersen / news For example, the price per liter of Imsdal is NOK 78.46 at Point at Bodø Airport, NOK 70 at Narvesen in the center of Bodø and NOK 31.38 at Coop Extra. Several of the items at the airport have more than twice the price of what you find outside the airport. Dutch Martin Kelhout has found out. – For us tourists, everything is expensive in Norway, and of course much more expensive at the airport, he says. Rune Kaino Nikolaisen, also known as “Gjerrigknarken”, with over 32,000 followers on Instagram, believes that the passengers can take advantage of Martin Kelhout with an expensive coffee at Bodø Airport. Photo: Kasper Holgersen / news – Exploiting travelers For over 20 years, Nikolaisen has given saving tips to people of all ages on various platforms. – Kiosks, catering establishments and other points of sale at airports take advantage of the fact that people are in a different mode when they travel. Rune Kaino Nikolaisen, better known as Gjerrigknarken. Photo: Anne Mone Nordahl / news Nikolaisen points out that the holiday for many starts when they enter the airport. – Many people enjoy the first pint after check-in, but it is not always necessary, he says. Nikolaisen believes that Avinor exploits travellers. The company does not agree with that. – That is not our intention. Our task is to ensure that there is an offer at the airports. Through the contracts, we can influence that, but we do not have the opportunity to ask them to change retail prices, writes Cathrine Fuglesang Framholt, communications manager at Avinor. What do you think about the prices at the airport? All the way inside! I buy what I need 🤑 A bit expensive, but count it as part of the holiday budget 😎 Way over my limit. Rather go thirsty and hungry 😰 Show result Forced action In 2023, the price of food rose by 10 per cent, figures from Statistics Norway show. For 2024, it is assumed that prices will continue to rise, but significantly less than in the last two years. Consumer lawyer Thomas Iversen at the Consumer Council. Photo: The Consumer Council Consumer lawyer Thomas Iversen at the Consumer Council is not surprised that the prices at the airports are high, and that this is a perception held by many. – There are a limited number of kiosks and suppliers outside the airports and customers have no choice but to shop there or bring food and drink from home. He believes it is about scarcity, and points out that travelers at an airport are in a closed area until the plane leaves. – You have nowhere else to go, and therefore have to shop there. This is how you can save several hundred kroner at the airport Bring an empty water bottle. After passing through security, you can fill up with water at one of the drink stations at the airport. Bring a packed lunch instead of buying food at the airport. Remember that spreads and yoghurt are considered liquids. Buy your way into the lounge, where you can eat and drink as much as you want for the price of admission. Source: “Gjerrigknarken” Rune Kaino Nikolaisen and consumer lawyer Thomas Iversen in the Consumer Council. – Cannot be compared. Avinor owns the airports in Norway and ensures commercial offers in the areas. The company cannot set retail prices, but the players undertake to have market prices that are also relevant for places outside airports, writes communications manager at Avinor, Cathrine Fuglesang Framholt to news. She is clear that their tenants should compare prices with similar concepts outside the airports. Cathrine Fuglesang Framholt, communications manager at Avinor, which owns the airports in Norway. Photo: Avinor Select Service Partner (SSP) agrees. They are the ones behind several of the kiosks and catering outlets at the airports. – We carry out offers and price campaigns for our customers. Otherwise, we believe that it is not relevant to compare prices in a kiosk at an airport against a low-price grocery chain. This is what Karoline Boug, HR & Communications Director at SSP writes in an e-mail to news. – We are very keen to deliver the best possible value to our customers. To ensure that we are as competitive as possible, we regularly measure ourselves against similar concepts in the city center and at other airports. Nevertheless, the prices of selected goods are more than twice as high in airport kiosks compared to other places. Price of Pepsi Max at Point at the airport. Photo: Sunniva Grimstad Hestenes / news Price of Pepsi Max at Coop Extra. Photo: Kasper Holgersen / news Price of iced coffee at Point at the airport. Photo: Sunniva Grimstad Hestenes / news Price of iced coffee at Coop Extra. Photo: Kasper Holgersen / news When asked to what extent Avinor believes SSP is breaking the contract by having such high prices, Cathrine Fuglesang Framholt replies as follows: – We will continue to follow up our partners who have a responsibility to ensure the correct price level for the concepts, compared to similar off-airport concepts. It is important to Avinor that travelers have a good selection at the airport which, by and large, reflects similar concepts outside the airport. Back at Bodø Airport, Vebjørn Berg doubts that there is much to do with the sky-high prices. – It’s expensive, but when they have a monopoly on the goods, that’s how it is, he says. Published 07/07/2024, at 11.58
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Expensive prices at the airport – these tips can make shopping cheaper – news Nordland
