The restaurant and culinary systems at airports are increasingly diverse.
Airport cuisine is not just for the rich
Returning from Singapore after a trip in early June, Ms. Minh Thanh (District 7, Ho Chi Minh City) is still "shocked" by the amount of money she had to pay off her credit card debt for a trip of only 4 days and 3 nights in the lion island. Having not returned to Singapore for 3 years, Ms. Thanh estimates that the current price level must have increased 1.5 - 2 times.
Thanh's family of 6 purposely travel to experience and explore, so they always consider not choosing restaurants in too luxurious locations, but even if eating in a street food court, the bill for a meal cannot be less than 250 Singapore dollars (SGD, equivalent to more than 4 million VND). Of course, the meal cost "better than expected", and was the farewell meal to Singapore at Changi Airport - one of the most expensive airports in the world .
"Because we arrived at the airport quite close to the time, we ate at the small food court on the 2nd floor of Terminal T4. My younger brother ordered a portion of ramen for over 26 SGD. Converting to Vietnamese currency, it was almost 450,000 VND, which was heartbreaking. At Noi Bai, a bowl of pho for over 100,000 VND was already outrageous. Calculating the average of 25 SGD/person, I gave the kids an extra card because I was sure that the remaining cash of over 120 USD would not be enough. However, a portion of grilled pork vermicelli (with spring rolls) at the Vietnamese food stall that my younger sister bought was only over 14 USD. At the same stall, a normal bowl of mixed beef pho cost nearly 19 USD - although it was almost 3 times more expensive than a bowl of pho at a Vietnamese airport, compared to here, it was still cheap. I went around and saw quite a few dishes priced under 10 USD. If you look hard enough, not all dishes at Changi Airport are 'exorbitant'" - Ms. Minh Thanh said.
Changi is not the only airport trying to improve its reputation for super-expensive airport food. At the international departure terminal of Incheon Airport (South Korea), visitors can easily find spicy noodle sets priced from 12,000 - 14,000 won (about 220,000 - nearly 260,000 VND) next to mixed rice or mixed noodles for nearly 20,000 won. If you crave Vietnamese food, visitors can find a bowl of beef pho at CJ Food World for about 13,500 won (about 250,000 VND).
Similarly, some airports in Japan also have a variety of affordable foods: a bowl of ramen or udon noodles has a price range ranging from 900 - 1,800 yen (from 150,000 - more than 300,000 VND).
Airports in Vietnam are not outside this price "competition". The participation of more and more airlines with different customer segments has prompted ground service companies to flexibly build product systems to adapt to market needs. Besides a special bowl of Wagyu beef pho priced at about 200,000 VND, you can still fully enjoy the taste of Vietnamese pho with a bowl of rare beef pho for only 69,000 VND, rare flank pho for more than 70,000 VND...
Most recently, SASCO Ground Services Company has launched the Ready2Eat takeaway product line to serve customers who want to eat quickly and save money. This product line includes many dishes such as Australian beef pho, chicken pho, stir-fried beef noodles, savory sticky rice, rib porridge... priced from only 49,000 VND, the same price as a bowl of beef pho in District 4.
Additionally, for customers who don't want to spend much at the airport, the Fresh2Go convenience store chain sells fast food and essential foods with prices starting at VND20,000.
If your budget is more generous, customers can enjoy more premium services at Pho Cho restaurant, which serves delicious dishes from all regions of Vietnam, starting at VND39,000, or experience the feeling of being a "luxury passenger" at the Cuisine de Saigon, The Phoenix... restaurants, with prices equivalent to those of high-class restaurants outside Tan Son Nhat airport.
Prices of drinks at airports in Japan range from 4.53 - 7.79 USD, equivalent to 107,000 - 180,000 VND.
Why is airport food always more expensive than outside?
Despite the wide range of prices, it is undeniable that the average price of food in the airport is always at least 15% more expensive than the price of food outside. The owner of a ramen noodle chain at Asahikawa Airport (Hokkaido - Japan) said that it is not advisable to compare with the price outside because it is a bit lame. With the same brand, the same presentation, the quality of the soup, noodles, type of beef... but a bowl of noodles at Asahikawa train station (the headquarters of this ramen noodle chain) will be about 50 - 200 yen cheaper than the price at Asahikawa Airport, the main reason is the higher rental cost.
According to Simple Flying , commercial space rents at airports are more than double the average cost of off-airport space. At the same time, the requirement for vendors to pay a percentage of their revenue as a concession fee to the airport authority is also a factor in driving up food costs at airports. The concession fee helps cover the costs of operating, maintaining, and improving airport infrastructure.
Additionally, the logistical and supply chain challenges of operating in an airport environment add to food costs. Providing fresh ingredients, perishables, and supplies to airport restaurants can be more complex and costly than traditional food establishments.
"Suppliers need to navigate security protocols, limited delivery windows, and specialized processing procedures, all of which can lead to higher transportation and procurement costs. This can also lead to suppliers charging higher prices to ship their goods to airport restaurants. Additionally, airports are often far from residential areas, which means delivery fees tend to reflect the distance suppliers have to travel. The cost of hiring staff in airports is also higher than outside," the Simple Flying analysis noted.
Economist Ngo Tri Long acknowledged that although commodity prices have a common level, they will vary depending on each market, location, space and region... The same type of rice will definitely be sold at a higher price in Hanoi than in Cao Bang. If input costs are high, the selling price will certainly have to be pushed up accordingly.
The airport is a special environment. The cost of renting space, recruiting service staff, quality control, product standards... are all higher than outside. The people who use the plane are also rich people, willing to pay higher prices with the requirement of good service and good quality. Therefore, it is very difficult to require food prices in the airport to be equal to those outside.
"Currently, there are restaurants and hotels in beautiful locations that sell food at sky-high prices. Users have accepted that price because they chose that location, spent money to buy the location, not just spent money to buy a bottle of water or a bowl of pho. The most important thing is that the selling price is the listed price, and the buyer and seller are fair. Many businesses in the airport have a wide range of prices, with food at the same price as outside, which means they are innovating; well-organized, well-managed, and sometimes even have to take losses to meet market demand. The airport does not have many shops, does not have many choices, but still shows competitiveness. That is something to be welcomed" - expert Ngo Tri Long commented.
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