Yes, You Can Do All Your Christmas Shopping at the Airport
Shopping and flying go hand in hand (Thinkstock)
Haven’t finished your Christmas shopping? If you’re flying in the next few days, you’re in luck. It’s no longer just duty-free booze, boxes of cigarettes, and tacky chocolate boxes: airport shopping has gotten so good that you can turn to your terminal for some amazing gifts.
According to the Economist, Luxottica — an Italian maker of sunglasses — calls modern-day airport shopping “the Formula 1 of retail.” And I couldn’t agree more: it used to be a novelty to see a Gucci shop at Milan’s Malpensa airport. Now, airports are competing for your travel dollars not only with luxury designer shops, but also with unique highly curated boutiques that offer locally sourced products.
And the prices aren’t bad, either. Pittsburgh International Airport led the charge when it introduced its Airmall, setting a policy that retail prices at the airport had to be comparable with prices at stores in town. Many other airports followed suit.
Shop until you drop — into your airline seat (Photo: Thinkstock)
What is it about shopping at an airport that is so rewarding? For me, it’s the last gasp of retail therapy in a destination: a final chance to snag a memorable souvenir. But in my time-starved life, it’s also one of the few chances I have to actually spend some time browsing. And this season, it’s a great excuse to put off those holiday purchases until the last minute.
Here are some of my favorite airports for shopping around the globe.
London Heathrow
This is airport shopping? The new personal shopping area at Heathrow (Photo: Heathrow)
Whenever I fly through London’s Heathrow, I arrive early — just for the incredible range of options, with everything from Harrods to the cult drugstore Boots to Paul Smith Globe. Heathrow was awarded the world’s best airport shopping in the 2014 World Airport Awards. And this June it got even better with the opening of Terminal 2, where there are free personal shoppers who will meet you at security to help you select gifts, guide you through the stores, and provide styling tips. Another innovation we love: boarding information is displayed in changing rooms, so you won’t miss your flight just because you decided to try on a pair of floral pajamas at Cath Kidston.
Related: Airport Review: the Lowdown on London Heathrow
Amsterdam Schiphol
Schiphol, dressed up for the holidays (Chris Bakker/Flickr)
Another airport worth a layover is Amsterdam’s sprawling Schiphol. There’s an area called Holland Boulevard, inspired by local streets, as well as a casino where you can try your hand at the slots to make a little extra spending money. In true Dutch style, you can get tulip and bulbs at stores modeled after the Keukenhof flower gardens (whether you’re supposed to bring them back through U.S. customs is questionable, but it’s still a novel touch). There’s even an outpost of the Rijksmuseum, with original artwork and a gift shop that sells great gifts like coffee-table books and stationery.
Singapore Changi Airport
Walkway in Changi Airport (Mac Qin/Flickr)
With its movie theater (free!), butterfly garden, kids’ playgrounds (including a four-story slide), and complimentary massage chairs, Changi is consistently voted the world’s best airport. So it’s no surprise that the shopping here is unrivaled. How about a kids’ sized cheongsam? You’ll find it at Elephant & Castle. A high-tech Delphin vacuum cleaner? No problem! All the big names are here, too: Shanghai Tang, Miu Miu, and more. Here’s another special Changi perk: you can do your duty-free shopping in advance online and pick up your purchases when you get to the airport.
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi
A crafts shop at Suvarnabhumi (Photo: David McKelvey/Flickr)
One of my favorite souvenirs from Thailand is a set of elephant salt-and-pepper shakers that I got right before I took off at one of the stores in Suvarnabhumi, where the handicrafts were so good I realized I didn’t need to go shopping in Thailand. I could have done it all right here. There’s even a branch of the cult Bangkok silk shop Jim Thompson, as well government shops where the purchases go back to helping small hill tribes — doesn’t get better than that!
Johannesburg Tambo International
Adorable kids’ socks for sale at Tambo (Photo: Tambo International Airport)
I have to admit that I didn’t mind getting stuck at Johannesburg’s Tambo airport last year for one reason alone: the boutiques. Who knew that I could have skipped all my shopping in Africa and done it all here? Shops were selling the same carved wooden animals figurines I thought I’d never see anywhere else. Oh, and those gorgeous glass bead necklaces that I found in a hotel in the Namibia desert? Here, too.
Related: Where’d You Get That Necklace?
Dubai International Airport
Dubai’s airport, which looks more like a mall (Martin Diepeveen/Flickr)
It’s to be expected that an over-the-top city like Dubai would offer equally over-the-top airport shopping. The airport has the largest duty-free on the planet. Whatever you could ask for, you’ll find it: Waterford, Swarovski, even Cuban cigars.
Pittsburgh International Airport
A fashion show at Pittsburgh’s Airmall (Airmallpit/Facebook)
Last year, Airport Revenue News named Pittsburgh the best concessions program at a mid-sized U.S. airport. There’s Furla, Hugo Boss, and the Spanish designer Desigual, as well as an outpost of the Italian gourmet food shop Bottega dei Sapori, with artisanal pastas and wines by the glass. The shopping area is getting better looking, too. The airport is spending $4 million to transform the floor into a public art exhibit.
Seattle Seatac
The Sub Pop shop (Susan Kittenplan for Yahoo)
We’re in love with Seatac for one reason alone: the Sub Pop shop in Concourse C, where you can buy vinyl records, grunge-inspired T-shirts, and other gifts that will transport you right back to the days of Nirvana.
Related: We Love This Shrine to Grunge Rock at the Seattle Airport
New York JFK
Muji to Go makes you want to stay at JFK. (Photo: Jay Rosenblatt for Muji)
I’m even surprising myself to namecheck JFK, but the airport has been on an improvement kick — and it’s paying off with shops from Jo Malone, Mac, Michael Kors, and more. The highlight is the Muji to Go travel shop in Terminal 5. We also love the pretty pink kiosks from Benefit Cosmetics, inspired by food trucks. And just in case you need it, JFK even has a dry cleaner.
WATCH: After Five Years And $4.2 Billion, Heathrow Airport Opens Terminal 2
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