A surge in flight delays this summer has created chaos in airports around America, with the delay domino effect leaving travelers spending more time (and money) inside airports while they await their unpredictable departure. Airports are infamously renowned for their massively marked-up food and drink charges. In fact, an outrageously-priced $28 beer from a vendor at LaGuardia Airport recently made headlines due to its alarming cost. For passengers on standby (and who perhaps weren’t expecting to spend much money at the airport), flight delays can result in unforeseen, but unavoidably exorbitant, purchases of meals, snacks, and drinks. This can rack up significant costs – especially for traveling families – and particularly so if there are specific dietary requirements that are necessary.
FamilyDestinationsGuide.com analyzed flight data, including the average air ticket fare per family, in each state to determine how much more of families’ vacation budgets are being eaten into (literally) by flight delays. This found that overall, the average family flying out of airports across North Carolina spends the equivalent of 26% of their flight ticket costs on food & drink surcharges alone, while awaiting their departure – that’s $238.06. The average family flying out of South Carolina spends even more, averaging $293.95, or 27% of their flight ticket cost. Some of the least affected states are North Dakota, Vermont, and Maine, where flyers are averaging around $215 each.
You can read the full report here.
