AirMall

AirMall USA is a developer and manager of retail, food and beverage concessions at various US airports. Originally owned by BAA USA, (then a subsidiary of BAA plc.) it was then owned by the New York-based investment company Prospect Capital Corporation. In August 2014 AirMall was acquired by the German Fraport Group, operator of Frankfurt International Airport and another 10 airports around the globe.

Its first AirMall opened at the Pittsburgh International Airport in 1992. Today the company also operates AIRMALLs at Baltimore/Washington International Airport and Boston's Logan International Airport, however Pittsburgh remains by far the largest. An AirMall opened at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in the spring of 2009 as well. The stores in the AirMall are known for pricing their merchandise the same as they would at a store in a typical retail setting, compared to the higher prices charged at restaurants and gift shops in other airports.

Pittsburgh International Airport

Opened along with the new airport in 1992, the AirMall in Pittsburgh is the largest airport shopping complex in the United States.[1] It is located within the airport's airside terminal, mostly in the "Center Core" area, with some shops and restaurants extending into the concourses. Prior to 9/11, and the opening of The Mall at Robinson, the Airmall served as a shopping destination for residents of the western suburbs of Pittsburgh.

Because the Airmall is located beyond the security checkpoint, where only ticketed passengers and authorized personnel had been permitted for more than a decade after 9/11, and the reduction of the use of Pittsburgh International as a US Airways hub, sales have decreased in recent years. On April 13, 2007, it was announced that guests staying at the attached airport Hyatt hotel would be able to obtain passes to shop during their stay.[2] Even with sales being down due to US Airways cutbacks and the Great Recession, the AirMall in Pittsburgh still accounts for the highest per passenger spending of any airport in the country, at an average of $13.60/passenger.[3]

In 2017, Pittsburgh International became the first US commercial airport to allow the general public access to the area beyond the checkpoint. Visitors must first sign up for the "myPITpass" program on the airport's website; following approval, they must still pass the same security checks required of ticketed passengers.[4][5]

References
  1. http://www.baausa.com/Content/PittsburghInternationalAirport.aspx
  2. "Airport hotel guests to get Air Mall access". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-05-18. Retrieved 2009-03-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Blackley, Kathleen J. Davis, Katie. "Airmall At Pittsburgh International Airport Opens To Non-Passengers".
  5. "Pittsburgh airport's gates, shops, restaurants to open to non-flyers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

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