Paying more at Airmall

Street pricing must be enforced at the airport

Taxpayers should get fair deals in the house they built.

Instead, that bottle of perfume or dinner at the Airmall can get pricey. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be under Pittsburgh International Airport’s street pricing policy.

Airport and mall officials need to make sure the stores operating there drop the premiums that shoppers often pay.

County leaders demanded the policy, in effect since 1992, since building the airport included a sizable contribution by taxpayers.

An annual audit in 2019 found 22% of 441 products and foods sampled were above the prices charged in offairport locations, according to Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner. And 64% of businesses, that’s 29 of 45, were charging too much for at least one item.

While a good number of items are within the guidelines, the overpriced items add up to a big hit to consumers’ pocketbooks.

Among the pricey baubles and treats: a Pirates bottle opener key ring at $7.99, 100% higher than street pricing; a Whatchamacallit candy bar at $3.75, 200% higher; and Sony stereo headphones at $31.99, 60% higher.

Allowing some stores to get away with this while others follow the policy is unfair to those playing by the rules.

The prices have already been brought into line since the audit, according to Fraport Pittsburgh, the company that operates the Airmall. The troubling thing is that similar findings occurred in 2018. That year, 21% of prices were out of whack.

It’s clear tighter enforcement is needed. The failure to follow the rules just keeps going on and it’s time for action.

Ms. Wagner suggested penalties should be imposed for stores violating the policy. She’s right. Leases should include penalties for pricing violations if there’s no other way to procure compliance.

Time for some tough love. If the airport and its vendors can’t comply, county officials and the Allegheny County Airport Authority should step in and require action.