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Travel Snack Surtax: The average New Jersey family spends $250 on airport food & drinks due to flight delays, reveals data

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  • This is equivalent to 48% of their flight ticket costs.
  • Families flying out of Delaware airports spend the most on food & drinks.
  • Infographic included.

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Newark NJ, Airport Armageddon: 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.

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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 New Jersey spends the equivalent of 48% of their flight ticket costs on food & drink surcharges alone, while awaiting their departure – that’s $250.34! This compares to a national average of $240.51 (or 26% of their flight tickets).

When analyzed by state, Delaware airports were found to have the highest figures for families in terms of additional food and drink costs: the average family spends 87% of their flight costs on these purchases. By comparison, those flying out of airports in Alaska spend 16% of their flight costs on travel snack surcharges.

Infographic showing how much families spend on food & drinks at airports across the U.S.

Ranked: the most excessive airports (by state) for families spending on airport food and drinks due to delays:

1. Delaware

2. New Jersey

3. Connecticut

4. Ohio

5. Rhode Island

 

Ranked: the least excessive airports (by state) for families spending on airport food and drinks due to delays:

46. Idaho

47. Montana

48. Massachusetts

49. Wyoming

50. Alaska

 

Flight delays can leave both parents and kids impatient and in a bad mood before the vacation has even begun, which can dampen spirits. It’s easier said than done but it’s important to understand that the travel system is attempting to rebalance as passenger volumes return to pre-pandemic levels since restrictions have fully eased,’ says Rose Ackermann of FamilyDestinationsGuide.com.

Although it’s impossible to predict these kinds of delays, as they may be caused by things like staff shortages, it’s always a good idea to try and come prepared with back up snacks just in case. If you’re traveling among the surge of current flight delays, try and pack a mini lunchbox for young kids (or even for parents) in case of emergencies. This can be especially helpful if any family members have specific dietary requirements, which may be hard to cater for with the limited options available at the airport.’

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