$28 for a beer? New York airports crack down on ‘exorbitant’ food and drink

theguardian.com:

We all expect to pay a bit extra for a beer or a sandwich at the airport. But when a glass of Samuel Adams Summer Ale costs nearly $30, things really have gotten out of control.

That’s why New York officials have announced a crackdown on food and drink prices at the region’s airports, where vendors can’t charge more than “street prices” – what you’d pay locally outside the airport – plus 10%.

“Nobody should have to fork over such an exorbitant amount for a beer,” said Kevin O’Toole, chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which oversees the airports, in a press release. The new measures, he said, “make it crystal clear that all prices at concessions will be routinely monitored to ensure they are aligned with the regional marketplace”.

The 10% figure itself isn’t new, but officials have clarified the rules and stepped up monitoring after some egregious violations emerged – all thanks to a single tweet by a young Brooklynite.

Last July, Cooper Lund found himself with some time to kill at New York’s LaGuardia airport, which hosted 15.6 million travelers last year. He thought he’d grab a beer – until he saw the menu.

The vendor was charging $27.85 for Samuel Adams Summer Ale on draught, with other beers ranging from about $13 to $21. Instead of buying one, Lund tweeted a picture of the alarming price list.

“I was like, ‘That’s ridiculous,’” Lund tells the Guardian. “I didn’t tag anybody. I didn’t tag LaGuardia, I just sort of sent it for like the enjoyment of my followers, people that I know.”

About a month later, he got a call from a journalist at the New