Mayank Bhatter was on the hunt for a maxi flap bag from designer Matthieu Blazy’s first collection for Chanel — a very hard-to-score treasure that made its debut in March. Boutiques received small numbers of the bags, and fashionistas were fighting over them.
Bhatter happened to be in Paris during the launch, but by the time he caught word on social media, he knew it was probably too late to get one in the city. He headed to Charles de Gaulle Airport to begin his trip home to Los Angeles, where he works as an actor and casting director.
While there, he went to the Chanel store in Terminal 2E, Hall K and chatted up two sales associates, leaving with their numbers. They told him, “Just text us exactly what you want, and give us your flight info for next time you’re here. Once we have a flight, we can hold it for you, we send a payment link, and we’ll have it for you.”
Bhatter is an airport power shopper. You may know him as @mayankbhatter on TikTok, where he makes shopping and unboxing videos and lives by the motto “never skip” — as in never skip a luxury airport boutique. You never know what they may have in store for you.
These brightly lit emporiums nestled near the Starbucks may often look completely devoid of shoppers. But Bhatter has bought so many high-end bags from Hermès at the airport that he knows appearances can be deceiving.
Paris’s airports alone generated $1.7 billion in retail sales last year, with passengers spending an average of $37 each — more than double the global average of about $15.50. Thanks to their small footprints and constant stream of travelers, luxury boutiques can generate remarkable sales per square foot.
Around the world, duty-free mini malls and boutiques ranging from Brooks Brothers to Tumi to Louis Vuitton entice a captive audience with necessities and extravagances. They tempt us to buy these bags, beauty products and clothes out of need, inspiration — or sheer boredom. If you’re immediately taking the goods out of the country (or, if you’re in the European Union, out of the union), the items aren’t subject to local import, sales or value-added taxes. Hence the term “duty-free.”
That means there’s often a discount involved — if you know where to look.
A changing airport landscape
Traffic through global airports returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2024. The average traveler now spends roughly 80 minutes between clearing security and boarding on average, according to the Airports Council International. That number is only increasing as nervous flyers arrive earlier to cushion against delays, security lines and operational disruptions that have become commonplace since the pandemic.
The study found that a 10% increase in passenger “dwell time” can drive roughly a 5% increase in airport retail revenue per traveler. This is what’s prompting airports to turn terminals into destinations of their own.
Airlines and airport operators have poured money into larger lounges, chef-driven restaurants and luxury retail space as they compete for a greater share of passenger spending before takeoff. That’s particularly the case in North America, where spending per passenger lags behind Asia and Europe. The hope is that one day travelers wax rhapsodic about the shopping at American airports like they do about Singapore’s Changi, Amsterdam’s Schiphol and Hong Kong International.
Their partners in this effort are a quiet group of massive retail networks. Most of the airport stores you see with brand names on them (think Swarovski, Montblanc, Gucci) aren’t actually run by those brands. They’re owned and operated by a group of specialty retailers who study consumer behavior and, with the help of airport and airline officials, decide the mix that’s right for each terminal. Among the biggest companies is Switzerland-based Avolta, which owns more than 5,000 points of sale globally, including luxury shops, restaurants and convenience stores. It also owns duty-free outlets, those sprawling shops with products ranging from spirits to fragrance to specialty foods. Lagardère Travel Retail has 4,900 stores and restaurants in airports, train stations and more across over 50 countries.
It’s been a complex time for these retailers: Avolta was partly owned by luxury conglomerate Richemont, which recently sold its 5% stake. The war in the Middle East has impacted spending, as travel in and out of the lucrative Gulf market has diminished, some stores have closed, and travelers remain wary. And when it comes to luxury shopping in particular, the fashion juggernauts at LVMH and Kering have experienced two-year sales slumps after a post-pandemic revenge shopping boom.
But Avolta, which has retail options at all price points, has delivered positive growth for 12 consecutive quarters, and revenue was up 5.5% in 2025. Lagardère grew 4.6%, with revenue reaching nearly $11 billion. Both companies saw growth of more than 4.5% in the first quarter of 2026 despite the war.
“There are always external pressures that affect travelers and the broader economy, and we stay focused on what we can control,” says Gregg Paradies, the chief executive officer of Paradies Lagardère, the North American division of the group. He adds, “Some travelers come in with a specific need, especially with categories like luggage, fashion, electronics or beauty. Others are browsing because they have time and want to treat themselves or pick up a gift. The key is making the experience easy. The customer may only have a short window, so the store has to be inviting and simple to shop.”
Super shopper strategy
As a vice president and executive producer for the marketing agency Publicis Production, Steven Kostyo travels a lot for shoots. So he knows airport shopping.
“I always get my cologne if I have a layover in Dubai because it’s several hundred [dollars] cheaper there,” he says. “I’ve gotten Prada bags and accessories in Hong Kong because the prices are so good.” While in airports, Kostyo says, “I usually go for luxury brands because costs are often better and there are tax incentives.”
The search for a bargain, or a tax-free purchase, has long driven the success of duty-free shops — the post-security havens where small, easily portable luxuries like fragrances and cosmetics account for more than 50% of sales. In 2025, before the war, Dubai Duty Free reported its strongest year ever, logging more than $2.4 billion in revenue, with perfume as the leading category. Perfume and cosmetics make up the biggest luxury travel retail segment across the board.
But finding a bargain isn’t as easy as it once was. Luxury brands lately have tried to do a better job of equaling out price distribution among markets with different currencies — a tricky job when they’re constantly shifting. “Americans used to go a lot to Europe because there used to be a huge discrepancy, like a 25% to 40% difference,” Bhatter says.
In France, luxury items still tend to cost less than the same items in the US. Add the tax-free bonus, and you could be finding a real discount at an Hermès, Goyard or Louis Vuitton, Bhatter says. The 15% US tariffs on EU goods means you might face a tariff payment when you declare your purchase upon return home, though anything under $800 is exempt from US Customs duties.
Why we shop when we travel
Air travel often splits into two central types: trips that build habits and trips that build memories. Work travel gets you into a groove. You know what makes you happy and which pain points to avoid. This kind of traveler learns where to find bargains and great discoveries.
Airport super shoppers love sniffing out regionally specific specialties, and airport retailers know it. The shops in Helsinki offer a panoply of design-forward delights: fabrics from Marimekko, glassware from Iittala, decor from Georg Jensen. Istanbul has reasonably priced, tasteful handmade leather goods. “Local identity matters,” says Paradies, who recently opened three Atlanta-focused businesses at Hartsfield-Jackson, because, increasingly, “travelers want more than a transaction. They want a sense of place, even if they only have a few minutes before a flight.”
For those on trips aiming to build lifelong memories, a luxury token serves as more of a souvenir. Jewelry editor and stylist Will Kahn found a Borsalino hat at a Milan airport that rolls up, so it’s easy to toss into his luggage. He and his friend each bought one and wear them on trips together.
Airports have become especially attractive for luxury retailers because travelers are ready to spend before they even board, according to Jeroen van Nistelrooij, director of commercial development for JFKIAT, the private operator of John F. Kennedy Airport’s Terminal 4, the busiest — and arguably swankiest — part of the New York hub.“You hop on a plane, you fly to the other part of the country, you’re up in the air. So people arrive at their airport with a mindset of: ‘This is my time,’” van Nistelrooij says. “’I’ve earned it. I want to spend money here.’”
Travel retail also relies heavily on exclusives and limited products only available in airports, creating an added feeling of timeliness and discovery. The strategy is particularly potent in New York, where luxury spending already runs deep. The US luxury market totals roughly $90 billion annually, with New York City accounting for nearly 30% of that spending, according to a 2023 Bain-Altagamma Luxury Study. Terminal 4’s retail mix is designed with that customer in mind, from high-end fashion boutiques to upgraded restaurants.
JFK’s ambitions extend beyond traditional airport retail. As part of Terminal 4’s redevelopment, operators are investing in premium infrastructure to attract luxury brands to operate their own boutiques directly rather than relying on third-party concession operators. That model has been proven globally, but it’s relatively new to US airports. The goal is to create a retail environment that feels more like Fifth Avenue than a mall.
“We’re not building those stores because we think they are nice,” van Nistelrooij says. “We have a certain passenger in the terminal with a certain profile.”
And the lack of crowds at these stores? Bhatter views that as a plus.
“I tell people to never skip airport stores because people don’t think to go there,” he says. “But the stores get stuff that nobody even knows is there. Cool stuff, limited, unique stuff. I’ve been able to get the Hermès Farandole necklace at Charles de Gaulle, and there’s a two-year waiting list for it at the store near my home,” he adds. “When I picked it up, people were like, ‘Wow, how did you get this?’”