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AirMall USA was a developer and manager of retail, food and beverage concessions at various US airports, with a major presence at
Pittsburgh International Airport Pittsburgh International Airport —originally Greater Pittsburgh Airport and later Greater Pittsburgh International Airport—is a civil-military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Abou ...
. In 2014 AirMall was acquired by the German
Fraport Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide, commonly known as Fraport, is a German transport company which operates Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt am Main and holds interests in the operation of several other airports around the world. In the ...
Group, which continued the airport concession operations.


History

The first AirMall opened at
Pittsburgh International Airport Pittsburgh International Airport —originally Greater Pittsburgh Airport and later Greater Pittsburgh International Airport—is a civil-military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. Abou ...
in 1992. Today the company also operates AirMall at
Baltimore/Washington International Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport – also known as Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Airport, and simply as BWI Airport – is an international airport in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, ...
and Boston's
Logan International Airport General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport — also known as Boston Logan International Airport — is an international airport located mostly in East Boston and partially in Winthrop, Massachusetts, United States. Covering , it has ...
, however Pittsburgh remains by far the largest. An AirMall opened at
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is a city-owned international airport in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and is the primary airport serving Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. It is the largest and busiest airport in the state, as w ...
in the spring of 2009 as well. The stores in the AirMall were the first in the US to price their merchandise the same as they would at a store in a typical retail setting, a policy that was later followed by concessionaires at some other airports in the US. Originally owned by BAA USA (then a subsidiary of BAA plc), AirMall was then owned by the New York-based investment company Prospect Capital Corporation. In August 2014 AirMall was acquired by the German
Fraport Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide, commonly known as Fraport, is a German transport company which operates Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt am Main and holds interests in the operation of several other airports around the world. In the ...
Group, the operator of
Frankfurt International Airport Frankfurt Airport ( ) , is Germany's busiest international airport by passenger numbers, located in Frankfurt, Germany's fifth-largest city. Its official name according to the German Aeronautical Information Publication is Frankfurt Main Airpor ...
and another ten airports around the globe. Fraport has since merged its North American concessions business into its Fraport USA division.


Pittsburgh International Airport concessions

Opened along with the new airport in 1992, AirMall in Pittsburgh was the largest airport shopping complex in the United States. The current mall, now under Fraport management, 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 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
, and the opening of The Mall at Robinson, the Airmall served as a shopping destination for residents of the western suburbs of
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
. Because the mall 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 US Airways was a major airline in the United States. It was originally founded in History of aviation in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon became a commercial passenger airline. In 1953, it ...
hub, sales have decreased in recent years. On April 13, 2007, it was announced that guests staying at the attached airport
Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational corporation, multinational hospitality company headquartered in the 150 North Riverside, Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchise ...
hotel would be able to obtain passes to shop during their stay. Even with sales being down due to US Airways cutbacks and the
Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.
, the AirMall in Pittsburgh still accounted for the highest per passenger spending of any airport in the country, at an average of $13.60/passenger. 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. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants condemned the move. After the Allegheny County Airport Authority moved to end Fraport's concession lease at the Pittsburgh airport, Fraport sued; the case went to trial in 2022. The airport authority cited lax safety standards by Fraport for pulling the lease; Fraport denied this. As of May 2023, The Allegheny County Airport authority appeals ruling ordering the return of evicted AirMall operator.


References


External links

*
Pittsburgh Airmall Guide
{{coord, 40.49591, -80.24697, type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-PA, display=title Airport infrastructure Retail companies established in 1992 1992 establishments in Pennsylvania Retail companies disestablished in 2014 2014 disestablishments in Pennsylvania 2014 mergers and acquisitions Shopping malls established in 1992