Yelp is back with its latest report, measuring the strength of various airport brands. Including staples like Hudson News and Starbucks, these are the brands that are often seen throughout airport terminals. Like Yelp’s recent report on the top shopping mall brands, the report taps into Yelp’s first-party data.
For example, ranking factors involve a composite score that factors in page views, searches, photos, reviews, and average star rating. And in addition to brand-name eateries, Yelp also ranked the top five airport lounges in the U.S.. Can you guess which lounges won the top spots on the list?
Getting right to the results, restaurants unsurprisingly dominate the list, with 90 percent presence. Vino Volo was the most popular airport brand, followed by Chick-fil-A, Shake Shack, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and Starbucks. The Centurion Lounge and Delta Sky Club tied for the most popular airport lounges.
The presence of airport lounges on this list was itself a telling sign. These are playing a bigger role in travel experiences, says Yelp, with searches for “airport lounges” growing 18 percent year-over-year. This could be a sign that airport lounges are more accessible and democratized than in the past.
Meanwhile, zeroing in on beverage-focused brands, they peppered the list, such as Starbucks (ranked 5th on the overall list, as noted), Dunkin’ (ranked 8th), The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (ranked 9th), Jamba (ranked 17th). Yelp says that this signals that the “little treat” economy is alive and well in U.S. airports.
Local Flavors
Drawing some meaning out of these findings, Yelp notes a few key trends and driving forces. For one, the line between fast food and fast casual is blurring. Fast casual brands like Shake Shack, Smashburger (no. 14), Potbelly, and QDOBA (no. 7) meld quality with the speed required in an airport context.
Speaking of speed, Yelp also notes that these findings debunk the common assumption that most travelers show up at their gate with little time to spare. The company is seeing a trend towards early arrivals, where travelers can relax and entertain with brands like Vino Volo, or at an airport lounge.
That brings us back to the lounge-based findings. The bar has been raised for levels of luxury in top airport lounges. For example, American Express’ Centurion Lounge (the only non-airline-based lounge) features regional Michelin-starred chef-driven food and drink menus that highlight local flavors.
Synthesizing all of the above, one takeaway is that travelers are spending more time in airports, and the quality bar has been raised. Together, that spells opportunity for airport brands to superserve travelers at high margins and premium pricing – due to captive audiences – if they can meet the standard.
Meanwhile, these findings are trustworthy given the source. As noted, Yelp pulls directly from its first-party data. And given that it’s a staple of local consumer activity at scale, its data is reflective of the reality on the ground. In that light, we’ll keep our eyes on airports as a key microcosm of local commerce.
Header image credit: Artur Tumasjan on Unsplash
