$11 Fries At Newark Airport Are ‘Price Gouging,’ Congressman Says

NEWARK, NJ — $28 for a beer? $11 for an order of French fries? There are plenty of things to call that – “rip-off” among them. But there may be a more nefarious term for the cost of a brewski and a snack at Newark Liberty International Airport, a New Jersey congressman says: “price gouging.”

Recently, U.S. Rep. Donald Payne Jr. of the state’s 10th district joined three of his colleagues in a scathing letter to the inspector general of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs Newark Airport.

“We need to know what is happening with the prices of goods at Newark Liberty International Airport,” Payne said. “Airport customers are a captive audience and we trust airport vendors not to abuse this power and overcharge customers for common items. But if vendors are charging almost $28 for a beer, then they are clearly abusing that power.”

The 10th district includes Newark, as well as several other municipalities in Essex, Hudson and Union counties.

The letter was led by Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. of the 9th district, and co-signed by Payne, Rep. Albio Sires of the 8th district and Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York.

In their letter, the congress members also blasted prices of food and drinks at two other airports under the Port Authority’s control, John Kennedy International and LaGuardia, both in New York.

The “farcical” price of a beer wasn’t the only menu item at the airports, which also include fries for $11 and a small orange juice for $4. Referencing a recent report from the New York Post, the congressmen said that the region has become “the object of ridicule and scorn.”

“Simply put: travel is stressful enough,” they wrote. “Being bamboozled at the bar for a bottle of beer is no way for our region to greet or wave goodbye to our neighbors.”

A spokesperson for OTG, the company that runs concessions at the three airports, told The City that the now-infamous $28 beer – which was spotted at LaGuardia – was a mistake caused by someone putting in the wrong prices.

Last week, Port Authority officials said a probe has begun into the alleged price gouging. “What you can buy in the street, you shouldn’t be able to pay more than 10 percent of that in an airport,” Port Authority Chair Kevin O’Toole said at a board meeting.

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