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Sunday, June 15, 2003

# Posted 5:57 PM by Ariel David Adesnik  

WISH GRANTED: Michael Jennings wonders why I haven't linked to him, since he has lots of posts about cricket.

Michael also has an interesting post about the Bilbao (Spain) airport, where the price of a drink is surprisingly reasonable. He asks why the stores there don't indulge in the sort of price gouging one would expect at an airport.

I don't know the answer to Michael's question, but I will say this: Bilbao is a well-run city with an award-winning underground system built in 1995. Thanks to Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum building, Bilbao has become a major tourist attraction.

Thus, I wouldn't be surprised if the city fathers decided that imposing reasonable prices at airport stores is good for the city, given the positive feelings that it generates among tourists.

In addition, Bilbao is the first city to recognize that capping airport prices is good for the city as a whole. For example, Dulles International Airport outside of Washington DC has banners up all around which advertise that its stores charge the same price one would pay in a Washington area mall. In fact, one can complain to the airport authorities if one has to pay more.

Somewhere, Ralph Nader is smiling.
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