The effect of arrival time of travelers at the airport on consumption in commercial establishments

Abstract

In the last decade, several Brazilian airports were privatized, bringing initial investments to airport infrastructure, including improvements in commercial facilities. This research analyzes the commercial activities of the São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport regarding the airport layout, number of stores and opening hours, and scheduled flights. In addition, this research addresses as a main study a survey carried out with travelers to verify consumer behavior in the restaurant and/or shopping segments in relation to the traveler's arrival time at the airport through a multinomial logistic regression model. The results show that as for the concentration of stores at the airport, there are more stores in Passenger Terminal 2 in the public area for the dining segment, while in Passenger Terminal 3 most stores correspond to the restricted area in the shopping segment. The main contribution to the literature was the finding that travelers who arrive around 9 a.m. and between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. are more likely to consume higher amounts than other groups throughout the day.