Cookie banner

This site uses cookies. Select "Block all non-essential cookies" to only allow cookies necessary to display content and enable core site features. Select "Accept all cookies" to also personalize your experience on the site with ads and partner content tailored to your interests, and to allow us to measure the effectiveness of our service.

To learn more, review our Cookie Policy, Privacy Notice and Terms of Use.

or
clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Airport Shopping at These US Cities May Be the Best Part of Flying

Racked has affiliate partnerships, which do not influence editorial content, though we may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. We also occasionally accept products for research and reviewing purposes. See our ethics policy here.

LAX interior Photo: Westfield Airports

Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.

Trashy magazines, Danielle Steel novels, blow-up neck pillows that will make your body ache — this is the stuff of airport shopping.

If you think small, that is. But if you’re an obsessive shopper who can’t let even a 30-minute window go unfilled by browsing, U.S. airports are actually full of great wallet-burning opportunities.

Just as airports have stepped up their food game, the retail options has steadily improved, with desirable stores like Pendleton in the Portland airport and Fred Segal in LAX. You can hit up MAC while waiting for your flight in Chicago and test-drive Michael Kors bags before departing from New York’s JFK. And don’t forget those adorable Benefit makeup kiosks.

You might need to browse between messy magazine stands and XpresSpa massage chairs, sure. But there’s plenty of good shopping to be done across airports in North America. Check out our guides below, just in time for peak summer travel season.