BANGKOK – Overpriced food are on sale at Don Mueang Airport, while legal pricing control measures will be required if merchants fail to cooperate with authorities, says the Ombudsman.
Ombudsman Gen Viddhavat Rajatanun has revealed the outcome of a meeting to solve the overpriced food issue in Bangkok Don Mueang Airport, stated that the price of food sold at the airport are still higher than the price ceiling according to today’s inspection. Shops and restaurants were charging an excess price at 40-200 percent of the actual price.
He has said foods in the airport are only allowed to be sold at the price not higher than an extra 20 percent from the price sold outside the airport. Don Mueang Airport and the Department on Internal Trade have been assigned to work together to formulate pricing guidelines, set to be implemented within 30 days.
However, the price of drinking water has been reduced at the airport following a previous request for the shops to cooperate in selling 500-600 milliliter water bottles at 10 baht, as opposed to the previous price of 30 baht.
On this matter, Don Mueang Airport General Manager Phet Chan-charoen states that the high price of food inside the airport reflects the cost merchants have bear from auctioning for retail space, while the airport will work to maintain the price of food to be within the agreed rate, charging no more than 20 percent higher than the original price.
Don Mueang Airport hosts restaurants selling food at low prices on the second floor of Terminal 2, with price of food dishes starting from around 30-50 baht, as an affordable option for passengers.
