Anyone travelling by air has probably observed the universal proliferation of airport shopping centres. Airports now resemble land-based shopping malls.

Would-be customers arriving in planes are confronted by a bewildering variety of merchandise. Although airport stores tend toward the higher-priced merchandise, the options expand every day. Along with the newspaper kiosks, liquor stores, perfumeries, food courts and travel ware, are found vendors of shoes, formal wear, sporting goods, technical equipment and just anything that might strike one’s fancy.

Normally full-scale department stores or comprehensive supermarkets have not yet penetrated the commercial complex of airports. But this is not always the case. Frankfurt airport has a large supermarket. Heathrow offers at least one branch of Harrods, the famous department store. Madrid’s Barajas airport in the middle of the country has a spacious store selling beach gear. It is also possible to buy cars in some airports although it seems foolish to buy a car while holding an airline ticket.

Introducing shopping centres to airports represents yet another ratcheting up of the enormous conspiracy not only to make travel increasingly inconvenient but also to wring as much money out of travellers as possible. Kingston and Montego Bay airports skilfully shuttle passengers through a medley of stores, most selling promotional merchandise about the island, a great proportion of which is made in China. At Piarco in Trinidad, JFK in New York, Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and Frankfurt in Germany, departure gates are obscured by an excess of gaudy store entrances. London’s Heathrow seems to have deliberately removed passenger seating to force waiting passengers into its stores.

Airport commercial ventures are baffling. Since merchandise is more expensive than regular malls, presumably most travellers would never want to make too many impulse purchases in airports. Higher-priced articles contradict recent trends in the profile of airlines and airline passengers. More and more the lower-cost airlines seem to be the preferred choice of travellers. Air Europe, Ryan Air, Virgin Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Air Tran and Jet Blue are more popular than the legacy carriers like American, British Airways, or United Airlines.

Such arrangements raise the basic question of why anyone would want to shop at airports. No one denies the need for some types of airport stores but the logic of the airport shopping centre seems illogical.

International airport security forbids departing passengers to take bottles and lotions with contents more than three ounces beyond the checkpoints, so a variety of stores sell water. Liquor stores sell water and other beverages in varying sizes. It is hard to avoid the impression that there is more than quenching thirst behind the easy access to water vendors. The downside to the convenience is that such larger bottles are only good on direct flights since they cannot be taken beyond any security control point. Many airports like Montego Bay, Heathrow, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and JFK force intransit passengers through illogical security checkpoints where liquids and lotions in excess of three ounces are confiscated.

Food courts in airports make a lot of sense. In the first place meals on most airlines, even in the premium classes, border on the inedible. Vended food boxes in the economy classes are a culinary gamble. In food courts at least one sees beforehand what one eats and the choice is deliberately made.

Newspaper kiosks also reflect a rational need. Airlines require an inordinately long pre-loading arrival time and their operational schedules seem designed to mock openly the idea of any itinerary. So having something new to read relieves the dreadful monotony of airline travel delays. Perfumeries are clearly justified since travel today involves a lot of stress as well as a lot of sweat, tears, and even blood. Anything that eradicates body odour proliferation or promotes fresh bouquets for our nostrils is welcome.

Along with food and reading material one would expect more pharmacies in airports. The degree of stress encountered in air travel, especially with the reduction of smoking, should rationally generate a huge demand for aspirins and other stress-reducing medications. Of course, some medications are sold in newspaper kiosks, but airports appear to be overlooking the potential revenue enhancing possibilities of full-service health centres.

Hotels in airports make a lot of sense. Airlines increasingly appear either less willing or less able to deliver passengers on schedule. Providing sleeping facilities within airports is not only a convenience but also a necessity. Everything in airports comes with a higher price tag, defying the notion that bored captive audiences should provide more impulse shopping.

Luggage stores make no sense or they are inappropriately placed. Travellers never discover that they have lost their luggage and need replacement until they have passed the luggage stores and are heading to the airport exit. Moreover, airlines discourage taking any luggage at all by charging for every piece of checked baggage. Many carriers restrict hand luggage to a single piece weighing less than 10 kilos. With such handicaps luggage stores in airports, like refrigerators at the poles, seem to be a monumental exercise in superfluity.

Clothing stores make even less sense. No one, apparently, walks nude around an airport. Not surprisingly, clothing stores in airports often seem to have more sellers than clients.

The same goes for stores selling jewellery and watches. Anyone arriving at an airport without a watch clearly does not need one. Moreover, any airport observer will quickly realise that most folks are preoccupied with some sort of communication device such as computers, iPods or cellphones and most such devices also tell the time. People who buy jewellery in airports either have much on their conscience or they have more money than they have common sense.

Airport markets often reflect the uncoordinated goals of different organisations. Governments prefer travel with the minimum amount of luggage. Airlines penalise and discourage accompanied luggage. Commercial enterprises, however, want to overload the would-be traveller. Airport stores demonstrate an inherent irrationality of economics but it also shows that anything can be sold anywhere.