Ever wonder whhy those sandwiches wrapped in plastic, looking a bit pale in the fluorescent light cost $14.99 ?

Hell Gate inquired as to why the high price of the sandwich here is what they found:

Food, drinks, and other goods sold at each of the region’s three airports must adhere to strict price standards established by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which limit costs to “street pricing” plus an additional 10 percent. This means, generally, that a turkey sandwich sold at an airport cannot cost significantly more than a comparable turkey sandwich in the NYC metro area.

Fair enough. New York City is an expensive place, and running a business out of an airport presents unique challenges. But this standard raises another question: If retailers like CIBO Express (and its parent company OTG, the main dining and retail operator for some of the country’s largest airports, including LaGuardia, Newark, and JFK) are indeed following the Port Authority’s rules, then who are these metro-area retailers charging $13.50 ($13.50 plus 10 percent = $14.99) for an unremarkable, prepackaged turkey sandwich on sliced bread?

Excactly. The real problem is that its a pricing system that is obviuosly rigged and the folks at Port Authority are refusing transperency.

“This should be an easy process to be transparent about,” Lund said of the OIG report. “Either Port Authority is not [releasing] it because they know that their process wasn’t good, which is entirely possible, or they’re not [releasing] it just to say ‘fuck you,’ which is also possible and also bad from a government agency.”

Lund added, “The cost of airport food matters, because if the Port Authority isn’t bothering to deal with this, what else is the Port Authority not bothering to do?”

Bingo. This is why I refuse to eat anything at the airport. Just pack lunch with you on carry on. Don’t even get me started on the in flight charges for food.