SWITZERLAND. Zürich airport authority Flughafen Zürich is trialling shopping carts in its Airside Center shopping complex in a bid to boost passenger dwell-time.
The company said initial findings had shown that when passengers had the option of pushing their hand luggage and purchased goods in comfort through the shopping zones in the Airside Center they were encouraged to spend more time browsing around the shops.
The authority said it had received “a large number” of complaints from passengers in the past few years about the lack of carts in the transit zones. In response, 200 shopping carts were placed in the Airside Center in January as a test. Initial observations showed that passengers used these carts to stroll around the shopping zones – and they spent less time in waiting areas.
The carts are for use only in the Airside Center and its neighbouring transit zones and have to be left behind when passing through passport control.
The company reported no practical problems in the trial to date. The test will run until the end of March, after which a decision will be taken on whether to make shopping carts permanently available in the Airside Center.
In other retail news, visitors to Zürich Airport who spend more than CHF60 (€38) in shops and restaurants are entitled to free parking for the first hour. Customers simply present their receipts and car-parking ticket at the Migros customer service desk or one of the Service Center desks.
*Flughafen Zürich reports that the Winter Olympics in Turin will be shown daily on large-screen TV sets at central locations in the Airport Shopping area and the Airside Center.
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