It’s 9:22 a.m. at JFK Terminal 8, and I find myself having an interesting conversation with a food-safety inspector who is on her second Bloody Mary. The conversation turns to consumer protections, and over drinks we discuss topics ranging from careers in food safety, reincarnation, ExxonMobil and labor unions. However, her job prevents her from speaking with the media, so she refrains from disclosing her full name.
We’re sitting at the New York Sports Bar, which is located across from Gate 10 and next to Solstice Sunglasses and a vending machine selling ready-to-eat salads in plastic mason jars. In one corner, two blond women sip white wine, while a passerby wonders if the bar serves French fries. The bartender apologizes and explains that fries are not served until 10:30 a.m. It’s still too early for fries, but not for a glass of white wine.
Bars in JFK Terminal 8 start serving alcohol at 6 a.m. as do those in LAX. This is hardly surprising, since many major airports around the world have no restrictions, and early-morning drinking is rather common. However, outside the airport, non-airport bars in New York State are not allowed to serve alcohol until 8 a.m. (10 a.m. on Sundays). Generally speaking, morning drinking outside of a brunch or tailgating setting tends to be a sign of severe alcohol dependence.
Despite this, at the airport, normal rules do not apply. Sipping early-morning drinks at the airport Bobby Van’s is a common practice. You can observe different types of airport-drinking personalities, such as solo business travelers, festive couples or groups of friends, or anxious individuals coping with the fear of flying.
Airports are a unique non-place, a space-time blip where everyone is out of context and history. Drinking in airports, in a way, signals the transition from a set of rules and a context to another. As Edward Slingerland observes in his book, Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced, and Stumbled Our Way to Civilization, drinking in airports is a way of transitioning from our normal everyday lives to whatever unusual thing we’re off to.
This captive audience has not gone unnoticed by airport authorities. Retail concessions accounted for a significant chunk of airport revenue pre-pandemic, with captive, thirsty passengers eager to spend their time shopping, eating, or lounging at the bar. Airports have adapted to the changing times, with private lounges and bars like the American Express Centurion Lounge offering upscale drinks and snacks, and even a speakeasy.
The airport is not just about efficient travel, but also about experiential consumption. So why not order a Bloody Mary at 9:22 a.m. at the JFK Terminal 8 New York Sports Bar? After all, as the bartender says, it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.
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