Fewer people flying means fewer people spending money at the airport, and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport reported dramatic decreases in airport concessions and other terminal sales.
Phoenix City Council has reduced rents for concession companies at the city-owned airport through the end of the year to try to prevent businesses from closing because of the coronavirus pandemic. It is now looking to ensure those companies are doing what’s possible to take care of their employees before agreeing to extend rent relief into 2021. That move comes up for a vote on Tuesday, Dec. 1.
“We are not out of the woods yet. We are in all-hands-on-deck mode and survival mode,” said Gonzalo de la Melena Jr., owner of Sir Veza’s taco shop inside the airport, as he called into last week’s City Council transportation subcommittee meeting.
