How Your Favorite Airports Are Paying Homage to Local Businesses and Culture

04.10.2024 - 17:15 / cntraveler.com

This story ran as part of the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards. To find out all the winning airports, read here.

I'm sitting at the bar at Bubby's, a longtime New York City brunch staple, digging into a stack of pancakes, and contemplating a slice of apple pie to go. With its red leather swivel stools, deep booths, and strong coffee, it's the quintessential New York eatery. Except I'm not in Bubby's beloved original location in Tribeca—I'm in LaGuardia Airport's shiny new Terminal C.

Since the LGA's multibillion-dollar renovation was completed in 2022, Bubby's bright blue and white sign has greeted millions of New Yorkers and visitors on their way into and out of town. The restaurant is one of several at LGA showcasing Big Apple culinary talent, including an outpost of the Brooklyn ramen shop Chuko and Rossi Pizzeria, which was developed with Brooklyn pizza legend Mark Iacono of Lucali. All are part of a conscious effort to introduce travelers to local businesses that serve up distinctly New York flavors, and not have national fast-food chains. It seems to be working: LGA was the number two domestic airport this year after not even breaking into the top 10 in 2023. “I've gotten a lot of support from locals and from people visiting from out of town,” says Bubby's owner, Ron Silver. “It really is like a giant billboard.”

Many of the world's top airports right now are similarly striving to present the best of their home city to travelers. At Portland International Airport's new main terminal, all two dozen of the stores and restaurants are small businesses from the surrounding area, including Loyal Legion brewery, which has 96 Oregon-brewed beers on tap. Even the timber for the lattice ceiling was sustainably sourced within 300 miles of the airport, in partnership with four of the region's Indigenous tribes. On the other side of the country, Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, a longtime reader favorite, is a warm alternative to sterile airport abysses. Its mock “town square,” with a glass ceiling and rocking chairs, feels like a screened-in porch.

Abroad, despite having been open only five years, the $12 billion Istanbul Airport is already known for its local shopping. In the sprawling food court, travelers feast on döner kebab or kill time at Kaimakk with a cup of black coffee traditionally prepared in hot sand. Inspired by the Grand Bazaar, the airport's ATU Old Bazaar is overflowing with handmade carpets, natural soaps, and colorful ceramics. There's also a museum with exhibitions showcasing 12,000 years of Anatolian history. And the eternally popular Singapore Changi Airport highlights the city-state's ambitions to become the world's greenest urban hub by 2030. In its recently renovated