The Great Deal in Travel Most Fliers Know Nothing About

“It’s [James] Patterson and it’s only five bucks,” said Bordes, who lives in Garden City, Idaho.

Scoring a deal at an airport, those hotbeds of high prices and impulse purchases, is about as rare as snagging a quiet spot in an airport lounge during rush hour. 

Books can be a surprising exception, with discounted and even free options. 

That isn’t to say you’ll find deals on every book at every airport store ahead of your next flight. (That copy of “Lessons in Chemistry” that you want to read before the TV adaptation comes out still set me back $29 at a PHX bookstore.)

Travelers trying to save a few bucks or more on books for their flights can count on a couple of old standbys and a growing list of new options. Just looking to pass the time while waiting for your flight? A new kiosk at tiny Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, a big base for budget airline Allegiant, spits out short stories to pass the time before your flight. 

Airport read and return 

The granddaddy of airport book deals turns 20 this year. Paradies Lagardère operates 400 stores that sell books in North American airports, often several stores under different names in some cities. Among them: CNBC, Tripadvisor and Today.

In 2003, the company started testing a program called Read and Return. The promotion: Buy a new book and get 50% back if you return it without tears or other noticeable damage within six months at any location, with the receipt. The receipt is attached to a bookmark with a list of airports by state on one side and an ad on the other. The goal was to lure business travelers away from retailers and online sellers, says company CEO Gregg Paradies.

“It really became a great loyalty program,” he says. “Amazingly enough, it’s still just as effective today as 20 years ago, even though the book business has changed a lot.”

The program has helped stabilize the chain’s book sales in this era of ebooks and other competition, he says. That competition includes Hudson Booksellers, which doesn’t offer a read-and-return program but last week was offering a free Colleen Hoover tote bag with the purchase of two of the bestselling author’s books.

Paradies says the chain has never tracked data on the program—including how many people return the books for half their money back. 

“If it’s a short flight, then it’s likely probably not going back,” she says, citing the need to keep track of the receipt and remember the book on her next flight.

The stores load returned books onto carts and sell them at half price. (Not all stores have the carts, so shop around.)

Bordes found her $5 paperback copy of “The Paris Detective,” a 448-page novel written by Patterson and Richard DiLallo, on a cart dominated by the author’s books and other quick reads. 

Many travelers are still surprised to find the Read and Return option.

Frequent flier Laura Kronen, an entrepreneur and life coach who lives in Atlanta, discovered the program in January when she forgot to pack a book for a flight to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She says she normally won’t spend money on pricey hardcover books but likes this affordable alternative. Her first purchase: Malcolm Gladwell’s “Talking to Strangers.” She bought it at the Atlanta airport and returned it in Fort Lauderdale before returning home.

Kronen, who regularly rents designer clothes online, calls Read and Return the Rent the Runway of airport books.

“How did I not know about this?” she says.

Little Free Libraries

Travelers jonesing for a read and not bound to one author or genre should check out the Little Free Libraries popping up at airports. They flourished in neighborhoods during the pandemic when public libraries were closed and have expanded at airports in recent years. Travelers and airport workers take part.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport opened two last year, a suggestion from an employee. More travelers have taken books than left them so far—employees are encouraged to donate to boost numbers, airport spokesman Perry Cooper says. Hundreds of books have been donated but travelers may find them hit-or-miss until the book exchange grows.

The simple idea: Take a book, leave a book.

Little Free Library, a nonprofit organization, says more airports are offering them, including in Houston and Providence, R.I.

The airport in Grand Rapids, Mich., has had one since 2016 in partnership with the local library. Philadelphia International Airport introduced its version the same year. Airlines donate books left on planes and passengers also drop books off.

Airport ebooks

Check for QR codes on airport displays and other options for downloading library books, even if you aren’t a member of the library in that city.

The airport in San Jose, Calif., opened an e-library in July 2021 in partnership with the San Jose Public Library. It offers free access to hundreds of ebooks.

Travelers don’t need a library card or an app. They just scan the QR code located throughout the terminals to create a free account. You can download up to four books for up to three weeks and you can read them offline, the airport says.

Nearly 4,300 books have been downloaded by travelers since the program began. The top title: “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck” by Mark Manson.

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