YOU may not realise, but there are a number of sneaky ways that airports get you to spend more money.
Here are four things you may not have ever noticed next time you fly.
1. Check-in machines
Check-in machines are a great option for people who don't need to drop their bags, meaning you can skip the queues and go straight through security.
But getting you through check-in and security checks as quickly as possible has another benefit for the airport – you have more time to spend your money.
And in fact, the longer you get to spend in an airport, the more likely you are to spend money according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
They explain: "Automated check-in kiosks are on average 25 per cent faster than human interaction while automated bag drop machines process 60 per hour versus 24 per hour the old-fashioned way.
"For the airports, that means passengers will have more 'dwell time' – the industry term for the amount of time available that can be spent shopping and dining before a flight departs."
2. Windows to the outside
According to Julian Lukaszewicz, a lecturer in aviation management at Buckinghamshire New University, shops that face the tarmac could potentially do better as passengers "tend to walk more into shops that have direct access to the sunlight".
He also told MentalFloss that travellers actually avoid shops "if they’re closed off with artificial light".
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3. The curve of the shop
The layout of shopping areas is very specific too – shops and restaurants are generally clustered together for example, to mimic the high street.
To maximise floor space, they're also curved in such a way that passengers have to walk longer distances through the retail areas to get to their boarding gate.
In fact, serpentine shopping areas, such as the one found at Gatwick Airport, can see as much as 60 per cent more sales according to InterVistas.
But even the direction of the curve is important – since most customers are right handed, having a walkway that curves to the left will get people to see more of the products on show as they're subconsciously looking right while wandering left.
Kenneth Currie, chief commercial officer at Intervistas told Telegraph Travel: "People are disposed to look more often to the right and veer to the left when they are comfortable."
4. Artwork and carpets
Nice artwork and carpet are also making you spend more money.
According to Mental Floss: "This is an attempt to make holding areas more relaxing by giving them a soft, cozy feeling, like you might find in your own living room.
"Happy, relaxed travellers spend seven per cent more money on average on retail and 10 per cent more on duty-free items."
Sun Online Travel previously revealed how the colour of the floor in an airport can help move passengers along.
And here are 10 items you should never buy at the airport.
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