Airports, and especially larger airports in major metropolitan areas, are a popular place for mystery shopping assignments. These airports are often filled with retail stores, restaurants, service booths, and so much more, and many of these venues regularly utilize mystery shoppers’ services to improve their customer service and the overall customer experience. Many of these stores and restaurants, however, are located in areas that are only accessible with a ticket, and so these assignments often require you to actually be traveling yourself and have a plane ticket in hand. However, not all assignments at airports require you to have a ticket. Here’s what you need to know:
Parking Lot. There are quite a few airport mystery shopping assignments that you can complete without even getting out of your car. Such assignments largely require you to drive into the parking lot or parking garage, wait for a specified period of time to pass, and then head out. The assignments largely want you to report on the customer service and job performance of the attendant at the booth who you pay on the way out, but some will also ask you to report on the cleanliness and maintenance of the parking lot or parking garage. These assignments are generally pretty easy to do.
Restaurants and Shops. There are a handful of restaurants and shops in some airports that you don’t need a ticket to access. When you read through the assignment requirements, keep your eyes open for any special requirements for being a ticketed passenger. If you are in doubt, you can always call up the venue and make an inquiry.
Hotels. There are numerous hotels located just off of the airport grounds, and you may be able to find an assignment at one of these hotels. Such assignments may be a great option for you if you are already heading to the airport to do another assignment or two, so keep your eyes open for this possibility.
When You Do Need a Ticket. There are several options you have for completing those assignments that do require you to have a ticket. First, you can always buy a fully refundable or transferable ticket to use at a later date. Just be sure that there are no fees involved in getting a refund or transferring the ticket to another date when you actually do intend to travel. If there are fees, talk to your schedule about getting compensated for those fees. Many mystery shoppers who follow this route will try to book several assignments for one airport visit so they can get the most benefit out of their time and effort in getting the ticket. You can also try to get special permission or a temporary access card through your provide that gives you access to the store or restaurant where you will be mystery shopping. The ability to get such a pass may change depending on Homeland Security rules, so if you have obtained such a pass in the past, it is always a good idea to verify that you can still obtain one now before you sign up for this type of assignment.
Airport assignments are great for picking up some extra cash when you are traveling, but you can also pick up a few of these assignments in your own hometown when you have no plans to travel at all. Keep some of these ideas in mind as you peruse the job boards looking for new assignments.