Airport digital

The short answer

Airport advertising is quote-only: inventory is sold by airport concession holders, chiefly JCDecaux (the largest global airport advertising operator) and Clear Channel's airports division JCDecaux 2026 Clear Channel Outdoor 2026. No published CPM band exists; expect quotes above the $5-$18 roadside band AdQuick 2026 and make the seller justify the premium in writing.

Why airports price at a premium

Dwell: passengers wait, sometimes for hours; screens get read, not glanced at.
Captivity: security-to-gate corridors have no channel switch and no skip button.
Concession exclusivity: one seller per terminal means no competing quote on the same glass, the same structure that keeps transit quote-only.

Zones price differently

Ask for zone-level pricing, not an airport-wide package: security queues and gate lounges (longest dwell) price differently from concourse transit corridors and baggage claim (high traffic, short glance). A quote that does not break out zones is hiding its mix. Demand the screen list with zone, dwell profile and loop length per unit.

Audience-quality claims: check the source

Decks about "affluent business travelers" are seller collateral. Ask what measurement sits underneath: US airport audience figures should trace to audited passenger counts and Geopath-style exposure methodology Geopath Ongoing, not survey-of-intent decks. If the claim has no audit trail, it does not go in your plan.

Sellers: JCDecaux, Clear Channel. When airport earns a slot in a launch: the $100k plan. Bands: rate board. Tiers: markets.