Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports are seeing Gen Z reshape travel, using AI, social media and wellness trends in terminals.
Generation Z travellers are changing the airport experience, with social media, wellness trends and artificial intelligence shaping how younger passengers plan holidays and spend in terminals, according to the UK’s largest airport group, MAG.
Manchester Airport (MAN), London Stansted Airport (STN) and East Midlands Airport (EMA) are seeing significant shifts in passenger behaviour, as younger travellers opt for matcha drinks over pre-flight fry-ups and invest in skincare products rather than traditional holiday items such as swimwear.
Sales of products favoured by Gen Z have soared across terminals. Giant Stanley Cups, for example, have seen a six-fold increase in sales since being introduced to JD Sports stores at all three airports. Hydrating facemasks have also surged, with some items up by 399 percent year-on-year, reflecting the “skincare in the sky” trend popularised on TikTok and other social media platforms.
Matcha is particularly popular, with sales climbing 165 percent across MAG airports compared with last year. London Stansted saw a 174 percent increase, Manchester 144 percent, with outlets including Pret a Manger, Itsu, Caffè Nero and Pasta Evangelists benefiting. Smoothie sales also soared, with Innocent Energise and Defence drinks collectively up 650 percent, becoming a popular addition to budget-conscious meal deals.
Gen Z passengers are also embracing technology, with one in four now using AI to plan their trips. East Midlands Airport leads in the proportion of under-25s using AI tools such as ChatGPT to design holidays. European city breaks top the list of destinations, overtaking traditional package holidays once favoured by older generations. Dublin, Amsterdam and Barcelona are among the most popular, while more adventurous travellers are visiting destinations such as Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Mumbai, which have seen growth of 97 percent and 245 percent respectively since 2019.
Andrew MacMillan, MAG Chief Strategy Officer, said: “As consumer trends evolve, so does the travel industry – that’s both in terms of the destinations we work with our airlines to provide and the kind of products people want to consume in terminals. This data shows the influence of our younger passengers – Generation Z – who are curating airport experiences strongly influenced by AI and social media. It is clear these travellers both want to follow trends and set them. With an ongoing £2bn investment across all three MAG airports, we will continue to focus on how the airport experience can embrace new technology and ensure that it reflects emerging demographics into the future.”
From European city breaks to social media-driven retail trends, MAG’s airports are responding to the online generation by offering products, services and experiences that align with health, wellness, technology and cultural preferences.
