The Prince George City Council voted to allow a cannabis store to open in the city’s airport starting this summer. The store, Copilot, looks to offer travel stress relief. Passengers have anxiety and increased stress when it comes to traveling, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to help relieve stress, Copilot will open a small cannabis retail store near the entrance of the Prince George Airport.

“We think that one potential segment are customers who are looking to purchase cannabis products and potentially consume them before traveling,” Copilot co-founder Owen Ritz said. “It’s not necessarily because we view cannabis as a way to get intoxicated before traveling – it’s that cannabis is a product that people use to relieve stress and travel is a stressful experience, and it’s a practice that already exists.” 

Retail Store

Copilot’s other co-founder, Reed Horton, pitched the idea of a cannabis retail store in the Prince George Airport two years ago. Things slowed down because of Covid-19, but both founders are excited to see things finally moving forward. The Prince George Airport, while a regional airport, services over half a million people every year. 

Copilot will open in a space about 10 meters from the front door of the airport near the check-in station. It will also sit around 50 meters away from the passenger exit. This location makes cannabis easily accessible for all interested passengers and workers.

Purchase restrictions will be in place. Many passengers to the Prince George Airport are on transitional flights, transferring from on location to another. Therefore, passengers who have international transfers or final destination can’t purchase any cannabis at Copilot. This includes those traveling to the U.S. where some states offer legal recreational cannabis. U.S. airports are typically run and operated by the federal government. The U.S. still considers cannabis federally illegal. Therefore, in order to protect passengers, no international flight passengers can purchase cannabis. Additionally, any flight crew or airport staff member can’t purchase cannabis while on the clock or if they are wearing an identifiable uniform.

Skepticism

While Copilot co-founders and the Prince George Airport are excited to open a cannabis store, retail experts remain skeptical. Alan Bork is an airport retail expert based out of Denmark. After hearing about Copilot’s plan to open a cannabis retail store, he expressed some concerns regarding the store’s location. Most of the time, passengers are looking to kill time after they get through security. They are also looking for duty-free products to purchase once they are inside the airport. The Copilot cannabis store will be located before consumers go through security. Bork noted this location may deter people from purchasing cannabis before their flight. 

However, according to Ritz, Prince George Airport only has one terminal. Only a few planes can dock at a time. Because of this, passengers tend to hang out in areas in front of security. One it is closer to take-off time, then they can make their way through security. This will encourage people to purchase cannabis at Copilot’s new retail location.  

“Our goal is to create a travel-focused brand that is really catered to cannabis and travel,” Ritz said. This has led Copilot to include products “that are specifically catered to the needs of a traveler, rather than just any other commodity cannabis products.”

Copilot’s first airport cannabis retail store should open sometime this summer. If sales remain steady, Copilot’s co-founders may look into possibly expanding to other airport locations. For now, they want to focus on Prince George Airport and making sure their store is successful before expanding. 

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