VIP Airport Services: Are They Worth It?
If you can hire an escort to take you to the front of the security and immigration lines at the airport, why would you want to wait any longer? An increasing number of airport concierge companies make this promise to fliers, regardless of whether they're departing or arriving. Companies such as these provide their services worldwide and are independent of airports and airlines (they have permission from the airports where their services are sold).
In the past several years airports have become busier, which has increased the popularity of these services, according to airline and airport analyst George Hobica. خدمات المطار His advice: They're ideal for travelers annoyed by long lines, those seeking assistance at the airport or those who are pressed for time and need assistance. He says if you're the kind of person who likes to get on a plane just as the doors are closing, you should hire an airport concierge. Additionally, you are treated as a VIP.
Those who have an international departure and are flying in economy class may particularly benefit from an airport escort, Mr. Hobica said, because theyre required to arrive at the airport three hours in advance and have to contend with longer security lines, compared with business and first class fliers who usually have separate security lines. According to him, airport escorts can save you a lot of time.
In addition to offering airport escorts, Royal Airport Concierge is another established company. As of 2006, it operates in more than 550 airports worldwide, employing its own greeters as well as local companies for its escorting services. The type of service provided will depend upon the rules and regulations of the airport and the country, according to Ron Gorfinkel. For a departure from Italy, for example, a greeter is permitted to escort departing passengers onto the plane and help them stow their carry-on luggage while fliers arriving into Londons Heathrow Airport have the option to be met at their gate and taken to customs and immigration in a golf cart, where they are fast tracked through the lanes. According to the company's pricing, a four-passenger trip will cost an average of $300 to $450.
My interest in the concept of getting star treatment at an airport prompted me to test out Blacklane PASS last August, a Berlin-based firm that launched an airport concierge service.
The Basics:
Blacklane began in 2011 as a car service company and now offers escorting services in more than 500 airports worldwide through Blacklane PASS. Either the airport itself or a concierge service at the airport employs these escorts. Similar to Royal Airport Concierge, Blacklane provides services based on airport and country rules. However, according to Jens Wohltorf, its chief executive and co-founder, the company escorts fast track passengers through security, customs and immigration, carries their luggage and helps them process VAT refunds. Moreover, the staff welcomes arriving passengers at the plane's exit, assists them through customs and immigration and baggage claim; it is even possible to schedule curbside pickup and arrange transportation with the driver.
The Cost:
Guests are charged $200 for the first time, and $100 for each following time. Children two and under are free. In contrast to most fliers, Wohltorf said gratuities are optional and not required.
My Experience:
The Blacklane PASS was booked for me, my two children, and my parents on a recent trip from Paris Orly Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport. I reserved the service online a week before our trip (first-time customers must reserve online but subsequent bookings can be made online or via phone) and received a text message from our escort, Reda (only permitted to use his first name), the night before our journey introducing himself and asking if I could text him when we were five minutes away from the airport so that he could greet us. The driver gave us a drop-off point, and when we pulled up at the terminal, he was waiting at the curb to greet us. Reda stacked our four carry-ons and four check-in bags on a luggage cart and guided us forward to the head of the check-in line for the airline we were flying, La Compagnie. It was not unmanageable, but I had a moment of glee when Reda flashed his pass to the airline employee, who promptly let us circumvent other passengers.
After we checked in, it was time to claim a VAT refund for the shopping we did in Paris. Upon our first contact with the employee dealing with our refund, she informed us that receipts for the goods we purchased were not sufficient for claiming refunds; we needed the actual goods to claim the refund. Our bags with our bulky shopping were packed in our check-in bags because we were unaware of this rule. More than $1000 was refunded, and we have been remiss allowing the money to disappear. Despite my father and I begging, she refused to make an exception - no, items, no refund.
We told her that we were airport VIPs and Reda interjected for us. She relented and processed our refund. Without his assistance, how would we have survived?