From Home to Gate: How VIP Services Elevate Your Airport Experience

When it comes to air travel, nothing quite compares to that moment of relief when your journey to the airport is smooth and effortless. Yet, for many travelers, that’s rarely the case. Imagine navigating the chaotic streets of Los Angeles, only 10 miles from LAX, but the gridlock makes it feel like you’re driving to another state. The stress builds as you calculate back roads, race to your gate, and pray your flight isn’t delayed. By the time you’re standing in the TSA line, you’re already exhausted. Sound familiar?

What if there were a way to erase that chaos and transform your airport experience into something luxurious and seamless? Well, there is—and it’s not reserved for A-listers. In fact, VIP airport concierge services have emerged as a game-changer for anyone looking to start their trip on the right foot. Curious about how you can travel stress-free from door to departure gate? Let’s dive in.

Trip Tips

There has to be a better way to fly … and, indeed, there is. Call it VIP airport concierge services, a business that has seen a boom in the last three years, starting with the pandemic. These are black car services, maybe a Porsche, a Mercedes, or a spacious SUV, and they invariably come with a handsomely suited gentleman who opens the car door to your seat and takes all your worries away.

Photo: Courtesy of PS

Door-to-door airport transfers are well known to luxury travelers and C-suite executives flying commercial crafts. The flyer leaves the “getting there” to the driver, reads the New York Times, or gets some ZZZs and vavoom! The airport appears. But the service need not end there.

Meet and greet your assigned airport associate, who takes you from the curb to check-in, handles your luggage, whisks you through security, and floats you to the lounge. It’s a trend that has seen numbers mounting since the pandemic more or less shut down shuttles and other non-private transfer options, and those who flew did so with as much privacy as possible.

Perked Up

United Airlines took things a step further with its Private Suite Services at LAX, offering a private terminal on the airport tarmac with its own tiny TSA line, lounge, and private car straight to the plane.

Private Suite at the PS at LAX terminal / Photo: Courtesy of PS LAX

Today, at least a dozen airlines offer VIP airport services, some with door to door. These include Air France, Turkish Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, and others, while Delta, American Airlines, United, and Hawaiian offer upgraded attention to passengers once they arrive at the airport, coordinating with black car services to ensure everything about catching a flight is the opposite of chaotic. No mad dashes, no gate change chaos, no competing for the last free seat at a waiting area three gates over, no security line tangles or luggage left at the curb.

Photo: Courtesy of PS

And while First and Business Class flyers may be offered these added transfer options at booking time, airport VIP services are finding their way into the lexicon of not-so-frequent flyers who want to start their trip right and right from their front door. Some airlines, such as Delta, offer complimentary access to its Sky Club to passengers purchasing its Delta VIP Select on departure. No SkyMiles nor Medallion Status needed.

Tools for Airport Angst

Luxury chauffeur services like Blacklane, ExecuCar, and Luxury Gold are revolutionizing airport transfers. Passengers can book these services in advance, ensuring a seamless and comfortable journey from their doorstep to the airport.

Blacklane / Photo: Courtesy of Blacklane

Recent studies by J.D. Power indicate passengers who use luxury airport transportation services report higher satisfaction with their travel experience than those who do not.

The 2024 J.D. Power North America Airport Satisfaction Study shows several critical aspects of passenger satisfaction, including:

• Ease of access to the airport
• Convenient check-in
• Comfort and convenience at the gate
• Unique food and beverage offerings

“Huge air travel demand has not slowed down in North America, despite the steadily rising costs of flights, ground travel, hotel rooms, and pretty much anything you can buy in an airport,” says Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality, and retail at J.D. Power.

While the demand for air travel seems to have no ceiling, luxury tourism is also growing fast, powered in part by rising numbers of individuals globally with a net worth between $100,000 to $30 million, many of whom are younger and increasingly willing to spend larger shares of their wealth on upscale travel options.

Blacklane offers chauffeur handlers and airport transfers / Photo: Courtesy of Blacklane

A recent McKinsey & Company study notes that many of these high-dollar travelers want personalized concierge services to guide them through their journeys.

Some of those journeys may not only begin with a five-star black car service but may soon involve port-to-door “air taxi” service using sustainable eVTOL technology. Delta is currently in partnership with Joby to offer such cutting-edge amenities, although it may still be a few years before we can text and hop in an air cab to LAX.

The Collinson Group’s Priority Pass lounge network is in growth mode, with more than 1,600 airport lounges worldwide and a continuously burgeoning list of benefits and partnerships.

Photo: The Club, SFO. Courtesy of Corgan

Although the seamless door-to-door airport VIP service is mostly left to airline programs and a phalanx of luxury ground players, it does give its members ways to book upscale, personalized airport transfers through its app.

“We continue to work with lots of different partners to create meaningful experiences for our members,” says Jeremy Dalkoff, Vice President of Partnerships – Americas at Collinson Group. “And you’ll see more and more of that in the coming months.”