Los Angeles International Airport has opened a new terminal—for those who can afford it.
The Private Suite terminal at LAX is meant to appeal to the rich and famous-—those who don’t mind paying thousands of dollars to avoid crowds or scrums of paparazzi.
For $7,500 a year, a person can join the Private Suite. It costs another $2,700 (for up to four people), for every visit, and $3,000 for international flights. It’s also possible to skip the initiation fee and use a shared waiting-area suite for $2,000. Still, no matter which option, it’s pricey. Even taking into account a long layover or a super early arrival, the hourly rate of use is astronomical.
But apparently lots of people are willing to pay: High-priced airport sanctuaries are a growing trend, especially in Europe and Asia. Bloomberg News cites Frankfurt Airport’s new VIP lounge that costs around 405 euros for a day pass and the Changi airport in Singapore where prices can top $1,000 for a private bathroom, champagne, and a personal butler.
At LAX, the Private Suite was devised by Gavin de Becker, a well-known security consultant in Hollywood.
Because of the droves of celebrities who come and go at LAX on account of Tinseltown, a private terminal makes sense. It is often maddening for average travelers to navigate the lines of photographers, videographers, so-called interviewers and security guards who surround a celebrity upon arrival or takeoff.
For celebs and high-net-worth individuals willing to pay the price, a hassle-free experience may be well worth the cost of admission.
Arriving at the Private Suite, guests are stopped by an armed guard before driving through the gate. Inside the terminal area, a valet awaits and guests are escorted to their own private suite inside the terminal building. Luggage is handled, so too are security checks. As might be expected, the suite is loaded with top-shelf beverages and snacks. At flight time, a BMW sedan takes guests across the tarmac to their plane.
To be sure, airlines themselves have long offered VIP services. American Airlines Five Star Service, for example, offers curbside meet and greet, expedited security, gate escort and early boarding. Airline representatives also coordinate car services. It costs $250 for domestic first and business class travelers and $300 for the same classes of travelers flying internationally.
The Private Suite is meant to be a notch above escorted services and designed to be a step closer to flying private, where a charter passenger has his or her own waiting area because it’s his or her own private plane ride.
Of course, the downside of the Private Suite service is that once on the plane, VIPs have to endure like all the rest of us. Lately, that seems to come with even more confrontation than curbside pickup.
