Why bother with long airport security and immigration lines when you can hire a personal escort to whisk you straight to the front? It’s a promise that a growing number of airport concierge companies make to fliers, whether they’re departing or arriving. These companies offer their services in airports globally and are independent of airports and airlines (they have permission to operate in the airports where they sell their services).
According to airline and airport analyst George Hobica, who has used a handful of these services, they’ve become more popular in the last several years as airports have gotten busier. They’re ideal for travelers, he said, who get irked if they have to wait in long lines, need help navigating their way through an airport or have a tight connection where time is of the essence. “If you’re the kind of person who likes to get on the plane just as its closing its doors, booking an airport concierge is a good idea,” he said. “The service also makes you feel like 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 they’re 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. “An airport escort can save you a lot of time,” he said.
One example of an established company that provides airport escorts is Royal Airport Concierge. Started in 2006, it now operates in more than 550 airports worldwide and relies on its own greeters as well as local companies for its escorts. Founder Ron Gorfinkel said that the type of service provided depends on the rules of the airport and the country. 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 London’s 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. The company’s pricing varies but costs an average of $300 to $450 for up to four passengers.
Intrigued by the idea of getting star treatment at an airport because of a personal escort, I decided to try one from Blacklane, a Berlin-based company that launched an airport concierge service, Blacklane PASS, in August of last year.
The Basics:
Blacklane started in 2011 as a car service company and now offers escorts in more than 500 airports worldwide through Blacklane PASS. These escorts are either employed by the airport itself or with a local airport concierge company. Like Royal Airport Concierge, Blacklane provides services based on country and airport rules. But generally, according to chief executive and co-founder Jens Wohltorf, escorts fast track fliers through security, customs and immigration, carry their luggage and help process any VAT refunds. In addition, they meet arriving passengers at the exit of the plane and assist them through customs and immigration and baggage claim; they can even help arrange transportation and coordinate with a driver for curbside pickup.
The Cost:
The service costs $200 for the first guest, and $100 for every following person. Children two and under are free. While most fliers tip their escorts, Mr. Wohltorf said that giving a gratuity is optional and “absolutely not required.”
My Experience:
I booked Blacklane PASS for a recent trip from Paris Orly Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport for myself, my two children and my parents. 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. He gave us a drop off point, and when we pulled up at the terminal, he was waiting at the curb and welcomed us with a smile. Reda loaded our four carry-ons and four check-in bags onto a luggage cart and led us to the head of the check-in line for our airline, La Compagnie. Granted, the line wasn’t unwieldy, but I did feel a moment of glee when Reda flashed his pass to an airline employee, who promptly allowed us to circumvent other passengers.
After checking in, it was time to claim a VAT refund for the shopping we had done while in Paris. Here’s where our situation got sticky: the employee- a lady- who we dealt with for the refund process told us that receipts for our goods weren’t sufficient to claim our refunds- we needed the actual items. Unaware of this rule, we had packed the bulk of our shopping in our check-in bags. The refund amount added up to more than $1,000, and we were remiss to let the money go. My father and I begged her to make an exception, but she held firm- no, items, no refund.
Reda interjected on our behalf and told her that we were airport VIP’s. After a pause, she relented and processed our refund. What would we have done without his help?
Onto security it was. The VAT process had taken longer than we had anticipated, and I was slightly anxious about time since our plane was scheduled to board in 20 minutes. But, I didn’t have to be worried: Reda led us to the fast track lane where there was no line at all. The regular security line, in comparison, looked considerably lengthy. “That’s probably around a 30 minute wait,” he said. He assisted us in putting our bags on the belt, went through the screening himself and had our luggage waiting for us at the other end. Security took less than five minutes, leaving us with time to use La Compagnie’s lounge.
Reda ushered us in, told us to relax and said that he would check on our flight and return when it was time to board.
We made our way to the plane 15 minutes later where we said our goodbyes and boarded our flight.
The Verdict:
Hiring an airport escort is undoubtedly a luxury that only a handful of travelers can afford. Their services may not be worth the cost in many situations, but given our experience at Orly, they can also be incredibly useful in others. And, admittedly, I did like getting preferential treatment at an airport. Who doesn’t enjoy feeling like a minor celebrity, even for a short while?
Source : https://www.forbes.com/sites/shivanivora/2019/10/30/airport-vip-services-are-they-worth-it/?sh=5af58f3b602a
