airport lounges

Everyone can be a VIP at the airport. If you pay.

Airport Terminals, ,

[Our story about the premiumization of airports first appeared on NBC News]

Pittsburghers are so excited to see the new $1.7 billion airport terminal that Pittsburgh International Airport is opening this fall that 18,000 of them applied for 2,000 test day slots even before the date was set.

The lucky volunteers chosen to drive to the airport and fly nowhere will be among the first “passengers” to pass under the soaring wood ceiling dotted with more than 4,000 constellation lights and grab some fresh air while enjoying a snack on one of the four pre- and post-security outdoor green terraces.

They’ll be greeted by Alexander Calder’s reinstalled 28-foot-long hanging mobile, which is named for the city. Then they will make their way through a facility powered by the airport’s own microgrid and staffed by some employees whose kids spend their days playing at the airport’s on-property day care center.

In addition to being more efficient and high-tech, the new terminal is designed to “elevate the passenger experience,” said airport CEO Christina Cassotis. 

Airports everywhere are undergoing makeovers, amplifying VIP-style services and other amenities that offer travelers expanded options for their journey. Airlines are installing premium cabin upgrades, and lounge spaces are getting larger and snazzier. 

(Courtesy Port of Portland – Emma Peter)

Airports upgrading seemingly everywhere

Portland International Airport’s (PDX) new main terminal opened in late 2024 with a speakeasy, regular visits from therapy llamas and a soaring 9-acre wood-beamed ceiling that inspired a rap song.

(courtesy JFKIAT)

The $19 billion makeover underway at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York includes two new terminals and modernizations of two existing terminals. New Terminal One, which will be JFK’s largest terminal, will open in phases beginning in 2026 and include more than 300,000 square feet of dining, retail, lounge and recreational space.

Partners building JFK’s $4.2 billion Terminal 6, also set to open in phases starting in 2026, say travelers will find a “digital-first, boutique guest experience.”

The recent $1.5 billion transformation of JFK Terminal 4, currently the airport’s largest terminal, is “distinctive, personalized and not cookie-cutter,” said Belinda Jain, vice president, Customer Experience & Commercial at Terminal 4 operator JFKIAT. Its commercial offerings are intended to reflect life in New York, with regular pop-ups and eight lounges, including Capital One’s largest lounge to date. 

While many airport upgrades reflect expected growth in passenger traffic and some long-delayed infrastructure investments, the “premiumization” of many services and the flurry of new lounges may be a response to airports being – or feeling – more crowded. Travelers have been willing to open their wallets to improve their experience and feel “special.”

To lounge or not?

 At many airports, the experience on the concourse is nice enough that you don’t need to access a lounge to have robust Wi-Fi, power outlets, comfortable seating, pleasant surroundings and plentiful concessions, said travel analyst Henry Harteveldt, president and founder of Atmosphere Research. 

Yet 14% of the 5,000 U.S. airline passengers his group surveyed earlier this year said they have ongoing access to airport lounges through paid memberships, qualifying credit cards or flights, and spend status with an airline, said Harteveldt.

“We all want something that not everybody else has. And these lounges also appeal to the innate snob in all of us. In some cases, the lounges are above the general concourse area, meaning you are literally looking down on the people in the main terminal area,” said Harteveldt.

In a recent survey of more than 10,000 global travelers who take two or more trips a year, airport lounge operator Airport Dimensions found that 66% of U.S. travelers said they’d be willing to purchase premium services such as priority check-in, fast-track lanes, paid waiting areas and lounges access to improve their airport experience.

The survey found that so-called affluent leisure travelers were significantly more willing to pay for those premium services than others. These travelers, also known as ALTs, are defined as taking three more trips a year and their propensity to spend at airports.

“These are people traveling by choice, not just necessity,” said Chris Gwilliam, Airport Dimensions’ senior vice president of Global Business. “And they are willing to spend when the experience feels worth it.”

Those with big budgets who want an even more premium experience can access luxury terminals when flying commercial from some airports.

Going private at commercial airports

PS, which opened a private, gated terminal for affluent travelers at Los Angeles International Airport in 2017, opened a second location at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in 2023. It plans openings for airports in Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami in 2026.

Services include private security screening, on-site customs and immigration facilities, spa services, chef-prepared meals, private suites or shared private lounge access and chauffeur service to the airplane. Fees range from $1295 for individual access to close to $5,000 for a private suite for up to four travelers.

Demand for private travel experiences has skyrocketed since the pandemic along with the general desire to splurge on travel, said Amina Belouizdad Porter, CEO of PS. “It’s a trend that we have benefited from.”

Even non-affluent fliers are ponying up.

Concierge services for every budget

SkySquad is a service that expedites check-in and escorts travelers from the curb to the gate for prices ranging from $79 (walk-up) to $149 (pre-booked) for up to six people at a growing number of airports, The Bethesda, Maryland-based company had its busiest month ever in December at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), where the company can only service customers of Spirit Airlines, an ultra-low-cost carrier.

“We helped over 2,900 groups at FLL that month, which shows that travelers across all price points value a VIP experience,” said company founder Julie Melnick.

There are other widely available ways to get preferential treatment. The expedited screening lane accessible with TSA Precheck is available at more than 200 airports. Pricing varies by enrollment provider, but can be around $85. For $209 a year, travelers can join CLEAR+ and cut to the front of the security checkpoint line at more than 59 airports.

“Travel is hard, and it’s only getting harder,” said Annabel Walsh, CLEAR’s senior vice president for marketing. Services like CLEAR’s, she said, give travelers “a faster, more predictable, premium experience when they need it most.”

 

Airports & Airlines Having Holiday Fun

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It IS beginning to look a lot like Christmas in airports and in the air. Here are some of the fun holiday items we spotted today.

Alaska Airlines’ Holiday Perks

Alaska Airlines has a new special-edition aircraft in the skies decorated with snowflakes, the words “Merrier Together,” and those festive red Starbucks holiday cups.

Through December 12, passengers on 50 of this aircraft’s flights will receive reusable holiday cups and some bonus treats. The airline will also be offsetting the carbon impacts of these flights.

On National Ugly Sweater Day – December 17 – the airline will be offering early boarding to any passengers wearing an ugly sweater.

Holidays take flight at Alaska Airlines

And throughout December, passengers wearing ugly sweaters may purchase a day pass to any of the airline’s eight lounges around the country for $25, which is 50% off the regular price. The lounges are located in Anchorage (ANC), New York (JFK), Portland (PDX), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), and Seattle (SEA).

An Elf is Roaming Reno-Tahoe International Airport

Festive Selfie Spot at ATL

And Check out the SFO Wag Brigade

Travel Tidbits

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Here are some of the travel tidbits we’ve gathered so far this week.

Delta extends middle seat block

Most other airlines have stopped blocking the middle seats. But Delta Air Lines says it is extending its policy of blocking middle seats on all flights through April 30, 2021. Perhaps others will do the same.

“We want our customers to have complete confidence when traveling with Delta, and they continue to tell us that more space provides more peace of mind,” said Bill Lentsch, Chief Customer Experience Officer, in a statement. He added that the airline will “continue to reassess seat blocking in relation to case transmission and vaccination rates.”

SkySquad partners with At Your Gate

As Valentine’s Day approaches, here’s a nice match-up of airport services.

SkySquad, a service that provides airport assistance services from the curbside to the plane door, and from the gate to the curb, is partnering with airport food delivery company At Your Gate.

SkySquad’s customers include families with young children, seniors,
pet owners, and anyone who needs a helping hand through the airport.

The company currently operates at Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA), Dulles International Airport (IAD), and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). The partnership with At Your Gate extends the SkySquad services to JFK, Newark, Boston, and Philadelphia airports. At those airports At Your Gate staff will step in to escort SkysSquad customers through the terminals.

Bonus United Miles for donations during Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month, United Airlines, Chase and Visa are giving bonus miles for donations made to select non-profits that provide educational opportunities to Black students and which support human and civil rights policies.

Now through March 15, 2020, United Explorer and United Club cardmembers will receive five miles for every dollar up to $1,000 donated to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and The United Negro College Fund. More details here.

New Centurion Lounge at Denver Int’l Airport

American Express has opened its 14th Centurion Lounge. This one is at Denver International Airport (DEN) on the Concourse C Mezzanine, near Gate C46.

The new lounge is 14,000-square-feet (the second-largest Centurion Lounge location to-date) and has some enticing amenities, including Italian-inspired cuisine, a live-action cooking station, a Craft Beer Bar with seasonal selections from Colorado breweries. The lounge also includes a new feature: a game room with pool and shuffleboard tables, and other activities.


Preview of Paine Field – “Seattle’s 2nd Airport”

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Commercial passenger service begins March 4 from Paine Field in Everett, WA., about 30 miles north of downtown Seattle. And travelers in the area are pretty darn excited.

Alaska Airlines and United Airlines will be the only airlines flying from this upscale, two-gate terminal. But their offerings stretch pretty far:

Alaska Airlines has a schedule of 18 daily roundtrips to 8 west coast cities – Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose. Service starts March 4 with flights to Portland, Las Vegas and Phoenix and expand to the full schedule by March 12.

United Airlines will begin flying six daily flights from PAE on March 31: two daily roundtrips to Denver and four daily roundtrips to San Francisco.

I’ve got a column posting shortly on USA TODAY with more information, but here are some snaps from my visit to the terminal, which looks more like an upscale lounge than a small airport.

Solari board behind in check-in lobby will have the retro flipping sounds.

Waiting area has a very upscale lounge feel. But it’s for everyone.
Jet-bridges at both gates are glass sided.

Great seats for the great views out the windows: the passenger terminal sits on the same airfield where Boeing has a giant assembly plant.

Front of the new Paine Field passenger terminal in Everett, Wa.

More to come.

4 ways to sleep, work or be alone when you’re stuck at the airport.

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My column for CNBC this week is a round-up of options for finding a place outside airport lounges to sleep, have a quiet conversation or just have a little quiet time to yourself.

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Business travelers once looked to airline club rooms as calm oases offering quiet areas to relax, work, conduct important phone calls or, perhaps, catch a nap.

But now it’s not unusual for airline-operated and independent lounges to be as crowded and noisy as the congested airport terminals and gate hold areas many frequent travelers are willing to pay a fee to avoid.

Alternatives exist. Sort of.

Outside the United States, travelers seeking alone time might check into one of the Napcabs equipped with beds, worktables, touch screens, WiFi and baggage storage inside Germany’s Munich or Berlin-Tegel Airports.

Elsewhere, Yotel offers cozy, cabin-like hotel rooms equipped with futon-like beds, WIFI, flat screen TVS and bathrooms inside airport terminals in Amsterdam, London (Heathrow and Gatwick), Paris CDG and, soon, Istanbul and Singapore. 

In the United States, travelers seeking sleep, a place to work or a quiet place to have a phone conversation have an increasing range of options.

Downtime at Dulles?

Boston-based Sleepbox plans to cut the ribbon on a post-security micro-hotel on Concourse A at Dulles International Airport next week.

The 16 stand-alone modules have no bathrooms, but are soundproof spaces with mood lighting, WIFI, Bluetooth capability, fold-down work tables, space for storing luggage and beds with memory foam mattresses. Bookings are made via the same smart phone app that allows guests to unlock their room and control features such as the temperature and mood lighting in their unit

Pricing: Average hourly rate for compact rooms (about 30 square feet) is $25 per hour. Standard rooms (45 square feet): $35 per hour. After the first hour, additional 15-minute increments are $5 for the compact room, $7.50 for the standard-room. Rates top out at $120 for a 12-hour stay in a compact room and $140 for 12-hours in a standard room.

Room to relax

Minute Suites is a short-stay hotel chain with six post-security locations in four airports: two in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (Concourses B&T); two in Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (Terminals A&D), one in the Charlotte Douglas International Airport atrium and one in the A/B Connector at Philadelphia International Airport.

The basic 56-square-foot suites have sofa daybeds with a pull-out trundle beds, sound-masking systems, HDTVs (with DirectTV and Netflix) that can also be used as computers, WIFI, and desks. A few suites in the DFW location are larger.

The company is adding four additional locations in ATL airport, a second location in Charlotte and has just announced Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) as its next city. Plans to open branches in four additional airports are being finalized now.

An uptick in the number of millennial travelers is helping drive Minute Suites’ expansion.

A recent Hipmunk travel survey found that more than half of all millennials (54.4 percent) would like  airports to offer nap rooms  

“The second most requested amenity was board games,” said Minute Suites co-founder and CEO Daniel Solomon, “And we have now added board games and other desired services such as exercise cycles and yoga mats to our locations.”

Rates for Minutes Suites start at $42 per hour and drop to $32 per hour after two hours. The overnight rate (8 hours) is a flat $155. Showers (available in DFW Terminal D) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport are $20, with suite rental; $30 without. 

Want to be alone? Step into a Jabbrrbox

Phone-booth sized workspaces from Jabbrrbox, offering travelers private, quiet places to work and make phone calls, are available at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Terminal B, Pittsburgh International Airport (Concourse B and C) and on Concourse B at Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).

Two new booths were installed in New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminal 4 this week.

Users make reservations using touchscreens on the exterior of each unit and, once inside, will find WIFI, a desk, chair, power panel and another, larger, touchscreen that is used to control the color and brightness of the booth lights, track flight status and take photos.

Jabbrrbox pricing is $10 for 15 minutes, $15 for 30 minutes, $30 for an hour and $60 for two hours.

Work, stand, stretch

Business travelers who need to work but who also want to stretch their legs before or between flights can do both at the complimentary Varidesk co-working space at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

Opened in December and located in Terminal C, the staffed workspace has about two dozen height-adjustable standing desks, 75 charging ports and a conference room with moveable walls.

Varidesk chief marketing officer, Sean Scogin, says the company plans to open co-working spaces at other airports soon and may add its new state-of-the-art phone booth to the mix.

Have you found a good way to get out of the fray when you’re stuck at the airport? Share a tip below.