Private terminal caters to wealthy
United offers affluent fliers at LAX access to a secluded lounge to wine and dine while avoiding the crowds.
At Los Angeles International Airport, the nation’s biggest airlines have added several new ways for Hollywood’s A-list celebrities and well-heeled tycoons to catch a flight while avoiding noisy crowds, nosy paparazzi and frustrating lines.
Both Delta and American Airlines offer VIP services that let big-shot travelers slide into LAX terminals through private entrances at the curb. Inside, they can relax in private, luxury lounges, where they can drink and eat gourmet food without having to rub elbows with the hoi polloi.
United Airlines is also trying to cater to the most affluent passengers by recently announcing a partnership with the Private Suite, the private terminal on the outskirts of the airport where VIPs can check in for a flight, relax in luxury, clear security and get whisked to the plane in a shiny new BMW sedan without having to set foot in an LAX terminal.
The suite features individual lounges furnished with couches, a flat-screen TV, a pantry stocked with snacks and a refrigerator filled with soft drinks and booze. Personal assistants are on hand to cater to the fliers’ needs.
To get access to the swanky terminal, fliers must pay a $7,500 annual membership plus $2,700 for each domestic flight or $3,000 for each international flight. The cost covers a group of up to four people. The alternative for less-frequent fliers is to pay $3,500 per domestic flight and $4,000 for an international flight without any annual fee.
The deal with United Airlines will allow passengers to gain access to the terminal simply by purchasing a ticket with a premium fee. The airline declined to divulge the fee, saying the cost will vary based on the airfare. The deal is not yet available on the airline’s website, United.com and for now can only be booked through “select” travel agents and corporate booking desks that cater to wellto-do clients.
The Private Suite option will be offered only to United’s business-class travelers flying between LAX and New York; Newark, N.J.; Aspen, Colo.; Hawaii; London; Los Cabos, Mexico; Melbourne and Sydney, Australia; Shanghai; Singapore; or Tokyo. The airline does not call its most expensive ticket options “first class.”
Gavin de Becker, chief executive of the firm that owns and runs the Private Suite, dismissed suggestions that he teamed up with United Airlines because his business is struggling.
“We are doing amazingly well,” he said, noting that the Private Suite has made similar deals with a handful of luxury hotels and charter jet companies. “We are exceeding our initial projections.”
And if the 13 private lounges at the Private Suite are not enough to meet the demand, De Becker said he is already prepared to build additional lounges at his current location. “When we see the writing on the wall that it’s necessary, we are doing it,” he said.
Settlement reached in bulldog’s death
United Airlines has reached a settlement with the owners of a French bulldog puppy that died after a flight attendant insisted the dog be stowed in an overhead bin for a 3½-hour flight.
The dog’s death in March turned into a viral social media scandal that prompted animal rights groups to call for the flight attendant to be fired and United to overhaul its rules for transporting pets. The furor led to the introduction of federal legislation.
United declined to discuss the terms of the settlement but said “we are deeply sorry for this tragic accident.”
New York attorney Evan Oshan, who represents the dog’s owners, the Robledo family of Queens, said the airline and the family reached an “amicable settlement” but declined to discuss the terms.
“We hope the death of Kokito won’t be in vain,” he said, referring to the bulldog. “We hope all airlines will be moving in the direction of adopting the best safe transport policies.”
The incident began when a flight attendant on a flight from Houston to New York ordered an animal carrier to be put in the overhead bin, saying it was too big to fit under the seat.
The owners of the carrier insisted they told the flight attendant the carrier contained a dog but the airline said the flight attendant either didn’t hear or understand that part of the exchange.
United announced a few weeks ago a new pet travel policy that includes a ban on the transport of dozens of breeds of dogs and cats in the cargo compartment. The airline declined to discuss what, if any, disciplinary actions were taken against the flight attendant involved in the incident.
Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) have filed legislation to prohibit airlines from putting animals in overhead bins. The
Bare-bones tickets going transatlantic
Over the last few years, Delta, American and United Airlines have been forced by ultra-low-cost carriers to offer bare-bones fares to compete for price-conscience travelers.
Now that trend is spreading across Europe.
German airline Lufthansa has become the latest European carrier to announce the addition of stripped-down fares for transatlantic flights that can last the better part of a day, following similar moves by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Finnair over the last few months.
All four are trying to keep from losing customers to ultra-low-cost carriers such as Norwegian Air and Wow Air, which offer fares that can be half the price of their bigger rivals.
Lufthansa said its “Economy Light” fares for flights to and from North America will be for sale this summer. The Light fares are also available from other subsidiaries of Lufthansa Group, including Swiss International, Brussels and Austrian airlines.
The ticket does not include a free checked bag or the flexibility to reschedule the flight, but it does come with meal and drink service. Lufthansa had previously sold the barebones fare for European routes, but not for flights to the United States.
In the United States, Delta, American and United began in the last few years to sell “basic economy” tickets on domestic routes to compete with ultra-low-cost carriers, including Spirit and Frontier Airlines. Delta and American recently added basic economy fares to a few transatlantic flights.