As Strana.Ru reports citing the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, here Mr. Alt can enjoy a bubble bath and also use the services of a professional masseur. He will also try exquisite dishes in an elite restaurant, and then relax in a bar where he will be offered several dozen types of beer, wine and whiskey. Then, the rested VIP client will be helped by smiling Lufthansa employees, bypassing the queue, through the metal detector and customs control. And finally, a few minutes before the end of boarding, Reinhold Alt will be taken by Mercedes or Porsche – depending on his choice – directly to the first class passengers' boarding stairs, and his luggage will be loaded out of turn.
Undoubtedly, none of our domestic airports can provide such a fabulous service to Mr. Alt. For example, on the websites of our airlines, in the list of services for VIP passengers, you will only find mention of business class lounges equipped with a bar and a business center with Internet, fax, scanner, printer. They also have a comfortable waiting lounge, televisions, fresh press, light meals and soft drinks. And that is almost all the comfort for privileged air passengers.
American airlines have not far outpaced us either. The leading U.S. carriers, including Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways, have decided to abolish first class cabins altogether on their international routes, retaining only business class and economy class. According to experts, this is due to the fact that after the September 11, 2001 attacks, many U.S. airlines suffered significant losses due to a decrease in passenger traffic. Therefore, they were forced to save money. And there is no room for luxury for VIP clients. Terminals in U.S. airports cannot compare in amenities with many competitors from Europe and Asia. American airlines, unlike European and Asian ones, rarely offer free alcohol.
According to the London company Skytrax Research, which analyzed the service conditions of 400,000 air passengers worldwide in 2006, the main competition for providing comfort to VIP passengers is currently unfolding between airlines in Western Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. According to the results of the study, in 2006 the terminal of Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific was recognized as the best for VIP service. Here, first and business class passengers are offered the highest level of services, including lounges with jacuzzis, saunas and SPA, including manual hydromassage, ozone therapy and thalassotherapy.
The terminal of Qatar Airways, which was put into operation in December 2006 at Doha International Airport, impresses with its luxury. Here, more than 150 employees serve VIP passengers. The terminal area, which cost $90 million to build, is 10,000 square meters, and its capacity is about 800 passengers per hour.
Western European airlines are also trying not to lag behind their competitors from the Middle East and Southeast Asia. According to German Lufthansa, since the VIP terminal opened in Frankfurt two years ago, the number of tickets sold for first class cabins has increased by more than 40%.
The Australians also decided to keep up with the times. In May 2007, Qantas Airways opened new first-class terminals at Sydney and Melbourne airports, which also have bubble acrylic hydromassage bathtubs and SPA.
Encouraged by the success, German carriers plan to open the same luxurious terminal at Munich Airport in early August this year. 'The fate of competition among the world's leading airlines depends not only on the quality of service and level of comfort during the flight, but also on how extensive the list of services provided to passengers on the ground, in airport terminals,' says Lufthansa Vice President Oliver Wagner.
In April 2007, the French airline Air France also improved the quality of VIP service. And although there is no separate terminal for first class passengers at Charles de Gaulle Airport yet, nevertheless, a new type of service for elite passengers has been opened here since April 1. Friendly staff will help VIP clients skip the queue to arrange all services for boarding: they will escort them through the security checkpoint and help them quickly pass customs inspection. However, Parisians can only dream of lounges with jacuzzis, saunas and SPA for now.
British Airways plans to overtake competitors and build five lounges for first and business class passengers in its new giant Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow Airport, which will open in March 2008. In addition to jacuzzis, saunas and SPA, passengers will also be able to visit a library and a cinema.
Experts predict that a new round of competition in the world for VIP passengers will begin after the most modern passenger airliner A-380 appears in the fleet of the world's leading airlines. In this two-story giant, which is designed for 555 passenger seats, special comfort will be provided for privileged passengers.