Well, not exactly. But you won’t be in the thundering herd, either. This Wall Street Journal article gives you the phone number for American Airlines’s “Five Star” service (costs a hundred bucks), but it’s only available in LA and NY.
If you’re elsewhere, the article names Airport Assistance Worldwide and LJR & Associates as providing star treatment to you for a similar fee. The article quotes a person who uses the service:
- It made me uncomfortable when everyone was watching us move to the front of the line, because I’m not that person. But you get over it pretty quickly.
Although there are no guarantees, the hope is that the services can help you bypass baggage check-in lines, security lines, and watch over your baggage and you while you wait for the plane. This seems to be very nice for single parents traveling with children.
Remember, though, that there’s always Clear, which is a hundred dollars a year no matter how often you use it. No aides, no extra service with baggage check-in, though. Just the fast lane through TSA.
LJR & Associates appears to be LInda J. Rippel in Redondo Beach, CA. I find no Website, but there’s a telephone number which may be hers: (310) 316-2279.
Airport Assistance World wide does have a Website. Check both services to see whether they serve your airports. There are basic fees for a family or group arriving together, and there are additional fees for additional services, people, and baggage.
Again, though, no service can guarantee full services because of changes in security operations, local conditions at particular airports, and flight delays and cancellations.
It appears there will be a split of passengers into two economic strata - those that can and will pay for basic service, and those that cannot afford basic services at airports and from airlines. The combination of personal service companies and baggage shippers may take some of the strain off those that can afford it.
3 months ago