PS (which was initially founded in 2017 as The Private Suite) offers a private terminal at LAX that allows commercial travelers to bypass the public terminals and go through private security checkpoints, be driven to the plane, etc. I reviewed the facility shortly after it opened.
The company also has plans to open a facility at ATL in 2023, and has now announced plans for a facility at a third airport.
In this post:
PS facility opening at Dallas Fort Worth Airport
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport has approved PS to develop a new private airport facility for commercial flights. PS will offer a unique pre-flight and post-flight experience, serving as an alternative from the main terminal for passengers traveling on commercial flights.
The 12,200 square foot facility will be adjacent to Corporate Aviation at DFW, and will feature both Private Suites and The Salon signature lounge. PS travelers will have access to private TSA and Customs screenings on-site, as well as a BMW chauffeured escort to and from the jet bridge stairs of their commercial flights. While at the facility, you can arrange everything from chef prepared meals, to spa treatments.
As it’s described in the press release, the design, amenities, and chef-led culinary program will reflect the uniqueness of Dallas and Fort Worth, blending Western heritage with modern, cosmopolitan sensibilities.
Here’s how Amina Porter, CEO of PS, describes this development:
“As we forge towards expanding to every major U.S. airport, we are proud to announce Dallas Fort Worth as the third location that PS will bring our luxury experience to. Establishing a presence in the bustling region and airport of DFW was important to us as a brand and marks yet another key milestone in PS’ continued evolution as a leader in reimagining airport travel.”
Is there a market for PS at major US airports?
I totally get how there’s value for something like PS at LAX, given the number of celebrities and other very wealthy people passing through the airport, and what a mess the airport can be. Arguably the biggest challenge PS faces is that it’s going after a market of wealthy people who don’t fly private.
Of course that market exists, and it’s significant. But PS is also expensive, so even someone who is well off might think twice about it. That’s especially true when you consider that travel doesn’t have to be a hassle nowadays, with programs like TSA PreCheck, CLEAR, Global Entry, etc.
Just for some context, you can find the pricing for PS at LAX here:
- Without a membership, you’ll pay $995 per person for access to The Salon (a shared space), or $4,650 for up to four travelers to access a Private Suite (a private space)
- With the $4,850 annual membership, you’ll pay $695 per person for access to The Salon, or $3,450 for up to four travelers to access a Private Suite
It’s interesting that Atlanta and Dallas are the two next markets to get these facilities. Admittedly those are cities that have quite a bit of wealth, though they’re also the fortress hubs of two of the biggest airlines in the United States. We’ve seen airlines have some collaborations with PS at LAX, and I imagine that’s part of the plan here too.
Will American and Delta sell bundles to premium passengers that include access to the PS facility? I assume a deal might have already been made on that front, or is at least being considered. But how do you price it so that it’s attractive and generates business, without cannibalizing PS’ business of trying to sell memberships?
Bottom line
The PS concept is expanding to ATL and DFW, as the company seems committed to expanding to several major airports throughout the United States. There’s no denying that this is an innovative concept for commercial aviation, so it’s great in that sense.
However, to me the value proposition of this is a tough sell, especially outside of LAX. How many people are willing to pay nearly $1,000 a pop to use a shared lounge in order to skip the terminal, or pay nearly $5,000 for four people to use a private lounge?
What do you make of the PS concept expanding to more airports? Do you see this expansion working out?
It depends how much you travel. If you are really on the road most of the time, almost $5000 may not be that much depending on how many times you can access.
"Arguably the biggest challenge PS faces is that it’s going after a market of wealthy people who don’t fly private."
This is not accurate. I have lots of clients who fly privately 99% of the time, but they will fly First or Business class on occasional long haul flights for any number of reasons. They book PS regularly. I'm one person and see my clients frequently utilizing it, so I imagine they don't have...
"Arguably the biggest challenge PS faces is that it’s going after a market of wealthy people who don’t fly private."
This is not accurate. I have lots of clients who fly privately 99% of the time, but they will fly First or Business class on occasional long haul flights for any number of reasons. They book PS regularly. I'm one person and see my clients frequently utilizing it, so I imagine they don't have any issues with demand. That could change as private jet size and range improve, but that's quite a ways out on a wide scale.
In DFW for example the folks who would be the target customer are ConciergeKey members who have access to the Flagship Lounge for free. Why would you then pay for this?
Ben I would love to see an updated review from you at PS sometime soon!
This is surprising to me because they had announced a long time ago that their next airport to be expanded to was going to be either NYC or MIA....so ATL? then DFW? color me shocked....regardless wish them all the success in the world, PS is awesome.
Corporate travelers aren't trying to sit in lounges, particularly at their home airport. The more time you sit in a lounge, the less time you're spending doing work. Sitting around in lounges is for leisure travelers and travel bloggers (for whom sitting in a lounge is work). The real value of this isn't the private lounge area, but that you can arrive at a departure area of the airport that has minimal traffic, after boarding...
Corporate travelers aren't trying to sit in lounges, particularly at their home airport. The more time you sit in a lounge, the less time you're spending doing work. Sitting around in lounges is for leisure travelers and travel bloggers (for whom sitting in a lounge is work). The real value of this isn't the private lounge area, but that you can arrive at a departure area of the airport that has minimal traffic, after boarding has started, and still be certain you'll get to the plane on time. You can effectively arrive to the airport right before it takes off with PS, almost the same as flying private. For corporate travelers, they're actually getting the most from the PS if they never set foot in the lounge area, but go straight from security to the car that drives them to the plane.
What corporates would pay for this? For some people, paying $85 for 5 years of pre-check is too much, but for others, they fly enough and they / their company values their time enough that $85 for 5 years of being able to walk through security. For an even smaller group of people, paying $189 per year (Clear) or $950 over 5 years (11x the cost of TSA Pre) to get through security even faster is worth it. Is it hard to believe that there isn't a group of mid-level executives / financiers / consultants in major cities for whom flying private is out of reach but that would pay $700 per trip to effectively get one of the most important time saving benefits of flying private, which is that you get on the plane and then it takes off right after. ~$5k per year plus $700 per trip plus the cost of the actual tickets is still way less than flying private. That's the real value of of PS, not for some occasional wealthy leisure traveler to sit around in a private lounge
I agree with that hypothesis of a value prop, but odd their marketing is so focused on the amenities in the lounge, almost targeting those with the luxury of both time and money.
Another point - the standard 'salon' access has 'shared' transport to the flight, not solo car ride, so might still be a 'need to show up X' time beforehand, assuming most people are on different flights.
I mean, when you market your product you always highlight how luxurious it is. Think about UA Polaris / Delta One / AA Flagship F & J, they always market the nice lounges, dining (even if it's actually not that good), etc. But if you think about how regular business fliers (which is the majority of the population paying for J) actually spend their time, they want to spend as little time sitting in lounges...
I mean, when you market your product you always highlight how luxurious it is. Think about UA Polaris / Delta One / AA Flagship F & J, they always market the nice lounges, dining (even if it's actually not that good), etc. But if you think about how regular business fliers (which is the majority of the population paying for J) actually spend their time, they want to spend as little time sitting in lounges and eating airport / airplane food as possible. They don't want a fancy shower suite if they can shower at home. These things as used by frequent business travelers aren't a luxury destination experience, they're mitigants to the drudgery of frequent business travel. Those travelers would much rather get as little exposure to this stuff as possible and just be home, with the "luxuries" being there in case they are stuck at the airport to make it a bit nicer. I suspect it's the same here. In case you are traveling this way and do end up early at the airport for whatever reason, yes it's super nice, but realistically, the business travelers using this want to see as little of the lounges as possible because that means they're spending more time at home with their family or at work getting stuff done efficiently. I think that part is not well understood by aspirational fliers and travel bloggers who look to these products as luxurious destination experiences and thus want to maximize their enjoyment of the product. It's a totally different mindset
I find DFW/ATL choices odd. JFK/ORD and maybe MIA/IAD make more sense based on demographics.
Perhaps space constraints?
I also find it surprising. I was at PS LAX recently and when I asked I was told they were working on JFK but it took a long time 'because it was such a big airport so there were so many contracts to do'. Doesn't quite add up but I can easily imagine that the time and work to set up at JFK is so much greater than ATL/DFW. MIA was supposedly being planned as well.
Yah thats what I heard a long time ago too, NYC and Miami. So this news comes to a surprise to me.
These choices are understandable but still surprising. When I used PS at LAX in 2021, I was told the next two in the works were JFK and MIA!
This concept is becoming quite popular, here in the U.K LHR offer a very similar service costing about £1.8-£2k and is often fully booked at certain times.
https://www.heathrowvip.com/s/
I can see this working in DFW. Dallas feels like the Los Angeles for city people who want to look like they're from a farm. Lots of shallow egos and deep pockets in Dallas
I find Atlanta surprising, but i can see DFW making sense. Ultimately, you need a large number of 3 cabin International First travelers. That market for executives has shrunk massively, with Japan and Korea being exceptions with demand from their large corporations for International First for their executives. The Dallas area has gained the US HQ of a lot of large companies such as Toyota and Samsung. I could see these corporate accounts buying a membership.
Dont you think the C-Suite type at Fortune 500 companies all fly private?
Atlanta is the second Hollywood, so a ton of celebs depart and arrive from ATL.
The people who can afford this just fly private anyways especially here in Texas. Just dont see the use for standalone memberships you have to use it 17 times to make it worth it over paying the full price for daily visits.
I really don't see the use case at ATL, my home airport UNLESS Qatar, Lufthansa, Turkish, Air Canada, and/or BA bundle it as an upgrade to their on-the-ground service. The lounge situation for these non SkyTeam airlines is pretty bleak at ATL with Delta taking nearly all of the desirable lounge space for their 9 lounges leaving really small and sad AA and UA clubs in concourse T (opposite end of the airport from the...
I really don't see the use case at ATL, my home airport UNLESS Qatar, Lufthansa, Turkish, Air Canada, and/or BA bundle it as an upgrade to their on-the-ground service. The lounge situation for these non SkyTeam airlines is pretty bleak at ATL with Delta taking nearly all of the desirable lounge space for their 9 lounges leaving really small and sad AA and UA clubs in concourse T (opposite end of the airport from the international gates) geared almost entirely towards domestic pax and ATL The Club which is a pretty small and basic operation in the F/International terminal.
Do they plan to do something with marketing to connecting passengers? For Atlanta specifically, and to some extent DFW, it seems like the connections absolutely dwarf O&D traffic. I could imagine them marketing a product that more-or-less competes with airport lounges, including the two car transfers.
i was thinking that though most connections are so short the drive without the lounge would be the value add and that FBO terminal is on the far north end not convenient for a round trip car ride.
And thinking further…they have CBP partnership for customs clearance so maybe at LAX they found inbound intl was a big segment of users … maybe even mostly foreign.
Also it’s owned by TPG which I think is DFW based investment firm
In addition to the airlines, maybe there could be corporate contracts? This is far-fetched, but it might appeal to companies looking to reduce their corporate jet usage.
I’d love to see the market research on PS sites/locations. Houston I might understand, LA definitely. I’m curious as to the ATL and DFW business cases here.
The problem of crowds at airside is caused by uncertainty in how long it will take to get thru security, so many people will show up unnecessarily early (this also applies to intl as US does not have exit immigration) for flights.
If TSA was properly staffed such that people could get thru in under 5 mins, then people could properly time their arrivals and be airside for less time.
@ Anon;
Going through TSA in under 5 minutes will still a dream forever or did you forgot to put a 0 after the 5?