A first look at The Salon at PS LAX, the $1,295 private terminal experience, including its food, drinks, and whether it's actually worth the price.
"if you were to outright purchase access" ... $1,295. Ouch. No, thanks.
But, if it's already 'included' with JX F, then, yes, worth it, for sure.
Agreed. Honestly looks like it increases the value proposition of a JX F ticket, but hard pass if I had to pay for it.
Outright buying JX miles to redeem for this flight now looks slightly less bad of a deal.
Glad I read all the way down in the comments before posting as I was going to highlight this point exactly. Costly, I know, but this seems like a fun thing to try at least once to experience JX F if you can get at least the same deal as Ben got with purchasing the points.
I just wish the Alaska Airlines partner awards would come back. Folks like @Samar got the sweet deal PHX-TPE in J for 85K. Oh, and if we’re sharing our wishlists, how I wish JX flew from NYC.
I does seem like a seamless experience and it looks to be a really nice facility but at $1300pp I can't see the situation where I would pay for this over just going to the terminal, especially if accessing the D1 or QF First lounges.
May I one day have enough money to not care about that level of cost
There's obviously a market, or it would have closed long ago. It's a world of difference between the Qantas first lounge that's stuffed to the gills with every Oneworld emerald in the terminal and a facility like PS. If it's not a value proposition to you, then you're not their target demo.
Privacy is another market need this serves and LA has a larger pool of people who value privacy than most markets
There are so many public companies, there CEO, CFOs and other top executives I am sure put this expense on company
I’ve used the PS (Salon) at LAX, DFW, and MIA, and it’s pretty great from both a luxury and convenience standpoint, I think it’s worth the money and I’d buy a membership if it existed at my home airport. It was especially great for an international to domestic connection at MIA. Food is great, liquor is top shelf, and staff is fun.
In the olden days you could tell a good FC lounge from a bad one as they would ask if you wanted to be first or last to board. Being last was the real privilege, AV geekery aside, as you could sneak onto the plane as the door was closing. Surprised PS doesn't try to really replicate that to at least a tiny extent.
This sounded like the La Première experience in CDG, without the caviars. Excellent.
LAX Ground services ranked.
1. PS
(SQ, JL and NH should be offering this)
2. Air France La Première (Separate check-in and private TSA. Car drives you over to the lounge. Board directly from the lounge onto the aircraft (jetbridge used just for La Première). You never have to see another person.
In many ways - 1 and 2 are equal. From an AV Geek standing, I need my lounge to have views of apron/runway traffic 🙂
3. Delta One setup - Amazing, but it's a shame you have to end up back on the concourse to reach your gates. As a new build, the lounge should have been above the main gates used for international service (SYD, AKL, HND, CDG) etc. Or connected by a corridor which drops you off at the gates.
With private-ish built-out terminals at LAX, UA and AA could offer something similar to D1 if they wanted to.
What's impressive is that the Delta One setup is accessible with relatively affordable D1 fares compared to true F or PS.
You have to give credit where it's due, the JFK and LAX D1 ground experience is elevated.
@ yoloswag420 — Totally agree, and I’ve had nothing but good things to say about both setups.
Doesn't the Centurion card offer a few Salon visits as an amenity? I know it's not published, but I'm 99% sure this is the case from speaking with my clients who book it fairly frequently and I know which of them are PS members. I do think that's also a consideration.
It's a pretty great product and if you are traveling with a group/family, then I do fully by the "it saves you time" argument, especially if you're flying premium economy or even business class. Just in terms of the layout, there is significantly less ground movement and walking to be done.
@ pstm91 -- Yeah, there are some ways to get free visits, via the Centurion Card (as you mention), and even via some airline loyalty programs (I think American Concierge Key members get a free visit as well).
Agree it's a great product, but I think there's a difference between "saving time" and "less ground movement." You're right, you have to walk all of 100 steps from when you arrive at the airport until you're on the plane, but it doesn't change that you have to arrive further in advance, and the drive is longer than most gate walks.
Hands down the best preflight experience for a business class flight.
Certainly makes more sense than the Chase Reserve suites at LGA. The whole point of this is avoiding the terminal - sure the caviar and facility looks nice (and potato chips and caviar are excellently salty together). Otherwise it's just a really nice lounge with caviar.
This is a gigantic waste of money. This money could go to charity.
Absolutely agree with it being a waste; $1300 for some caviar and a ride to the plane? I'd have to be dining next to the taxiway with two shots of Louie XIII to justify it!
If you think that’s a waste of money you’re not the target clientele for the service (and neither am I for the same reason!)
Lucky, does the fact that this is included with Starlux first change the value proposition at all? Since it was otherwise hard to find a big difference from business?
@ PointsandMilesDoc -- The totally differentiated ground experience definitely makes a difference. And stay tuned regarding how much of a difference there was onboard between first and business class. :p
"...with cucumbers...and cilantro."
You...you actually, purposely put cilantro into your body?
DISGUSTING!!!!!!!111!!!!!!! CALL YOUR NEAREST POISON CONTROL CENTER IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!
@TravellinWilly--It's pretty well known that an aversion to cilantro is often genetic. I don't have that gene but know someone who does. If you have the gene, cilantro tastes horrible. To me, it doesn't do much of anything to improve a dish's flavor but it doesn't taste bad either. I suspect that is the case for a large majority of the population. None of that matters if it affects you, though.
If you arrive in Miami with a foreign passport that does not qualify for global entry, getting through in an hour is usually very speedy processing. And even having global entry, with checked luggage the hour can easily be exceeded in MIA. I don't know the influencer in question, and I don't need to watch the content. But there are many possible reasons why that might be a fair observation. Based on all my international arrivals into MIA, I would have been very happy to have been through in just an hour. Not happy enough to pay the PS fee though.....
@ CPH-Flyer -- I hear you, but it was an American, and a Miami local. Even if you don't have Global Entry, Mobile Passport Control should get you through in no time.
Do you check into your flight at the counter, and then, how do you access the lounge?
@ docntx -- Nope, PS takes care of all the formalities for you, including checking bags. You never have to go to the check-in counter.
@ henare -- Well, it depends on a variety of factors, of course. And it also depends on whether we define "saving time" as not having to arrive at the airport so early, or as just not having any tasks to do at the airport.
What would happen if a passenger (with access to PS through an airline) simply shows up 4 or 5 hours (or more) before their flight (just like when one visits the LH FCT for example)?
@ hbilbao -- It's a good question! You get several emails and messages leading up to arrival telling you that you're invited to use the facility up to three hours before departure. I would guess there's some buffer, and that they won't send you away if you arrive 3hr15min early. But I imagine if you arrive five hours early, it might be a different story. It's a good question, but based on how clearly they tell you when you can arrive, I imagine not many people make that "mistake."
Makes sense of course, but it's fascinating to think about how they would deal with someone trying to pull an "Amanvari" at PS.
"Oops I got toooooooo many messages and didn't see the one that said that I should only show up 3 hours before departure!"
Better not to give anyone ideas though.
Enjoy your Starlux flight, @Ben. Make sure to eat all available meals!
@ hbilbao -- Hah, yeah, it's a great question. And I promise I won't let you down when it comes to trying all the meals! :p
It’d be cool to do a post of F options that come with a private terminal like this. In addition to Starlux providing PS access, I believe Air France La Premiere includes access to the similar BTG Pactual private terminal in GRU and something similar in TLV. I understand why AF doesn’t provide PS access at LAX given how seamless their current setup is but they should consider doing so at MIA, at least until the dedicated Air France lounge there is up and running.
I wonder…. how much caviar does one eat before it becomes boring?
Regarding time saving, how much better or worse was the traffic getting to PS compared to the main terminals? Could imagine for evening departures, if coming from South LA, Long Beach sort of areas, this could be a small additional benefit, leave a bit later and have less stress about journey time. Still can't justify the price tag
It's probably a noticeable time saving if flying during mid-to-peak hours, if only because you don't have to navigate the parking lot that is the horseshoe that goes around the LAX terminals. If you're coming from the south most certainly, but even coming from the north you can plan to go around LAX rather than through it.
@Ben--The question you ask in this article's headline, "Is it worth it," is one you already knew the answer to: it depends entirely upon the individual. To me, the answer is firmly "no.". I don't see it as something I would pay for as a standalone service and I am guessing you feel the same way--you were quite honest about its inclusion in your first class fare on Starlux and that you didn't pay extra just for PS. That said, I am a firm believer in experiences and trying things once. I did treat a friend to Delta's private tarmac Porsche transfer service with reserved SkyClub seating at JFK once but it was at a much lower price point. It was a fun experience because my friend wasn't a frequent flier and was quite surprised by the whole thing. I am glad I tried it but haven't done so since.
I have a couple of questions:
1. As I have very little experience with caviar (I am happy just to get ikura at a sushi bar), your photo of the caviar service intrigued me. Are those potato chips on the plate with the caviar tin? If so, I am a little surprised (and already tasting a lot of salt).
2. How did you book your Starlux first class ride? If I paid a ton of cash for F, I might view the PS value proposition differently.
3. What happens if more airlines start bundling PS into F fares? Does that make the lounge more crowded, less exclusive, and maybe lowers its perceived value?