There are many ways that airlines try to differentiate themselves in first and business class, from the inflight product, to the ground experience. In some cases the ground experience starts before you even get to the airport, as some airlines offer complimentary chauffeur service to and from the airport. In this post, I want to take a closer look at which airlines offer this.
In this post:
Airlines offering complimentary limousine service
Some airlines offer first and business class passengers a complimentary chauffeur service, as a way of providing a differentiated experience. Unfortunately over the years we’ve seen these opportunities decrease significantly. Not only have several airlines eliminated their chauffeur service option, but even those airlines that offer it have added more restrictions.
Ultimately I can understand why some airlines struggle with justifying offering chauffeur service. While it’s of course nice to have a door-to-door experience, many premium flyers are traveling for business, and presumably they can expense transportation to and from the airport as well. Many airlines just found that they couldn’t charge a premium that justified this, so some airlines (like Virgin Atlantic) have eliminated it.
With that out of the way, let me share the airlines that currently offer chauffeur service, ranked roughly based on how readily available the service is.
Emirates first & business class chauffeur service
Dubai-based Emirates Airline offers the most readily available chauffeur service:
- This is available at most destinations worldwide, on both arrival and departure
- First and business class passengers can take advantage of this; however, award tickets, tickets upgraded from economy, and “basic” business class fares, aren’t eligible for this service
- The flight must be marketed and operated by Emirates to be eligible
- This can be reserved more than 12 hours before departure through the booking management tool
- There are maximum distances that can be traveled, but they differ by city (it’s generally going to be around 50 miles, though in the United Arab Emirates, you can be driven anywhere in the country)
At this point Emirates is the only airline that offers chauffeur service nearly globally, with few restrictions.
Etihad Airways first & business class chauffeur service
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways offers chauffeur service, but only at its Abu Dhabi hub:
- This is only available when arriving in or departing from Abu Dhabi
- First and business class passengers can take advantage of this (for business class, it must be a Comfort or Deluxe fare)
- Etihad Guest award tickets in first class are eligible, while Etihad Guest award tickets in business class aren’t eligible; all partner award tickets aren’t eligible
- The flight must be marketed and operated by Etihad to be eligible
- This can be reserved more than 12 hours before departure through the booking management tool
- The chauffeur service is valid for travel to anywhere in the UAE
Turkish Airlines business class chauffeur service
Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines offers chauffeur service, but only at select airports:
- This service isn’t available in Istanbul, but rather is available at outstations in the United States and Canada, but only if flying to or from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Kuwait, Beirut, Tel Aviv, Tehran, Cairo, Mumbai, Delhi, Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Dacca, Nairobi, Riyadh, Dammam, Amman, Jeddah, or Bahrain
- Business class passengers can take advantage of this if they paid cash for their ticket (in fare classes C, D, J, K, and Z), but award tickets and upgraded tickets aren’t eligible
- The flight must be marketed and operated by Turkish to be eligible
- This can be reserved more than 24 hours before departure through the booking management tool
- The chauffeur service is valid for up to 35 miles of travel
Air China first & business class chauffeur service
Beijing-based Air China offers chauffeur service, but only at select airports in China:
- This service is only available at select airports in China, including Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, and Xi’an
- First and business class passengers must be traveling to or from Europe, the Americas, Africa, or Oceania, in fare classes F, A, J, C, D, Z, or R; this means award tickets don’t qualify
- The flight must be marketed and operated by Air China to be eligible
- This can be reserved more than 48 hours before departure through this page
- The distance you can travel varies by city
Kuwait Airways first & business class chauffeur service
Kuwait-based Kuwait Airways offers chauffeur service, but only at its Kuwait City hub:
- This is only available when arriving in or departing from Kuwait City
- First and business class passengers can take advantage of this regardless of how they booked their ticket
- The flight must be marketed and operated by Kuwait Airways to be eligible
- This can be reserved more than 24 hours before departure through the booking management tool
- The chauffeur service is valid for travel to anywhere in Kuwait
Air France first class chauffeur service
Air France offers chauffeur service in limited markets, including in France:
- This service is available when departing or arriving in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, and Nice
- Only first class passengers are eligible for this; award tickets qualify, while those who upgraded don’t qualify
- The flight must be marketed and operated by Air France to be eligible
- This can be reserved more than six hours before departure by calling Air France
While this is the biggest market in which Air France offers chauffeur service, the airline also offers chauffeur service in select other markets, including Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, though the terms there are even stricter.
Korean Air first class chauffeur service
Korean Air offers chauffeur service exclusively at its Seoul Incheon hub:
- This service is available exclusively between Seoul Incheon and the Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon area, on both arrival and departure
- Only first class passengers are eligible for this; award tickets, upgrades, and codeshare flights, don’t qualify
- The flight must be marketed and operated by Korean Air to be eligible
- This can be reserved more than 48 hours before departure by calling Korean Air
Starlux Airlines first class chauffeur service
Starlux Airlines offers chauffeur service to first class passengers at its Taipei hub:
- This service is available on arrival or departure in Taipei
- The chauffeur service can be used between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei City, New Taipei City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu County/City, and Keelung City
- Only first class passengers are eligible for this
- The flight must be ticketed and operated by Starlux to be eligible
- This can be reserved more than two business days before departure through Starlux’s website
SriLankan Airlines business class chauffeur service
Once again this is very niche, but SriLankan offers chauffeur service in London for passengers traveling to and from Colombo:
- This service is available when departing or arriving in London
- Only business class passengers on full fare tickets issued by SriLankan Airlines are eligible
- The chauffeur service is valid for up to 45 miles of travel
- This can be reserved more than 30 hours before departure by calling SriLankan Airlines
It’s interesting how SriLankan Airlines offers this for just one airport, especially since the airline faces no nonstop competition in the market. While London is premium, I can’t imagine this is what will push people over the edge to book SriLankan.
Other airlines offer tarmac transfers
As you can see, this post is specifically about airlines offering a chauffeur service to and from the airport. This is different than some of the airlines that offer tarmac transfers between planes and lounges. For example:
- Lufthansa first class passengers get driven to the plane from the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, and in some situations, from the Lufthansa First Class Lounge Munich
- Air France first class passengers get driven to and from the Air France La Premiere Lounge in Paris
- There are some other airlines that offer this on a surprise and delight basis, including American for Concierge Key members, United for Global Services members, British Airways for first class passengers, Air Canada for business class passengers, and more
Bottom line
To differentiate themselves, some airlines offer first and business class passengers complimentary limousine service to and from the airports. It’s always awesome when this is offered, as it creates a seamless experience, and also provides extra value.
Unfortunately these opportunities are much more limited than in the past. Several airlines have cut this service altogether, while other airlines added fare class restrictions. At this point there aren’t any readily available award tickets that come with chauffeur service anymore.
If you’ve used an airline chauffeur service, what was your experience like? And did I miss any airlines offering this service?
Recently flew Emirates return UK business class.Ride to airport was interesting when driver told us "Don't be surprised if they put you in a taxi when you return from UK " truer words were never spoken because that is exactly what happened.Cars in Dubai were a bit hit and miss but to be expected when there are so many business class customers on the A380 !!
The value is very different depending not only on the terms but where you are. For example it is much cheaper for Air China to offer it in China than it would be in many of the other destinations that other airlines are offering it. Given when I few Emirates they used a plane with an old configuration, 2-3-2 business class, the airport service was good.
Had a very pleasant surprise earlier this month with a Mercedes car private transfer across the airport at Kuala Lumpur with business class flight with Malaysian airlines to London.
Did I read somewhere that Qatar offers a vehicle from the Al Safwa first class lounge to the plane when flying first class at a remote gate in Doha?
It might just be a rumor or outdated info…
they do. but it's a dedicated bus with armchairs - we were driven from Al Safwa lounge to the plane for our flight DOH-MLE, this was in 2024; me and my husband were the only ones on this bus since there weren't any other passengers in first that night. i also thought it was interesting in that they deliberately boarded the bus as late as possible (to maximize time in lounge), so that we were...
they do. but it's a dedicated bus with armchairs - we were driven from Al Safwa lounge to the plane for our flight DOH-MLE, this was in 2024; me and my husband were the only ones on this bus since there weren't any other passengers in first that night. i also thought it was interesting in that they deliberately boarded the bus as late as possible (to maximize time in lounge), so that we were the last passengers to walk onto the plane. there certainly was no hurry to get on early to fight for overhead bin space since we had the cabin to ourselves - but funny since it's opposite to how gate boarding typically works.
This is a nice perk but one can duplicate it by scheduling their own ride and fly business class, which is physically the same comfort (lie flat), but with fewer perks.
Rumour Control on this side of the pond is speculating that more European airlines are considering such a service.
However, it is further reported that it is the airport authorities who are sceptical about airside drop off and pickup.
LHR has very strict regulations with only one known company allowed to operate airside.
One also understands that diplomatic cars from certain countries are not permitted airside to drop off passengers.
The...
Rumour Control on this side of the pond is speculating that more European airlines are considering such a service.
However, it is further reported that it is the airport authorities who are sceptical about airside drop off and pickup.
LHR has very strict regulations with only one known company allowed to operate airside.
One also understands that diplomatic cars from certain countries are not permitted airside to drop off passengers.
The current POTUS might be the exception however.
Air France has a paid add-on for business class. However, it is less expensive to book such a service via your hotel's concierge. Indeed, the combination of aircraft door meet-and-greet and the ride is less than Air France's ride-only add-on. Lastly, depending on your room type, the hotel might already include a ride.
Here is an idea for another list:
Which airlines let you pre-book meals in business class?
@ Julia -- Appreciate the idea, let me add that to my list of post ideas, thanks!
Thanks for this article! I had just booked a business class flight on Turkish Airlines and wasn’t aware they offered this service at all. Given where I live, this saved me $200!
@ Justin -- Awesome, happy to hear!
I was recently able to book free Etihad Chauffeur on a First Class award redemption (Guest Seat). I was surprised too as I thought it was just for paid First Class. The wording on their website only puts an “if” for Business Class- and it’s not even for singling out awards. So for Business- if not a Guest Seat redemption, Etihad Chauffeur is available too.
“You can book an Etihad Chauffeur for free if...
I was recently able to book free Etihad Chauffeur on a First Class award redemption (Guest Seat). I was surprised too as I thought it was just for paid First Class. The wording on their website only puts an “if” for Business Class- and it’s not even for singling out awards. So for Business- if not a Guest Seat redemption, Etihad Chauffeur is available too.
“You can book an Etihad Chauffeur for free if you’re travelling on an Etihad-operated flight in The Residence or First, or on a Business Comfort or Deluxe ticket.”
https://www.etihad.com/en/plan/etihad-services/etihad-chauffeur
Good to know. I just booked it for an upcoming F ticket from AUH-YYZ so I was surprised to read this wouldn’t qualify.
@ Imbisibol -- Hmmm, that's interesting and a surprise to me. If you look at the terms & conditions of the chauffeur service, you'll see the following:
"Excludes tickets booked using Etihad Guest Miles."
At least last time I tried to book this on an award, it wasn't possible. I'm curious, do people have any additional recent data points?
It’s a bit confusing but I think all F tickets get it and only selected J tickets, not including J award tickets. It’s not written super clearly but I have an F award ticket and it let me book without charge.
@ PJS678 @ Moh -- Good catch. I updated the post, and it should be accurate now. I appreciate it!
Late 2024, I booked AUH JFK Apartment on points (Guest Seat, no status). As expected, I could not book Etihad Chauffeur. This year, when the A380 moved to YYZ, I cancelled my JFK flight and booked YYZ. On a whim, I tried to book Etihad Chauffeur and was able to.
It's a bit tricky. If you visit Etihad's website and try to book an award ticket, you'll see that chauffeur service is included for First Class passengers but not for Business Class. However, First Class tickets booked through a partner airline's award program are not eligible for the chauffeur service.
Ben, Korean Air also offers chauffeur service now from ICN departures and arrivals when on first class revenue fares.
@ Kevin -- Thanks for the heads up! Is that document anywhere, because it's the first time I've heard of this, and I can't find any reputable mention of it online. Will update the post once I know the details, thanks! :-)
Hi Ben,
Here's the link on official KE website
https://www.koreanair.com/contents/plan-your-travel/service-by-class/first/before-boarding
Under Korean Air Premium Care Service-Chauffeur Service:
Seoul/Gyeonggi/Incheon area ↔ Incheon Airport round trip, private vehicle and chauffeur provided (one vehicle per First Class passenger)
Kevin from @Airlinesandme. Longtime OMMAAT fan :)
@ Kevin -- Excellent catch, thanks so much! Post updated to add that... I appreciate you reading! :-)