My PS LAX Experience: Is The Private Terminal Worth The $1,295 Price Tag?

I’m off to Asia right now on my Starlux A350 first class trip, and the fun started before I even left the United States. I’m flying Starlux first class from Los Angeles (LAX) to Taipei (TPE), and Starlux lets its first class passengers use PS LAX, which is the private terminal concept at the airport.

I’ve written about PS in the past. While the concept launched at LAX, it has since expanded to Atlanta (ATL), Dallas (DFW), and Miami (MIA), and the intent is that passengers on commercial flights can skip the main part of the airport altogether, and relax in a private terminal lounge, clear security at a dedicated TSA checkpoint, and then be driven straight to their plane.

While I’ll have a full review soon, in this post I’d like to share some initial thoughts. Goodness, what a nice experience this was! For what it’s worth, if you were to outright purchase access to The Salon at PS LAX (the experience I had), it would cost $1,295 per person per visit. So I very much appreciated having this included with my ticket (Starlux is the only airline at LAX that sends its first class passengers here at no extra cost).

The PS LAX experience is fun, offers amazing food & drinks

With my Starlux first class ticket, I had access to The Salon at PS LAX, which is essentially a communal lounge, where you can hang out prior to your flight. It’s completely disconnected from the rest of the terminal, and is located on the other side of the airport, near the FBOs and cargo facility.

The Salon is nice, but it’s nothing huge. It just consists of one large room with a wall in the middle, and there are basically four seating areas, along with some high-top seating. During my late night visit, there were at most three other people there, and at the end, I was the only guest (note that there’s also The Private Suites at PS LAX, where guests have private suites separate from this area, so I don’t know how many people were using that, if anyone).

The idea is that you can arrive up to three hours before departure, and then enjoy a selection of complimentary food and drinks, which are really stellar. The traditional “welcome” is some caviar and champagne. Ummm, okay, I could get used to this (but will try not to!).

Beyond that, I decided to order the signature PS Martini (yes, the olives are indeed stuffed with caviar).

When it comes to food, I ordered the grilled corn salad, with cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, corn vinaigrette, pickled sweet peppers, and cilantro.

Then I ordered the branzino, with potato and leek vichyssoise, heirloom bean salad, salsa verde, and pickled carrots.

The food was phenomenal, and absolutely restaurant quality. It’s worth noting that you can also order food to go, in case you’d rather eat on your flight.

Then when it’s time to depart, you’re escorted through a private TSA checkpoint…

…and then you’re put in a car, and get a ride across the airport to your flight. PS LAX is located on the south side of the airport, so it’s around a 10-minute drive to most terminals, if not more. If you’re an aviation geek, that makes for some great plane spotting… how cool!

We then pulled up to the Starlux A350, and I was brought up the elevator to the terminal level, where I was met by a Starlux employee, and was the first to board.

I have to admit that this was an incredibly seamless and luxurious way to depart. Furthermore, every PS employee was super friendly. The facility is very well staffed, and I can’t imagine how many people it takes to keep everything running.

This is more about a great experience than saving time

I’m impressed by the way that PS has grown its network over the years, as the concept seems to be working. When the concept first launched, there was only The Private Suites, as the focus was on offering a private experience for high profile people who want to minimize their time in public and in terminals (while still flying commercial).

Then the brand launched The Salon, which almost seems to be the opposite concept. It’s intended to be social, presumably in part a way to network with other people willing to drop that much on a pre-flight experience (perhaps reflecting overall trends in ultra-luxury travel). Not only does it come at a lower price point, but it also targets a different kind of consumer. I think it’s really smart the company went in that direction.

Now, a few thoughts:

• While I absolutely don’t want to drop this amount to use PS on every trip, I think the price is actually fair given the experience offered; the overhead is massive, the facility is well staffed, the amount of coordination with airlines is huge, the food and drinks are great, etc.
• I wouldn’t view this facility as saving any time; for international flights you have to arrive at PS LAX two hours early, and you could easily arrive at the airport that long before departure and make your flight with plenty of time to spare, especially if you have TSA PreCheck
• Ultimately you do this either to splurge for a special occasion, for the seamlessness of not having to worry about anything, or because money simply isn’t an object, and you want the best experience possible

What I find funny is that so much of the narrative around PS is established by influencer-types who get invited for free, but the most common claims I see from them don’t actually reflect reality. Not because it’s not a good experience, but because they’re focusing on the wrong thing.

PS MIA recently opened, and there was this one comped influencer who “reviewed” the experience and raved about how much time it saved her, because she was leaving the airport within one hour of the arrival of her international flight. Oy.

Even with a checked bag and Miami’s typically horrid baggage claim waits, I’m usually home within an hour of my international flight landing in Miami. I’m not sure that really makes the point she thinks it does.

Bottom line

I’ve been wanting to check out The Salon experience at PS, and I’m delighted that my Starlux first class ticket included that at LAX, since this would otherwise retail for $1,295. What an incredible ground experience this was, with great food and drinks, friendly staff, and a truly seamless experience from start to finish.

I wouldn’t expect to save much time (if any) by using PS, but you definitely save hassle, and it turns what most people consider to be the most stressful aspect of the travel experience into the most relaxing.

What do you make of PS LAX, and its overall value proposition?