This is creative more than actually useful or a great deal, though I can’t help but cover it (thanks to Frankfurtflyer for flagging this).
Pay €99 for private check-in counter in Vienna
Airlines try to monetize all kinds of premium services, ranging from priority check-in to priority boarding. However, Austrian Airlines’ newest initiative takes that a step further. The Star Alliance airline is now selling access to a private check-in counter at its Vienna Airport (VIE) hub.
The airline describes this as a perfect option for a honeymoon trip, bachelorette party, or family vacation. The idea is that you not only get access to a check-in area that’s exclusively for you, but you can even customize the area, by adding a personal touch. The check-in counter can be booked online for €99 per 30-minute block.
These private check-in counters were previously reserved primarily for corporate clients, but the airline is now expanding this offering to all passengers “due to high demand from the group travel segment.” Of course group travelers can still use the normal check-in counters, so this isn’t a requirement.
Here’s how the experience works:
- Reservations are required at least eight days before departure, and are available for all departures from Vienna with Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, or SWISS
- The private check-in counter must be booked for a minimum of 30 minutes
- Passengers can customize their check-in counter according to their wishes, with a personal message of up to 66 characters, or a logo on the screen
This is a cute & funny concept
I can of course see merit to a concept like this for group travel. If there are a bunch of people who are traveling on the same flight, there’s not only convenience to having a dedicated counter, but there’s also a “cool factor” to having the unique branding of the group.
The aspect of this that I find a bit funnier is the thought of setting this up for a family trip, a bachelorette trip, etc. Again, I guess this could create some laughs, and the pricing isn’t unreasonable, when you consider that a dedicated counter is being kept open just for you, and the staffing it requires.
At the same time, check-in is usually a pretty efficient process nowadays. Most people check-in online, and those who have checked bags can just go to a bag drop zone, where they can quickly get their bags tagged. Assuming you don’t want to book an unnecessarily long slot, you’d also have to time your arrival at the airport pretty accurately, so that you don’t miss your window.
Bottom line
While airlines try to monetize the airport experience in many ways, selling access to a private check-in counter is a unique concept that I hadn’t heard of before. I can’t imagine this has wide appeal, though perhaps there are situations where this could make sense for group travel, or as a bit of a joke for a special trip.
What do you make of Austrian Airlines’ private check-in counter concept?
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