Priority Pass Private: Invitation-Only Program For High-Net-Worth Travelers

Priority Pass is sort of known for democratizing airport lounge access, in the sense that more people around the globe get access to airport lounges through Priority Pass than through any other program. Well, the company has now announced a new concept, which goes the opposite direction — it’s only available by invitation, and is intended for high-net-worth individuals.

Priority Pass Private offers new luxury airport experience

Collinson International, the parent company of Priority Pass, has just launched the new Priority Pass Private concept. As it’s described, this is a new luxury full-service airport experience for the most discerning travelers, and it’s launching in the Middle East and Europe, across 70+ airports in 30+ countries, with further expansion planned.

More from OMAAT Is A Priority Pass Airport Lounge Membership Worth It? Read more

The idea is that people can’t sign up directly for Priority Pass Private, but instead, it’s intended to enable businesses (like financial institutions, private banks, and wealth management companies) to reward their most valued, high-net-worth customers, with access to private terminals and lounges, expedited security, and gourmet dining experiences.

Priority Pass Private promises to offer an experience typically reserved for private aviation, for the most exclusive segment of commercial airline passengers. The idea is that the Priority Pass Private experience begins with a personalized meet & assist service, followed by expedited check-in, security, and immigration. Guests are then welcomed into a private VIP lounge. Then when it’s time to board, an airside chauffeur transfer will take guests to the plane. Each location will deliver its own distinctive take on luxury.

Here’s how Christopher Evans, CEO of Collinson International, describes this:

“In today’s evolving world of luxury travel, the most discerning and high-net-worth travellers expect more than a seamless airport experience; they value time, privacy and exclusivity. Priority Pass Private was created to meet this need, transforming time in transit into time well spent. We are proud to bring this vision to life, reimagining travel for the world’s most elite travellers.”

I’m curious what this is going to be like in reality

As you can see, with this concept we’re looking at a little more than just cubed cheese and the ability go get on the waitlist to enter a lounge. 😉 That being said, there are currently a lot more questions than answers.

In theory, I can see the merit to this. While airport lounges are nice, there’s a higher tier of airport service that exists, and Priority Pass’ goal here is to bundle this into a product that can be sold. And just as has been the case with Priority Pass memberships in general, the goal seems to be to work with other businesses, to offer this experience for clients.

I’m curious about the logistics of this, though, in terms of both the actual facilities and the economics:

• There’s talk of all kinds of private terminals and other uber-exclusive experiences, so do the 70+ participating airports really all have such high level services? Are we talking about truly top tier products, like The Windsor by Heathrow, which typically costs thousands per visit, or…?
• Since a truly customized airport VIP experience can sometimes cost thousands of dollars, how will the economics of this work? Presumably Collinson International gets some sort of a volume discount, but will the partner institutions pay Collinson International a fixed fee for a membership, or pay per visit?
• We must be talking about some very good clients of companies, if they’re to get experiences worth that kind of money every time they travel…

So we’ll see how this plays out, but it certainly sounds a bit more luxurious than your typical Priority Pass experience, eh?

Bottom line

Priority Pass Private is a new experience being launched by Collinson International. While the company is known for its basic Priority Pass program, this is on a totally different level, and is intended to offer access to the most exclusive experiences at commercial airports.

The idea is that the company doesn’t sell these memberships directly, but instead, works with other businesses, who can invite their customers to be part of this. I suspect most of us will never be eligible, but it’s still interesting to see a new form of monetization of the highest end airport experience.

What do you make of the Priority Pass Private concept?