Pity the ‘conventional’ passengers. MIA building a terminal for VIPs willing to pay
Miami International Airport wants to cater to a new market of elite travelers: people who will pay big to avoid Miami International Airport altogether.
The county-owned airport opened bidding this month for a remote “VIP terminal” where those forced to fly commercial can come as close to the private-jet experience as possible.
Bidding documents identify the target demographic as “frequent affluent travelers who value status” and will pay to avoid the congestion facing “conventional passengers” at MIA.
$8,000 to fly commercial in style
Paying as much as $8,000 for the service, VIPS can check their bags and pass through special security checkpoints at the posh terminal after spa appointments and cocktails. Drivers ferry them in private cars directly to the airliner, allowing them to board from the runway. The only mingling with the other passengers would come when taking a seat for the flight.
“You get to use the airport, but you don’t have to go to the regular terminal that everyone else goes to,” said Lester Sola, director of the county’s Aviation Department, which operates MIA. “The premier passengers are willing to pay ... to get a completely different experience.”
Miami-Dade expects a windfall catering to the VIPs, with the terminal operating out of the abandoned former Pan Am headquarters on the outskirts of the MIA campus off Northwest 36th Street.
After paying at least $4 million to rehab the county building, the terminal operator would pay MIA rent and a 7% share of sales at one of the most exclusive terminals in the United States.
LAX has the model VIP terminal
County administrators said they’re only aware of another VIP terminal, the one that opened in 2017 at Los Angeles International Airport. There are others abroad, including in Dubai, Milan and Tel Aviv.
At LAX, the private operator, P/S, charges as much as $8,000 for a single flight. That’s a $4,500 yearly membership fee, plus $3,150 per flight, which covers the member and three other passengers. That’s on top of the ticket itself. Want to be driven home directly from the plane in the P/S car? Add an extra $300.
On Thursday, a partner in P/S joined a video meeting for potential bidders of the MIA project, with proposals due in March.
Tiondra Wright, a procurement executive at MIA, walked the meeting through some of the bidding requirements on the kind of VIP experience Miami-Dade wants.
The winning proposal will provide “services for high-profile commercial airline passengers who wish to avoid the congestion and delays of normal MIA terminal passenger processing and who seek an upscale travel experience,” she said.
BMW ride to the runway
At the Los Angeles VIP terminal, travelers get their own suites while waiting for BMW rides to their commercial flights.
The MIA requirements include 24-hour service, and request amenities that include private rooms with sleeping accommodations and showers; upscale meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner and premium liquor options; conference rooms; spa services; outdoor decks; and a dog-walking area.
Sola said MIA plans to have the new VIP terminal open by 2023. The draft agreement includes a lease for 17 years, and requirements that the winner renovate the former Pan Am headquarters in compliance with the county’s historic preservation standards.
“VIP services are something we’ve been wanting to do,” he said. With a remote terminal, MIA can profit from a venture set up on the premise that MIA is best avoided if money isn’t a factor.
“The company,” he said, “sells the service where you don’t go to the airport.”
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 10:02 AM.