With Miami and Dallas priviate ‘PS’ terminals opening this summer, it looks like American Airlines will do a deal that will offer limited access and discounts to ConciergeKey members.
Details are expected to be forthcoming in the next couple of weeks, but I imagine it will be along the lines of what ps currently does to market the product to Amex Centurion (Black Card) customers.
Centurion gets cardmembers member preferred pricing plus two complimentary visits per year. That pricing is $825 per person for the Amex-exclusive space at LAX, $3,550 one-way for a Private Suite for up to 4 travelers (then $500 each additional traveler), and $1,050 per person for PS Direct airside transfers for domestic arrivals where available.
PS is a private terminal for people flying commercial flights, designed to replicate much of the private aviation ground experience. The terminal is away from the main passenger terminal, with dedicated line-free TSA screening, customs/immigration processing on eligible international arrivals, luggage handling, and airside transportation directly to or from the aircraft.
This is basically a pay to use Lufthansa First Class Terminal, where you’re driven across the airfield to the plane and walked to the aircraft door. On arrival, an agent meets you at the aircraft door, escorts you to a waiting car on the ramp, and either takes you to the PS terminal or directly onward. International arrivals can clear customs/immigration at PS.
- Salon is a shared, lower-priced communal lounge product with drinks and lite bites and shared airside transfers.
- Private Suite is a private room with day bed, stocked pantry and bar, private restroom, chef-prepared food, and spa services.
- PS Direct is arrivals pickup from the aircraft and then direct car service into town, or to your connection.
Currently, PS operates at LAX and Atlanta. It is slated to open at DFW on June 3 and Miami June 30. In Miami it is the former Pan Am Airways headquarters.
What Is ConciergeKey?
ConciergeKey is the status that American Airlines gives to its top spending customers and top corporate travel influencers. It’s the status that George Clooney had in Up In The Air.
I had the status briefly and it includes top priority for upgrades;
Already ConciergeKey members can use Flagship check-in at hub airports, and the shared British Airways check-in at New York JFK. That gets an escort to the front of security, so it’s already pretty good, but it’s not a car transfer to the plane.
When I was a ‘CK’ I never received a tarmac transfer (though I’ve had it from Lufthansa, and in Bangkok). But I did get plenty of golf carts. The best thing about the status is irregular operations handling – getting booked onto a sold out flight when my flight was cancelled (though it ultimately wasn’t necessary, American was willing to pay to bump another passenger to get me to my destination), and being met on arrival when I was missing my connection, with new boarding pass already printed and a personal escort to the business class lounge.
My daughter enjoyed the golf carts! And honestly it was often nice getting met at my gates and thanked for my business by a premium services representative! The morning text from premium services when departing out of Washington National airport was great, too – an agent to work with directly in case I needed anything during the day (there’s also email access to Raleigh reservations).
What Does Is Take To Qualify For ConciergeKey?
Customers who regularly spend $65,000 or more on airfare in a year are a good market for ps to focus on in looking for customers, so a merchant-funded offer targeting this group is value add on both sides. American now looks at total Loyalty Points earned, not just airfare, in considering whom to invite to ConciergeKey. Generally it appears that 750,000 Loyalty Points in most cases will get an invite although the exact mix between paid airfare and other activity may matter, as well as where the customer is based.
Honestly if they’d publish the criteria I’d go and hit it, because the experience was that good. When American developed Loyalty Points as the metric for status, they seriously considered publishing 1 million Loyalty Points as the level needed for ConciergeKey. That would drive a lot of Citibank spending.
But Isn’t PS Coming To Washington Dulles Coming, Too?
In 2023 Washington Dulles announced plans for a private terminal. It was broadly expected to be and reported as a PS terminal. However, the original soliciation was cancelled last year and rewritten, appearing to favor a different bidder. PS sued, arguing that the bid was being rigged.
The airport’s rules allow them to cancel and change requirements or correct and clarify based on errors and omissions. The lawsuit claimed they kept moving the goal posts in order to ensure their preferred company got the contract. And even the airport’s own rules say that these solicitations should do the opposite – they should be “designed to achieve meaningful competition,” and specs that limit competition must be justified in writing.
New requirements appear to have eliminated preference for an operator with specific experience in private terminals which would have been favorable to PS, and makes an Irish government-backed company viable. And this comes after local politicians have sought to intervene in favor of… the Irish government.
Potomac Holdings, the local entity, is partnering on the project with daa – the 100% Irish government-owned airport operator – and appears to be getting their lobbying money’s worth with a former Homeland Security assistant secretary for legislative affairs, someone with Denver airport and federal affairs experience, and Schumer and Joint Economic Committee experience doing the lobbying on this. Obviously, the letter’s narrative scrubs the Irish state company out of the narrative.
Aw, man, poor Gary… they took away his CK, just when this happens… @George Romey, you still got yours?
I will have it through April 30, 2026 and waiting for some kind of offer to extend. From what I heard it’s either $10K a year or $5K and 500K miles or obtaining through a challenge around 1million LPs within the earning year, with quarterly must make targets. From what I gather AA gives it out generously for the first year fishing for EXPs that might have travel on other airlines and AA would like all that travel to be on AA. Other considerations seem to be co branded credit card use and your home airport.
It’s nowhere near worth the $10K or $5K and 500K miles to extend. You do get FL entrance at any of the seven lounges and you do get priority during irregular operations and the agents were always very agreeable to my changes. Furthermore, if I was on a paid upgrade/upsell if there was a F seat I’d get that right away. Sometimes as an EXP upsells are sent back into the upgrade queue-often depends upon the agent you are working with.
Other than that I had three unneeded Escalade transfers and maybe 5-6 times being brought to the front of the line of preboards. But almost always F would be right behind me when boarding. Since I always buy first or purchase the upsell it means boarding ahead by about 30 seconds. None of this is worth even $5K per year without the miles. Although there was a poster on FT that seemed to think $10K was worth FL entrance.
To keep it year after year your LP need to be seemingly around 800K LP or higher per year. But again there is no published requirement and there are considerations other than just LPs.
@George Romey — That’s actually very insightful. Thank you for sharing.
Is AA planning to introduce Basic Concierge Key soon?
@L3 – Leave it to UA to do something like that. They are the industry trailblazers at crapifying premium product, at least for the moment.