San Francisco airport will be getting a ‘PS’-style private terminal for commercial airline passengers, allowing them to skip the lines and crowds of the airport. Chock full of amenities, the separate terminal means clearing private security and getting driven to the aircraft.
The airport has posted plans to offer a ground lease for a private terminal. They’ll be taking proposals September 30 – October 7.
- The listing summary says proposers must have at least two years experience managing or owning a Private Terminal that includes TSA and CBP screening processes, and must show $15 million or more gross sales per year from such operations.
- Taken literally, that qualifies only PS since only they have direct experience with private TSA and U.S. Customs clearance.
- If construed broadly as ‘security and immigration’ rather than TSA and Customs then it could allow Manchester Airport Group (private terminal in Manchester, UK), SATS (JetQuay at Singapore Changi), Fraport (Frankfurt VIP terminal), Al Majlis (Dubai) and possibly TAV / primeclass. But none of them have experience working on this sort of project with U.S. Homeland Security.
Currently, PS operates at LAX and Atlanta, and next month new terminals open in Dallas and Miami. There’s a ps-style terminal planned for Washington Dulles as well.
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.
American Express Centurion (Black Card) cardmembers receive member preferred pricing plus two complimentary visits per year ($825 per person for the Amex-exclusive space, $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).
With new Miami and Dallas ps terminals opening this month, American Airlines ConciergeKey members get one free visit.
There’s currently a dispute over Washington Dulles amending its RFP for a ps-style terminal to favor the Irish government as bidder, backed by Virginia’s two Senators and local Members of Congress. One suspects that, given that the bid is fronted by a former DHS Assistant Secretary, they probably didn’t realize (i.e., were tricked) that they were intervening on behalf of a foreign government’s airport operator.
Love PS
There’s a LOT of money floating around out there. Everybody wants to be important. Pretty soon so many of them will have abandoned the main terminals for lounges and specialty terminals, that what’s left will be convenient for the rest of us ‘average” people.
Not the way I’d spend my money but I’m not responsible for the domain of others.
It’s $895 for Salon per leg with membership. So if connecting you’re charged x2 with a 25% discount.
How disgusting!
@Gregg – Why is it disgusting, exactly? Because you are jealous? Or because you are too stupid and lazy to figure out how to be able to afford it? Maybe both?
You are the disgusting one.
@Mike Hunt — The lady doth protest too much, me thinks…
Very sad news. More examples of how society is pivoting to the privileged. How “nice” for them.
“Very sad news. More examples of how society is pivoting to the privileged. How ‘nice’ for them.”
As one with a pretty good picture of economic history, it’s amazing to me how many things we enjoy were just “pivoting to the privileged” back then. People thought that of early cell phones. Air conditioning. Central heating. Crossing the oceans in your own room with an ensuite. Having an actual private bathroom in your house or apartment. Air travel. Electric lighting. Vacuum cleaners. The list goes on and on.
We’ve watched (well not personally) the upper 25% have amazing improvements to lifestyle in the last 100 years. But, those hung up on wealth disparity completely ignore that the bottom 25% has seen so much a greater advance (as have the middle 50%). Yes, in total dollars, the “rich” win, but in changes in lifestyle, the headline is how much greater the poor are doing. The difference is even crazier if we go back an extra 2-5 generations. [Please note, people move between income quartiles over their life. Many of today’s “rich” were “poor” 15 years ago and vice versa.]
The wealthy are going to do what the wealthy do. So be it. But the government shouldn’t cater to them. We live in a democracy, and it’s much healthier when public services are offered equally.