Wasted airport time is an accepted part of
business trips. Travellers often plan to arrive at least two hours before departure, if not
three, before international departures. When arriving internationally, they budget
time for customs and immigration processes. Connecting flights also require buffer
time, especially when they incur security queues.
But what if corporate travel managers could save
travellers tens of thousands of airport hours per year?
Airport concierge services solve this. These include lounge access during
down time, plus traveller meet-and-greet:
·
Curb-side, then escorting them through
fast-track security and accompanying them to their gate.
·
From the arrival gate to the departure gate,
including fast-track customs, immigration and security.
·
Gate-side, then accompanying them to the curb
with expedited customs and immigration.
Airport concierge services are no secret to
corporate travel managers. The services are more than 25 years old, and exist
at hundreds of airports around the world.
Some airlines upsell them to first- and
business-class passengers as part of the airline's brand. Other airlines own a
separate service. In other cases, airports sell their own luxury service.
Most providers, though, are local or regional
companies. The question is, with the options and decades of success, why do so
few companies use them?
First is the cost. Few travel managers can
justify spending hundreds or thousands of extra pounds per trip. Luxury
versions of this service easily cost four figures. While they are the
exception, they help set an industry perception of luxury service at a luxury
price.
Services can be as affordable as £100 per
person, or lower for groups. A cost-benefit analysis using travellers’ hourly
wages will often justify these rates. For upper management, even moreso.
The biggest hurdle to adoption at these rates is
the ease of booking. Today, services are fragmented by airport or region. This
makes it difficult to compare value, benefits, procedures, terms and
conditions.
Chauffeur services faced the same challenges
years ago. Local, independent providers were fragmented with their own websites
and policies. This left travellers and corporate travel managers to sort out
the best providers. Global professional driver services like Blacklane have
overcome this fragmentation. The results are lower costs and a consistent high online
and physical experience.
Airport concierge services are undergoing a
similar evolution. Global companies serve airports around the world with a
simple booking process and clear policies. Providers also work with
multi-national companies to serve certain levels of employees and/or particular
airports.
They are creating door-to-door trips by
combining airport concierge services with chauffeured rides. By covering
travellers' first and last miles and the steps in between, they lower stress,
reduce transit time, and increase productivity.
This blog was posted by Sascha Meskendahl, Chief
Revenue Officer of Blacklane. The company is exhibiting its professional
driver and airport concierge services at the Business Travel Show 2018. Please
register for your free visitor pass at www.businesstravelshow.com
