Ten years from now, the flying experience will likely look vastly different–but for the most part, only the richest citizens will be able to shell out enough cash to experience it.
This world of ultra-high-end airborne luxury is arriving faster than you might expect. The latest example? The Private Suite at Los Angeles International Airport, an entirely separate terminal meant for celebrities, businesspeople, and anyone with enough cash to pay the hefty $3,500 price tag for a domestic flight (and to be clear, this doesn’t include the plane ticket itself, or the yearly membership fee).
The Private Suite’s website says that this is all possible because there are no less than eight people who attend to each member of the Private Suite during their stay, including attendants, security guards, and drivers–it calls this “Head-of-State style.” The architect for the project was Millard Lee of the Los Angeles-based firm AC Martin.
To avail of The Private Suite’s luxuries, there’s a $7,500 annual membership fee, plus $2,700 for domestic flights and $3,000 for international flights, which covers a group of four. If you’re not a member, you pay up to $1,000 more per flight. For some celebrities and wealthy fliers, it may be a small price to pay if it means they don’t have to rub shoulders with the plebeians anymore.
And for the rest of us, better amenities in the airport itself are also on the way–even if that will never involve our own suite, TSA agent, or BMW ride to the plane.