Moodie Davitt: The power of personal services at Frankfurt Airport.

Frankfurt Airport VIP Services, a business segment of Fraport’s Retail & Properties unit, is on a mission to expand its footprint, services and appeal to key customer groups at the German hub. The division also aims to strike partnerships with other players across the travel eco-system, including in travel retail, in ways that can add value to its clients and enhance the array of experiences on offer at the airport.

Since early 2021, Frankfurt Airport’s VIP and visitor services, alongside its conferencing business, have been combined in one department. The key, says the VIP Services team, is to enable the unit to work with various airport authorities and other subsidiaries to offer reach across all areas and processes at the airport.

Today, the VIP Services arm is built around the lounge in the Terminal 1, Pier B Non-Schengen area, close to many of the luxury boutiques. Opened in 2017, this 1,300sq m luxury space offers guests an exclusive terminal entrance of their own, check-in, immigration and security control, a personal concierge and limousine or VIP bus transport to the aircraft.

The lounge features 11 private suites, high-class food & beverage plus entertainment offerings ranging from a games room to a cigar lounge to in-suite shopping.

Guests, according to the company, are those that want discretion and privacy, one-to-one service and ‘five-star’ amenities.

While the service is open to users of all airlines or classes of travel, the core user group includes official state guests such as royal families, diplomats and ambassadors as well as internationally known actors and musicians. Guests also include people who are financially well off and for whom such a service is “a matter of principle”.

Vice President VIP Services & Visitors Center Thorsten Jordan says: “All in all, it’s about the personal luxury experience we offer. With our service, you travel away from the normal hustle and bustle of the terminal. We take care of all the processes for the guest, while they can prepare for their journey or meeting in our lounge. We drive them in a limousine directly to the plane shortly before departure.”