Express Connect - new Joint Business service for pax with tight connections
 

Express Connect seems to be a new service to speed passengers with short connections past the usual barriers and get them on their way, deployed by AA, BA and IB as part of making their Joint Business more seamless (at least within the ConUS, though maybe MAD will initiate it for IB and BA in the future?

As mentioned in the article titled Standing Its ground in the 22 Dec 2010 Chicago Tribune. The article, a small but germane part quoted here and some editorial highlighting, illustrates how it works:

"On a recent Wednesday, Steve Wilson stood on a train platform outside O'Hare's international terminal, his head pounding from jetlag, worry and spending nearly nine hours in a cramped economy seat on a flight from Brussels.

With just 70 minutes to navigate serpentine immigration lines and catch his flight home to Wichita, Kan., Wilson had been surprised and relieved when an American agent directed him to a special express lane as he exited the plane.

Now 20 minutes later, Wilson about to take the short shuttle to American's domestic terminal, still clutching the florescent yellow Express Connect ticket American hands out to passengers racing for domestic flights.

"I'll feel a lot of relief if the train ever gets here," Wilson said. It did, and minutes later another American worker intercepted him as he dashed into Terminal 3, escorting him to the front of a long security line.

Since the initiative's June launch, American and alliance partners British Airways and Iberia have helped a total of 26,800 international travelers make connections they likely would have otherwise missed at O'Hare.

The program is such a hit that American has rolled it out in Miami, New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, London Heathrow and Madrid, and plans to bring it next to Los Angeles International Airport, officials said.

The initiative is emblematic of everything Horton hopes to gain: Service that delights passengers, helps American operate on time and forges a tighter tie-up with American's Oneworld partners than United has gained with Star or Delta with SkyTeam, the other two global alliances.

"If we take what we have … and really turn up our game for the customer alongside those joint business agreements, I think we're good," Horton said.

Such a familiar picture in the first paragraph! Has any member seen or taken advantage of the Express Connect? (I am amazed nobody has started a thread or even made a post about this, so started this.)

Looks cool. Has anyone here used it?

I, too, was amazed. I didn't want to start a thread only to find that it existed in the forum already (though, my search didn't yield any results). I knew a great FTer would come along to fix the situation. ;)

What happens exactly at the airport? Someone meets all the connecting pax and escorts them through? I have an int'l flight coming up so we'll see..

Asante sana, Bwana! for the kind words. It was your post in the "slow and steady approach" thread that alerted me; I did a search ("express connect") even seeking individual posts, and - nada! I'm doing some "seagull moderation" from Hawai'i, where I am "stuck" (nice way to get stuck!), and thought it was time - and I am curious as well.

Let's hope some great FTers will share their experience (or lack thereof) with us. I am encouraged by the numbers so far (26,800 international travelers... at O'Hare" - awesome!)

I saw this being done in 2009 when I transit in ORD by AA.

Can any passenger get this assistance? Or does it only apply to premium passengers?

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If I'm reading this correctly, this service is for non-premium pax with tight connections, so we wouldn't gain any advantage we don't already have as elites/premium pax. I guess it is good for the kettles though. Am I missing something?

Hard to say, but even as premium pax, I don't recall being "meeted and greeted", being handed a coloured card that marks me for expedited service. To date, that has generally depended on my knowledge and actions - not Amrerican's, in most cases, and certainly not with any consistency.

In clAAsic AA style, they claim to have a service that served tens of thousands and could gain lots of passenger kudos, one that serves to delineate AA from the competition, but have nothing about it on their website or news releases. :p UNbelievable! (Unfortunately, quite believable.)

It would be nice if it was applied consistently for premium passengers as well as regular passengers. I have had only a few tight ORD connections in the past couple years (as I normally terminate in ORD), but have not once received this service from an agent or use of an express card.

How long until they start charging for this service? 3...2...1...

I think the guy sitting next to me on a recent LHR-ORD flight in business had a slip of paper that said this. Didn't talk to him though so no idea where he was going from ORD and when.

I recall reading a slightly different thread where pax with short connection times had been met on the jetway and shuttled across the tarmac to their next flight not having to go into the terminal but that must be a different program as I don't recall cards being handed out. In any event neither services were offered at DFW when I mis-connected by scant minutes on Oct 28,2010.

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The other thread re: passengers deplaning on the jetbridge and being shuttled to their next flight seemed to be for domestic connections. This "Express Connect" seems to be focused on international-domestic connections where the immigration/customs/security gauntlet is required.

I was on a tight connection DFW-MAD-AMS in J. Was met at the gate in MAD with an express connect envelope with my onward boarding card and clear directions to my next gate. Kudos.