Hi, guys. My company has taken avantage of the Beijing Airport VIP immigration channel for exactly two guests (the CEO and Chairman of an F500 company that we were doing a deal with) in our entire existance. The service is really neat; they made it from the plane to their car in 3 minutes flat. Even more amazingly, their luggage got there first. I have no idea what one has to pay in order to receive this type of treatment because our JV partner "handled it", but I'd be curious to know if any of you have received the same.

I believe HK-issued AMEX Centurion card holders are also eligible for the service. I've seen one of my colleagues who has one use it, and he said it was some Centurion perk or another. Looks like a pretty nice arrangement, if you can get it.

I am quite sure that it is a for-fee service. Just call them up and pay.

Quite surprised that is a HK Centurion perk. Never heard any one using it though. Will ask. If it is the case that may justify getting the card for a lot more people.

About 8 years ago ,landing in Beijing... I got ..I guess VIP service. A friend
I was meeting knew someone who worked at the airport so didn't have
to wait in line for passport stamping..just met them at the gate and
went to IIRC the diplomat counter. No fee..just a little guanxi.

I did a google and this is what showed up first. If this is it, it's darn cheap!

http://www.tourfone.com/partners/ehtml/vip_service.htm

Heck, I'd be tempted to pay for this for everyt trip. Maybe this is an old web page, I can't tell.

get this free too.

people will be waiting at the plane .
will escort you through crew/diplomatic line
baggage will be there already.

dp

So does that mean this service still exists and costs about $10? Is there an equivalent in Shanghai?

VIP treatment is free for LH HON members as well.

If you don't mind, please tell us about the experience. (I was there when our VIP guests that I mentioned in post 1 cruised on out to the curb, but I figured asking them about it would be gauche... not the case here.)

PS - I'm going to try to set it up for my boss when he returns on Saturday, but he has a habit of switching flights at the last minute so I figure you guys are better data points. I, myself, am not planning on leaving China till the end of the month, and when I do, I'll probably be gone till Halloween.

That's nice, but no one has answered my questions. When I click on the link for "online reservation," I get the message "The service is not available because we are upgrading our curent system."

So, is that the correct web page and charge for this service at PEK? Is there an equivalent service at PVG?

We're not going to know anything until someone tries it out (or someone that's already done it posts back with their down low).

As I've intimated upthread, I'd be happy to spend $10 or even $100 on my boss for research purposes (in spite of the fact that he has a HK Centurion card). I'm planning on calling the phone number that you posted and rolling with it.

But, assuming I fail (good chance), I hope the rest of you can pick up the slack. In fact, I'm willing to commit a bottle of that pink champagne at Block 8 to the cause.

In short, do the VIP thing and we can hang out in style on the ground.

Okay. This is what I have found out so far.

There seems to be at least two or even more companies that are providing similar service at Beijing Capital International Airport.

One is being operated by China National Aviation Group with branding and marketing carried out by Air China and personnel by CNAG's travel business unit.

With the CNAG one, they have several services available. For instance, private airport-city VIP transfer (depending on vehicle type, charges between RMB240-900 yuan one-way), airport VIP escort (RMB80 yuan per use for domestic flights [No guarantee of using any priority/express check-in desk and other queuing lines/channels]; RMB100 yuan per use for international flights[No guarantee of using any priority/express check-in desk and other queuing lines/channels]), airport lounge service (RMB120 yuan per use for Air China's or other domestic lounge, maximum 3 hours except flight delays; RMB140 yuan per use for Air China’s or other international lounge, maximum 3 hours except flight delays) and airport flower-greeting service (RMB150 yuan per use).

I cannot seem to find out info on the other operator(s) of similar service.

Cheers.

Is there a nubile-but-desperate maiden greeting service? I'd sign up for that.

We used our JV partner's own VIP Travel Services company (which is tied to the Chinese national government). Unforunately, I'm not allowed to name drop here. Furthermore, I don't even feel comfortable discussing this topic with my Chinese colleagues that presumably (well, almost definitely) know how it works. What I can say is that the travel services company in question reports to my Chinese colleagues (because it is a subsidiary) and even they don't use this perk themselves. While it is possible that they just don't care (no lines for us at the regular channel anyway), I had been lead to believe that use of the actual VIP channel is a pretty big deal.

That said, I think further "research" is in order. To date, in this thread, 3 specific options have been named (RichardinSF's web link, the HK Centurion perk, and yours). My hunch is that all three are akin to UA's former concierge service (where someone meets you at the plane and steamrolls you through the normal channel). But, you never know. So, I suggest we pull our minds and our ten dollar bills together and test the waters.

A colleague of mine is HON, I didn't experience it myself. But it takes him only 7 to 10 minutes to get from the plane to our company car.