Moz

Landed at JFK yesterday from MXP and was met at the ramp by a Delta agent (alongside 1 other DM) and escorted fast track style through customs and immigration. I was told by the very kind agent that this is a new service that they are trying out for DM at JFK and if successful they will extend it to ATL as well.

As someone that regularly waits up to an hour plus to get through immigration I have to say what a great service this is and one that really does make DM stand out from other programs.

I have already written a long and gushing email to Delta to tell them how much I love them (credit where credits due and all) in the hope that this excellent program remains at JFK and hopefully extends to ATL soon (those lines are even longer).

ClipperDelta

Yes, a JFK manager told me about this initial program last week (it's been running for about a few weeks now and is targeted towards DMs, initially for arrivals from 1pm to 6pm; unfortunately my last two JFK international arrivals were both more than 2+ hours late (arriving at the gate at 8pm) and thus missed out on this new service!). They are supposed to meet you and escort you to the front of the immigration line; for those with onward connections, they are supposed to take you through all the way to ensure that you get to your connecting flight.

Incidentally, a long-running program (but barely advertised) is the Meet-and-Greet for BE pax ending their travels at JFK and being met by a car service. Since 9/11, the arrivals area has been closed to all traffic except some buses and taxis. However, if you let Delta know ahead of time your arrival date/time as well as details about your car pick-up service, they can 'pre-clear' the vehicle and driver, and allow them to meet you at the arrivals level instead (no need to climb out of the 'dungeon' arrivals area to the car park). A DL GA will also meet you at the entrance to the immigration area to escort you through immigration/customs, all the way out to your driver/car.

orlandodlplat

I too experienced this yesterday coming in from Europe - a really fantastic addition.

cfischer

This sounds great. Glad they are trying to mitigate the mess in JFK.

bowdenj

Not a diamond but wow what a cool benefit.

jrmcrm

Any idea on how one can arrange a "Meet-and-Greet"? I can't believe that if I call Delta reservations they'd have any idea what I was talking about.

orlandodlplat

The easiest thing to do is, on your way out of the country, to ask at BE check-in (or in the SkyClub) for the number of the BE Concierge office.

This is a great program but IMO it's a bit hard to plan because they need several hours notice, and they need the plate number and the driver's name to preclear through a special security checkpoint. The car service I use usually doesn't usually dispatch that early... and even still, I'm likely to be inflight at the time the call needs to be made. If possible, I have someone from my office make the call for me.

In any event, if you are able to set it up it's a terrific service. There's a lovely Eastern European lady who is the main greeter. She finds you at baggage claim (or pages you to a podium), and then escorts you through customs to a parking zone called "Area A," which is inside a tunnel through the building and usually a restricted area. That's where your ride is able to wait, provided they don't leave their car.

FetePerfection

I'll probably never make DM but as a PM would happily pay extra for this service.

pbarnette

Not sure I am okay with this... I am uncomfortable with being able to "buy" your way to the front of the immigration line.

SeaClay007

I do that with Global Entry & Nexus. But it does sound like a nice DM perk.

Pharaoh

We used to sell travel to a country which had this. Cost us only $10 a pop so we just included it for all of our clients. Was a huge hit.

Added: it actually did not cut the line in an obtrusive manner. The clients were taken to the agent on the far right/left which was designed just for such people. Sort of like a crew line or VIP line.

pbarnette

But Global Entry is different. It requires a background check and then uses that to reduce the human interaction. When you use Global Entry, it eliminates one more person in the queue. It creates efficiency throughout the system, benefiting both those that use it and those that don't. Big difference between that and cutting the line because you fly a lot.

Don't get me wrong, it is a nice perk, but it just seems not quite fair to me.

mersk862

I take it you are opposed to elite security lines as well then? This seems to be the FIS equivalent to it, just that it's only for DMs right now (and only at JFK).

aagoldflyer

Who cares? Its almost exactly like fast track at LHR etc. Its a benefit for deserving passengers. ^ to DL on this!

pbarnette

Yep. I'm not crazy about elite security lines for the same reason.

And I'm not crazy about FastTrack, either. If someone flies that much, then they can join IRIS to skip the line. I also wouldn't categorize those flying in J or DMs as 'deserving'.