VIE priority/VIP terminals (at least one was HON)
Sep 14, 2016, 3:00 pm
#16
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Amex Platinum, Inspirato, UA Spouse of GS,Amanjunkie,Starwood Platinum,Hyatt Diam
Posts: 281
It seems they have new BMW 7 series vehicles or the Mercedes vans (hopefully the 7 series is what we would get). I asked about the car transfer and they just said "yes" so not sure if it is identical to what LH does in FRA or MUC.
They did confirm that I cannot pre-order the Heinemann duty free in the main Vienna airport and have it delivered to the VIP terminal, which is a bit of a bummer. They would drop you off to the main terminal to shop at duty free, but then you are on your own after that (they would not bring you back to the VIP terminal).
Oct 24, 2016, 7:33 pm
#17
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: New York, NY
Programs: Amex Platinum, Inspirato, UA Spouse of GS,Amanjunkie,Starwood Platinum,Hyatt Diam
Posts: 281
We just returned from a trip to Vienna (separate trip report detailing stay at Park Hyatt Vienna will be posted). We utilized the Vienna Airport “VIP Departure Service” for our flight back home to the US (flying commercially on Austrian Airlines in Business Class from VIE-EWR). http://www.viennaaircrafthandling.co...2015/main.jart
See full report below, followed by pictures of the experience.
I was curious to try this service (and also see how it compares to the Lufthansa FCT, which we have used many times). We did not book it when we arrived VIE airport, but only upon departure. Our arrival was easy enough handled by ourselves and no lines for passport control and our bags came out very quickly (but I could see how some would book this service to make it completely seamless and stress free).
The service/lounge is based at the nearby, separate “VIP & General Aviation Terminal” adjacent to the main airport and you must have your driver drop you off here accessible by a separate road. This is the terminal/FBO used for private aircraft, as well as for this VIP service for commercial passengers. The Terminal is divided – one side for private jet passengers and the other for those utilizing this VIP service.
We booked a car service both ways using a company recommended by the VIP Terminal during my email interactions with them. They have brand new Mercedes S-Class S500L sedans which are fully optioned. The Company is Schafek Limousine Service. http://www.vienna-limousinenservice.com/. I wanted a company/driver that knew exactly where this separate VIP Terminal is located and did not want any hassle with someone unfamiliar and driving around trying to find it. Hence, used the company that the VIP terminal recommended. This Company was efficient and seems to primarily serve customers who utilize this VIP terminal for either this service or for private jet flights. (Note the Park Hyatt uses a different car service company).
As for the experience itself, it was excellent and efficient. I would not say it is super luxurious, but more focused on efficiency. We were told to arrive at the VIP Terminal about 8:45am for our 10:15am scheduled flight departure time. And that was only because we had to do VAT Refund for some shopping we had done. Otherwise, we could have arrived around 9am. I find just this aspect extremely valuable as you can arrive much later than you would using the main terminal. We pulled into the VIP Terminal and there is a large gate that opens and you arrive into a courtyard area that is walled off on all sides. An employee comes out and takes your luggage on a hotel style luggage cart. We chatted for a few seconds, handed over our passports, and were escorted to our private room where we would be relaxing until being driven to our plane. From what I could see, there were 3 identical sized main rooms on one side and 1 or 2 other rooms a bit further away on another side. Right before entering our room (we were in the room named the “Mozart Salon”), the employee told us our flight was delayed from 10:15am to 12:15pm – it literally just flashed across their screens (they have a overheard screen tracking each flight for which a guest is travelling on and only showing those flights). So a bit of a downer, especially since there is not much to do at this VIP Terminal. I knew there was also a flight from VIE-JFK that departed 30 minutes after our original scheduled departure time and asked if we could get on that flight instead. She said it was fully booked in Business Class and she already had checked. That was impressive.
The private room itself is fairly large with 2 sets of seating areas with red leather sofas/chairs. There is also a large TV. On one side, there is a small fridge setup, coffee machine, and glassware. There are also double doors that close to make the large room completely private. Shared bathrooms are located in the hallway outside these 3 main rooms. Note only drinks are included in the cost. Food is an additional charge and there is a somewhat extensive menu from the on-site café. Wifi is included. A waitress would come around and check on us every now and then to see if we would like anything.
Given the delay, we sat around for quite some time. When it neared our boarding time, I mentioned to the team there that we would like to be one of the first to board given we each had hand luggage and some shopping bags that needed to go in the overhead bins (along with checked luggage). She said she would check and sure enough we were one of the first to board the plane.
We also had tax free forms for VAT refund, which we handed to the staff after we got settled in the room. I asked if the customs agent would need to see any of the merchandise and she just said it was up to the agent and she would keep me posted. A bit later, she came back and handed us all our refund forms and said everything was stamped and completed by the customs agent. Great! They never even asked to see any of the items we purchased. To me, this seamless process of getting the VAT refund is worth this VIP service. I’ve had to deal with long customs lines in the past just to get a stamp. And then even longer lines to get the actual refund from the Global Blue or the Premier Tax Free desks. Note while the VIP Terminal takes care of the customs stamp, you can only get the refund by credit card. So basically after she handed us back our forms with the customs stamp, we then sealed the envelopes and she took them back from us and offered to mail the tax refund forms for us.
At about 11:30am, she came and said we were ready to leave. (Note if we did not want to board first, we could have waited here and relaxed even longer). We were escorted to another room where there is a security check/x ray machine. This process literally took 30 seconds as no one else was there. And the passport formalities were already taken care of, but the agent is located in this room as well and our escort said something to him as we exited but we had no interaction with him. We walked out to our waiting BMW 7 series vehicle (note they use the brand new shape 7 series) and she loaded our luggage and we were on our way driving on the tarmac. We passed some beautiful private planes, including a few Global Express jets. After driving for a bit given VIE airport is bigger now, we reached our plane. We went up some stairs and were deposited onto the jet bridge very close to the door of the plane (bypassing the gate entirely). She wished us well and watched to ensure we got on smoothly. We were one of the first to board (other than a mom with 2 kids). There was also another gentleman from the VIP Terminal not too far behind us who was driven to this gate separately (I noticed he was driven in a Mercedes Van, not a 7 series).
One item to note - they did confirm that I cannot pre-order the Heinemann duty free in the main Vienna airport and have it delivered to the VIP terminal (unlike what you can do at the Frankfurt airport and how they deliver it to the First Class Terminal duty free shop). The staff did indicate if we want to shop at the duty free store, they would drop us off to the main terminal to shop at duty free, but then you are on your own after that (they would not bring you back to the VIP terminal).
Overall, not having to go through the main terminal, deal with security, deal with the boarding process and instead being driven to the plane, nor deal with the hassle of VAT refunds made the service totally worth it and would highly recommend it for others and I will definitely use it again. It is all about efficiency and that was definitely provided with this service. It seems many European airports provide this service to some degree and I will look into it for other travels. Now if it were just provided here in the US. Next step would be to get a ride on one of those Global Express jets!
Arriving via S-Class to the VIP & General Aviation Terminal (that is the VIP terminal in the distance):
Hallway towards 3 main rooms:
Inside the private room:
Bring driven to the plane:
See full report below, followed by pictures of the experience.
I was curious to try this service (and also see how it compares to the Lufthansa FCT, which we have used many times). We did not book it when we arrived VIE airport, but only upon departure. Our arrival was easy enough handled by ourselves and no lines for passport control and our bags came out very quickly (but I could see how some would book this service to make it completely seamless and stress free).
The service/lounge is based at the nearby, separate “VIP & General Aviation Terminal” adjacent to the main airport and you must have your driver drop you off here accessible by a separate road. This is the terminal/FBO used for private aircraft, as well as for this VIP service for commercial passengers. The Terminal is divided – one side for private jet passengers and the other for those utilizing this VIP service.
We booked a car service both ways using a company recommended by the VIP Terminal during my email interactions with them. They have brand new Mercedes S-Class S500L sedans which are fully optioned. The Company is Schafek Limousine Service. http://www.vienna-limousinenservice.com/. I wanted a company/driver that knew exactly where this separate VIP Terminal is located and did not want any hassle with someone unfamiliar and driving around trying to find it. Hence, used the company that the VIP terminal recommended. This Company was efficient and seems to primarily serve customers who utilize this VIP terminal for either this service or for private jet flights. (Note the Park Hyatt uses a different car service company).
As for the experience itself, it was excellent and efficient. I would not say it is super luxurious, but more focused on efficiency. We were told to arrive at the VIP Terminal about 8:45am for our 10:15am scheduled flight departure time. And that was only because we had to do VAT Refund for some shopping we had done. Otherwise, we could have arrived around 9am. I find just this aspect extremely valuable as you can arrive much later than you would using the main terminal. We pulled into the VIP Terminal and there is a large gate that opens and you arrive into a courtyard area that is walled off on all sides. An employee comes out and takes your luggage on a hotel style luggage cart. We chatted for a few seconds, handed over our passports, and were escorted to our private room where we would be relaxing until being driven to our plane. From what I could see, there were 3 identical sized main rooms on one side and 1 or 2 other rooms a bit further away on another side. Right before entering our room (we were in the room named the “Mozart Salon”), the employee told us our flight was delayed from 10:15am to 12:15pm – it literally just flashed across their screens (they have a overheard screen tracking each flight for which a guest is travelling on and only showing those flights). So a bit of a downer, especially since there is not much to do at this VIP Terminal. I knew there was also a flight from VIE-JFK that departed 30 minutes after our original scheduled departure time and asked if we could get on that flight instead. She said it was fully booked in Business Class and she already had checked. That was impressive.
The private room itself is fairly large with 2 sets of seating areas with red leather sofas/chairs. There is also a large TV. On one side, there is a small fridge setup, coffee machine, and glassware. There are also double doors that close to make the large room completely private. Shared bathrooms are located in the hallway outside these 3 main rooms. Note only drinks are included in the cost. Food is an additional charge and there is a somewhat extensive menu from the on-site café. Wifi is included. A waitress would come around and check on us every now and then to see if we would like anything.
Given the delay, we sat around for quite some time. When it neared our boarding time, I mentioned to the team there that we would like to be one of the first to board given we each had hand luggage and some shopping bags that needed to go in the overhead bins (along with checked luggage). She said she would check and sure enough we were one of the first to board the plane.
We also had tax free forms for VAT refund, which we handed to the staff after we got settled in the room. I asked if the customs agent would need to see any of the merchandise and she just said it was up to the agent and she would keep me posted. A bit later, she came back and handed us all our refund forms and said everything was stamped and completed by the customs agent. Great! They never even asked to see any of the items we purchased. To me, this seamless process of getting the VAT refund is worth this VIP service. I’ve had to deal with long customs lines in the past just to get a stamp. And then even longer lines to get the actual refund from the Global Blue or the Premier Tax Free desks. Note while the VIP Terminal takes care of the customs stamp, you can only get the refund by credit card. So basically after she handed us back our forms with the customs stamp, we then sealed the envelopes and she took them back from us and offered to mail the tax refund forms for us.
At about 11:30am, she came and said we were ready to leave. (Note if we did not want to board first, we could have waited here and relaxed even longer). We were escorted to another room where there is a security check/x ray machine. This process literally took 30 seconds as no one else was there. And the passport formalities were already taken care of, but the agent is located in this room as well and our escort said something to him as we exited but we had no interaction with him. We walked out to our waiting BMW 7 series vehicle (note they use the brand new shape 7 series) and she loaded our luggage and we were on our way driving on the tarmac. We passed some beautiful private planes, including a few Global Express jets. After driving for a bit given VIE airport is bigger now, we reached our plane. We went up some stairs and were deposited onto the jet bridge very close to the door of the plane (bypassing the gate entirely). She wished us well and watched to ensure we got on smoothly. We were one of the first to board (other than a mom with 2 kids). There was also another gentleman from the VIP Terminal not too far behind us who was driven to this gate separately (I noticed he was driven in a Mercedes Van, not a 7 series).
One item to note - they did confirm that I cannot pre-order the Heinemann duty free in the main Vienna airport and have it delivered to the VIP terminal (unlike what you can do at the Frankfurt airport and how they deliver it to the First Class Terminal duty free shop). The staff did indicate if we want to shop at the duty free store, they would drop us off to the main terminal to shop at duty free, but then you are on your own after that (they would not bring you back to the VIP terminal).
Overall, not having to go through the main terminal, deal with security, deal with the boarding process and instead being driven to the plane, nor deal with the hassle of VAT refunds made the service totally worth it and would highly recommend it for others and I will definitely use it again. It is all about efficiency and that was definitely provided with this service. It seems many European airports provide this service to some degree and I will look into it for other travels. Now if it were just provided here in the US. Next step would be to get a ride on one of those Global Express jets!
Arriving via S-Class to the VIP & General Aviation Terminal (that is the VIP terminal in the distance):
Hallway towards 3 main rooms:
Inside the private room:
Bring driven to the plane:
Oct 25, 2016, 3:08 am
#19
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Tasmania, Australia
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Posts: 3,767
Oct 25, 2016, 12:18 pm
#21
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: NYC -- UA 1K; SPG Platinum; HH Diamond.
Posts: 2,919
