Your tank is waiting.
We all know that status is important, especially when flying with established airlines like American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta, but the perks available to elite members are so limited that most passengers on regular flights don’t even know they exist.
A Porsche to take you to the plane? OK. Unlimited champagne? These and other perks could be yours if the airline is loyal enough to reward you.
No more fighting with your fellow flight mates for overhead locker space – you’ll be first on the plane, of course. All flights are upgraded, and delays and cancellations are easily handled with a dedicated phone number that’s available 24/7 to speak to real people.
Forget anything you’ve heard about typical airline rewards programs. These ultra-elite perks, often associated with celebrities and the ultra-wealthy, are invitation-only, but here’s the good news: You earn those invitations by traveling. By traveling a lot.
American Airlines’ Concierge Key, United Airlines’ Global Services and Delta Air Lines’ mysterious Delta 360 are some of the most popular programs. All are relatively secretive about the terms of participation and the number of people in the programs, but they all have an estimated 10,000 members worldwide. Daily Mail report.
What is an American Airlines Concierge Key?
Concierge Key is thought to be available only to those who spend $50,000 with the airline, and while the airline hasn’t disclosed the criteria, potential candidates are likely to be influencers and travel planners who seem to live on planes.
Also, membership is reviewed annually, so you must continue to impress airlines to remain in the club.
Perks include no-questions-asked universal lounge access, maximum ticket upgrades available before other frequent flyers have access, fastest boarding slots, and 24/7 live support just a phone call away.
Tight connections? Maybe someone will take you down the runway in a designer car.
American Airlines president Scott Chandler suggested that to meet the criteria, customers would have to be primarily dependent on the airline and not only spend a lot of money on travel, but also use the airline’s shopping portal and branded credit cards.
“They basically interact with American Airlines not just while they’re flying but on a daily basis,” Chandler said.
What is United Airlines Global Services?
An invitation is required, but anyone who has flown at least 4 million miles with the airline is eligible to receive one.
But that could take decades — many of Global Service’s members reportedly have track records in other ways — but details are scarce and few United employees fully understand the program — though the $50,000 a year outlay is thought to go a long way.
One thing is for sure: if you want to hear people say positive things about major airlines like United Airlines, just join online discussions about Global Services.
These perks are the kind of things any traveler would envy: At United’s hubs like Newark and San Francisco, there’s a dedicated check-in area away from the crowds, a Mercedes reserved for trips between tarmac lines, and a 24/7 phone number and email to help with any issues.
Best of all, members say, is the airline’s policy of allowing Global Services passengers to fly home on any flight they need, whether it’s United or not. One lucky elite member said: WSJ.com “It’s magical, it’s elusive and it’s really incredible.”
What is Delta 360?
Delta advertises the program as an “annual invitation-only membership for our most loyal SkyMiles members,” but there’s no need to look into the finer details — customers can simply expect the airline’s “premium benefits and service exclusive to its top SkyMiles members.”
Getting into the habit of booking large numbers of expensive full-fare tickets in any class reportedly not only draws attention to you as a potential guest, but also to how much business you can bring to the airline in roles in areas such as corporate travel.
Some say you’d have to spend $100,000 a year just on plane tickets to get attention.
Once you join, you’ll get dedicated customer service, unlimited access to the Sky Club for you and your family, and a Porsche SUV for transport to the runway as standard, but one of the biggest perks is reportedly a specially designed 360 Club bag tag, which has been known to sell for hundreds of dollars on eBay.
