VIP Airport Reception in Istanbul

First and Business Class travelers appreciate the special care and attention you get in the air, but that care ends the moment you disembark from the plane and make your way up the jetway to the terminal. Tired and jet-lagged, you nevertheless have to make your way with all the crowds through the length of international terminals, wait in line to get a visa, and wait in line again to go through immigration. Finally is the need to determine which baggage carousel is designated for your flight and to get in position to retrieve your bags as they emerge.

With this the typical airport experience, yesterday's arrival at the Istanbul airport was a revelation to me of what luxury travel can be. The on-site arranging my visit had provided a VIP airport reception. When I came to the top of the jetway, there was a hostess holding a sign with my name. We got into a golf cart, and she whisked me down the terminal's corridors, passing hundreds of other travelers. Stopping by the Visa application counter, she took my Passport and $20, went to the head of the line, and 30 seconds later returned with a Visa attached to my passport. Getting back in the golf cart, we drove to the immigration lines. She took me directly to the desk for Diplomatic arrivals. There was no line, and 15 seconds later, I was through immigration.

She finally took me directly to the baggage carousel for my flight and positioned us right by the shoot, already knowing that the carousel went around in a counter-clockwise direction. From aircraft door to baggage carousel ... maybe two minutes?

A Virtuoso luxury travel consultant can arrange a VIP airport reception for you in Istanbul, Paris - CDG, Hong Kong, and many other airports around the world. With a few hotels, this is even a complimentary amenity - yours at no extra cost simply by booking through a Virtuoso travel adviser.

Of course, I still had to wait for my bags to emerge! But this was the quickest, most pain-free immigration experience I have ever had!

VIP airport reception (search here on Google)



copyright (c) 2007 by David J. Ourisman. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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