United is offering high-paying customers their own airport terminal

How badly does United want high-paying travelers? It's offering them access to a private terminal. Business-class travelers will have access to the Private Suite, a new private terminal in Los Angeles International Airport, avoiding the masses in one of the busiest air hubs in the country. Those premium-class passengers will be driven from the terminal to the tarmac to their planes in a BMW 7-Series sedan. A staff of eight is assigned to each booking, United said. The partnership is United's latest attempt to fill the front of its planes as it works to revamp the business-class product it now calls Polaris. United and other competitors such as American Airlines and Alaska Airlines are also building plusher lounges for these top-paying customers in hubs around the country. "I think this is a very smart move on United's part to compete," said Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel-industry consulting firm Atmosphere Research Group. Because it's in Los Angeles, the airline may be going after VIP travellers in the entertainment industry, who value privacy, Harteveldt added.<br/>