H ave you ever been fortunate enough to use the Porsche service at an airport when connecting between flights operated by Delta Air Lines? Are you hoping for that opportunity in the future?
If so, you may be happy to know that the Porsche service will be expanded to three additional airports this month, according to an official press release I received this morning. Those airports include LaGuardia Airport in New York, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and Detroit Metropolitan Airport.
Greater than 35,000 high-value customers — or greater than 100 per day from gate to gate — have already been transferred in a Porsche vehicle the past year alone at the international airports in Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul and New York through a partnership launched between Delta Air Lines and Porsche.
The program — which began on a trial basis at the international airport in Atlanta in 2011 — was so successful that it was expanded to the international airports in Los Angeles, New York and Minneapolis-St. Paul in 2013 with a fleet of 19 vehicles.
“Our Diamond Medallion customers expect us to have their backs when they fly with us, and we’re always pushing the limits of how to transform potential moments of anxiety into opportunities for great experience that solidify their loyalty to Delta,” said Cheryl Scheck, who is the director of customer experience at Delta Air Lines. “Our continuing partnership with Porsche gives us hundreds of opportunities to save the day by offering unexpected pick-ups in an even more unexpected vehicle, with a unique surprise and delight to connect them to their destination.”
The service cannot be requested or reserved; but it is provided to passengers — who have earned Diamond Medallion elite level status in the SkyMiles frequent flier loyalty program — based on a number of factors which include the flight operations of the day; connections times between flights for customers; and the status of a SkyMiles member. Once customers are added to the priority list for the service by the Elite Services team of Delta Air Lines, they are greeted at the aircraft boarding door and escorted with their baggage to an awaiting vehicle and on to their connecting gate.
I was fortunate to have been given an extended ride in a Porsche vehicle at the international airport in Atlanta — complete with a stop to the external entrance of a Sky Club during the trip. The car was clean and comfortable; and the views of the airplanes on the tarmac were enough to want to continue the ride.
Although Delta Air Lines has a link to an official video which gives a look behind the scenes of three customers of Delta Air Lines who were selected for this service, you might want to peruse this discussion of members of FlyerTalk who have been surprised and delighted with being fortunate enough to have experienced this service — so much so that FlyerTalk members initially thought that the discussion was a joke.
