They’re like the guardian angels of the airport.
Airports worldwide offer a special service that most travelers overlook: airport greeters, whose job is to help ease travelers’ travel frustrations.
“There is airport greeters, airport ambassadors, airport fast track, airport meet and greet … it depends on where you [are] traveling around the world,” Ron Gorfinkel, a partner at Royal Airport Concierge, a worldwide airport greeter company, told HuffPost.
Although the title may differ depending on your location, they operate with the same intention: to help travelers navigate the airport as easily and quickly as possible.
“The greeter is gonna find the most efficient way through the airport,” Gorfinkel added about the service. They can assist with expediting your wait time in a long line for customs and immigration, resolve technical issues with machines, including passport scanning and help with luggage.
Jason Squatriglia, a luxury travel concierge, revealed to HuffPost additional services the greeters can navigate, such as notifying customers of their flight status, gate changes, connecting flights and arranging golf cart pick up if you’re on a crunch time to catch your next flight or have mobility issues.
However, one of the most beneficial parts of the service is the time you can save when getting through customs and immigration. Depending on the destination, a greeter will meet the customer as soon as they land and fast-track them through any line.
“They’re in and out of the airport much faster and through the immigration procedures much faster,” Ashley Ganz, the founder and CEO of Artisans of Leisure, said to HuffPost. “It’s just an additional peace of mind that someone will be waiting for them as soon as they get off the plane and just help them out.”
According to Squatriglia, about 80% of European airports allow fast-track customs service through the airport greeter.
“It’s just a nice way to enhance the experience for anyone that wants to be treated like a VIP … even if it’s not to save time, it’s just such a stress reliever to have someone just guide you,” Squatriglia added.
Despite the many perks, the expediting process differs depending on the arrival destination. For example, Europe’s custom standards are very different from those of the U.S., so fast-tracking doesn’t look the same everywhere.
However, what looks the same across many airports is the greeters offering luggage services. Depending on the airport, the greeters can meet you with a golf cart to pick you and your luggage up, or they can carry it.
“I find that a lot of people who are older or, for whatever reason, are not as comfortable handling their luggage, they’re willing to book this just for peace of mind,” Ganz said. “They don’t want to stress out about having to lift very heavy suitcases, and they find it’s worth every penny to just have someone else take care of that.”
While these services sound like the solution to a lot of travel stress, they come with a price tag ranging between $350 and $550 for a group of four, according to Royal Airport Concierge. The cost can increase if additional services are added on.
Think of the expense as a convenience fee to relieve any irritations the travel day may bring.
