Airport Experience® News - Pre-Conference Issue 2026

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a more refined offering. I want more service…’ We have Plaza Premium First at YVR and we’re looking to expand. WARD: Expanding on the idea of demand for premium services, is that where the meet-and-greet offer comes in? SONG: Yes. We want to be able to deliver an end-to-end service. Our ALLWAYS meet and-greet concierge services offers service from the curb to gate. Our customer service officer will help guide the passenger with their check-in process, then help them go through the security, bring them to the lounge and then escort them to their gate. It’s really a white-glove service. If one wants to go beyond that, we even arrange limousines to pick them up from their hotel or home. WARD: You also mentioned hotels. Do you currently have airport hotels in North America? SONG: Not currently, but it is something that we’re exploring. We have a brand named Aerotel, which is a hotel located either post-security or pre-security, but in the terminal building. For a downtown hotel, the typical check-in time would be 3:00 p.m. and check-out time might

be 10 a.m. But airlines don’t follow that schedule. We noticed a little inefficiency gap. A good example is at London Heathrow, where we have a pre-security hotel. [Rather that get on the road early to catch a 6 a.m. flight,] why not go to the airport the night before, say at 10 or 11 p.m., and stay for just five hours. The unique part about our concept is that we’re not only on a per-night basis. We also have our Aerotel concept post-security, but these cater to a transit passengers. We have blocks of hours that the customer can choose. That flexibility allows us to satisfy those pain points that they’re facing. WARD: You also mentioned airport dining. Is that a typical airport F&B concession or something else? SONG: We have a concept called Intervals. It’s our bar and restaurant that we developed, but we only have it so far in our home market in Hong Kong. Dining is not our main focus. WARD: Back to lounges, since you have a global perspective, can you share the trends or innovations you’re seeing/implementing abroad, and whether or not they make sense for North America?

Above: The latest addition to the Plaza Premium Group lounge roster will be in Terminal D at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The new facility is expected to open in February.

SONG: It actually relates back to what I mentioned earlier on – that gap in the market. If you are first-class airline passenger and you are the highest tier of the loyalty club, you’re well taken care of. But there are big segment of passengers who are not. They travel a lot, but maybe they travel so many different airlines that they don’t have the status tiering, yet they’re premium passengers and they want premium experiences. I think what is missing is to further develop those premium offerings. In some of our facilities, we have the ability to offer different experiences, even if it’s within the same lounge itself. That’s something that we are evolving currently, because there are some passengers who just want a simple buffet while others want a la carte dining. One

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AX NEWS FEBRUARY 2026