Singapore Opens Luxury Terminal To Cash In On The Wealthy

Singapore opens luxury terminal to cash in on the wealthy

SINGAPORE, which opened its first budget air terminal this year to attract low-fare carriers, is trying to entice wealthy travellers by offering plush sofas, chaperones, limousine transfers and a spa.

The city-state opened Asia's first stand-alone luxury terminal, called JetQuay, last week in a bid to lure well-heeled visitors. The terminal, which promises separate check-ins and dedicated customs and immigration counters, is expected to be profitable in its second year.

"We're going to focus on Asia because that's where we believe that the demand is the greatest," said Barry Nassberg, director of JetQuay Pte, which won a bid to manage the luxury terminal on a five-year lease. "We expect to begin to return profits in the second year."

Singapore, which faces competition from newer and bigger airports in cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Dubai, is providing services to attract more visitors as it seeks to preserve its status as an air hub. The city-state added a terminal solely for budget airlines in March, Asia's second after Malaysia. Changi, Singapore's main airport and Asia's fifth busiest, handled a record 32.4 million passengers last year. Thailand's new Suvarnabhumi airport is expected to receive about 40 million passengers over the next year following its opening last week.

Located next to Changi's Terminal 2, JetQuay occupies a double-story building previously reserved for government officials and diplomats.

The 2000-square-metre complex has a lounge, individual nap rooms, a business centre, massage chairs, a gym and a spa.

The luxury terminal, which cost $S10 million to refurbish, is reserved for the so-called "commercially important person", who is either travelling on commercial flights or by personal jet.

Individual memberships begin at $S2000, which include a one-time joining fee of $S1000, while groups of up to five pay $S3000. Companies can sign up as many as 10 employees for a corporate membership starting at $S5000. Members are billed separately each time they use certain services.

--Bloomberg 2006-10-02