- If you're traveling by private jet to or from Dubai, you'll pass through the VIP terminal instead of one of the regular airports used by the public.
- The luxurious terminal has been visited by celebrities like Will Smith, Maroon 5, and Pierce Brosnan.
- Travelers passing through the terminal can enjoy cappuccinos with their faces printed on, a pianist playing their favorite songs, a games room, and nap pods.
- I went to spend a day in the terminal after visiting Dubai Airshow earlier that week, and though it was undeniably luxurious, I realised the biggest luxury it offers is time.
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If you regularly stay in penthouse suites, eat in Michelin-star restaurants, and travel by private jet, you're not expected to endure the same airport experience as the rest of us. Instead, private travelers can relax in VIP terminals and enjoy an experience as luxurious as the jets on which they fly.
One of the fanciest VIP terminals in the world is found in Dubai — and at over 60,000 square feet, it's also the largest on the planet.
The terminal is split into three FBOs (fixed base operators), each run by a different private-flight service company. One of those is Jetex, whose flagship Dubai FBO is their biggest of 39 across the globe and won "FBO of the Year" in both 2017 and 2018 at the Aviation Business Awards.
In 2018, Will Smith visited the terminal, and other famous faces to have passed through include Pierce Brosnan, Nick Cannon, Maroon 5, Enrique Iglesias, and Jamie Chung. As well as celebrities, the terminal is frequented by royalty, the military, and simply those who have the required dollars in the bank.
The average price of chartering a private jet through Jetex is $11,000 per hour, but with a fully customizable experience for those rich enough to afford it, the final cost could soar.
As part of a trip to Dubai Airshow sponsored by Airbus, I recently visited the Jetex FBO to see what life could be like were I an A-lister.
The terminal entrance doesn't have a red carpet, but there is one in Jetex's signature orange. After stepping out of a chauffeur-driven Bentley or Rolls Royce, you're welcomed by porters while your luggage is taken to the plane.
The atrium is very shiny, bright, and spacious, with all-white walls, floor, and ceiling that make the room feel really light and slick.
Forget long queues for passport checks. Instead, you simply hand your passport over at the two curved welcome desks to the left of the entrance and go on your merry way.
Jetex CEO Adel Mardini told Insider the company focuses on hospitality, encouraging people to stay longer in the terminals rather than simply pass through before boarding. That said, most only stay for a half hour.
When I visited, the entry lounge was full of gorgeous flowers in various displays, and a huge screen was playing a film about the company.
In the atrium, there's a piano, which Nick Cannon and Adam Levine played when they visited. The pianist was playing the likes of Coldplay and Adele when we were there, but they'll play songs based on your musical preferences if you ask.
The vibe of the room struck me as '70s meets space age. It seemed like an odd mix to me, but at least there were lots of seating options.
There were a selection of designer sunglasses displayed in glass boxes on the wall ...
... and a display of Jetex's awards.
Most days, 25-35 private flights take off from the terminal, and it's so big that it would never feel crowded. Mardini told me that the travelers passing through are people who stay in penthouses, travel in Bentleys, and fly on $20 million jets, so the terminal needs to continue that level of luxury.
When special guests visit the terminal, Jetex surprises them with a cappuccino featuring an image of their face (made by a $1,000 machine). In a story on Jetex's Instagram, Will Smith can be seen exclaiming, "That's crazy," upon seeing his personalized coffee. And Will, I'd have to agree.
I had various coffees over the course of the day, and each time they were served with two tiers of sweet treats like mini cheesecakes, macarons, and chocolates. There isn't a restaurant or food menu in the terminal, but staff will get whatever food a guest might request.
From the entry lounge, you walk through a corridor which brings you out to ...
... the entertainment lounge.
Although designed with children and families in mind, this was my favorite room in the whole terminal because it was so bright thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto the runway.
The room is full of custom-designed games equipment, all in Jetex's shade of orange. There's a pool table ...
... complete with balls in a Jetex-branded leather case.
There's also a glass chess table with stylish (but, in my opinion, uncomfortable) glass throne stools to sit on ...
... plus a backgammon table in the same design.
A ping pong table and delicate exercise bikes continue the sleek glass style. I was told that I was the first person to use the bikes.
There's a foosball table in both grown-up and toddler-friendly sizes.
But perhaps the coolest part of the room, in my opinion, is the enormous Sony Crystal LED screen that guests can use to watch Netflix, films, or play Playstation. There are only a handful of the TV screens, worth $1 million, in the world. The 16K resolution quality was mesmerizing.
Mardini has an office in the terminal, but it doubles as a room that guests can use for relaxing.
With a carpeted floor, it felt cozier than some of the other areas and the design more elegant.
There's also an extensive cigar collection, from which guests can help themselves.
The Ladies' loos featured Hermès toiletries, a fresh rose, and buttons on the wall of the cubicle for more functions than any toilet should have. I went four times (told you I drank a lot of coffee), and each time, both the Jetex-branded hand towels and the loo roll had been refolded into a neat point.
The terminal also offers its guests the use of a large boardroom, where each place round the custom-designed table had individual bottles of Voss water. The screens rose up and down at the touch of the button, there was an orange coffee machine in the corner, and even the tissue boxes were orange.
Mardini told us that it's not unusual for two business people to fly into the terminal from different countries, conduct a meeting, and then leave again, without ever going out into Dubai.
The final room in the terminal is what's known as the crew lounge, which has crew in mind and a separate entrance. That doesn't mean it's not stylish, though. The room was sleek and modern, but had more of a natural feel thanks to the (albeit fake) olive trees and shrubbery.
It's more dimly lit, thanks to the modern wooden shells encasing the seating areas, which looked quite cool.
As well as a swinging sofa and a guitar, when we visited there was a brand-new $4.5 million Bugatti in the middle of the room. Because of course there was.
I couldn't help but try it on for size, which apparently isn't unusual. Yup, it felt right.
There are more trendy exercise bikes in the room, but if you'd rather relax than work up a sweat you can chill out in a massage chair or sleep pod.
The MetroNaps sleep pods were incredibly comfortable. I climbed in and a member of staff covered my legs with a super soft blanket before the chair reclined, the cover closed, and a soothing voice helped me relax.
There's a shoe-shiner if you want to make sure you're looking spick and span.
There's also a small kitchen area where people can help themselves to refreshments.
The kitchen was stocked with tea and coffee-making facilities, chips, sweets, marshmallows, and more.
I wasn't immediately sure what these two boxes were, but I then realized they were full of refreshing towels — one hot and one cool.
As well as the mini-cooler of Red Bulls, this fridge was full of soft drinks. What was interesting to me was that nowhere in the terminal served alcohol. This will soon change as Jetex is getting a permit and going to build a bar, but apparently there hasn't really been any demand for booze since they opened.
Having spent a day visiting the lounge, I realized the biggest luxury it offers travelers is time.
Sure, free snacks are nice, giant screens are fun, and coffees with your face on are undeniably cool, but the terminal isn't actually considerably better than some of the business and first class airport lounges I've visited, in my opinion. And in the latter I've found there's usually a bigger kitchen with more food on offer, too.
However, getting to skip all the queues for security, check-in, bag-drop, passport scans, and everything else that you usually have to do in an airport is hard to put a price on.
After all, time is money.
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