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Over the last couple of years, flying has gotten more complicated than ever, and you can see it the moment you walk into the terminal. People are lined up outside and inside, and the lines sometimes stretch all the way down the terminals. Security lines get even longer during peak travel times. And while all of this is inconvenient for most travelers, it hits business travelers the hardest because they already have very tight travel schedules. That’s why the airlines meet and greet services have become so important for them.
Airlines have picked up on these issues and have started offering meet and greet services to business travelers. What used to be a nice extra is now a core part of the business class travel experience. Airlines understand that premium travelers aren’t just buying a seat in business class; they’re buying the time of an employee who is traveling on a tight schedule.
If an airline wants to increase business-class bookings, meet and greet services need to be included. Adding this gives business travelers a full and complete travel experience. It also matches the needs of today’s frequent traveler, who values clarity, control, and time far more than surface-level luxury.
Quick Summary
As travelers seeking smoother airport experiences, pushed airlines to prioritize ease of travel over seat comfort, airlines began adding mini airport escorting services to their business-class offerings. With the explosion of commercial air travel, the crowding and complexity of global airport architecture are intensifying the demand for airlines meet and greet services. This service helps meet demand and is an airline’s competitive advantage over others in an oversaturated premium travel market.
Why Stepping Into an Airport Feels So Overwhelming Now?
According to the ACI World–ICAO Passenger Traffic Report, the gap between global air travel demand and travel services continues to shrink. Forecasts indicate that the global air travel market will be servicing about 19.5 billion travelers by 2042, effectively doubling the traffic seen in 2024. As is, air travel is already a busy service. For example, in 2023, the Dubai International Airport serviced 87 million passengers, Singapore’s Changi Airport handled 58 million, and Istanbul Airport was built to service up to 200 million passengers a year.
The extreme numbers cause long waits in lines as well as decreased efficiencies in moving passengers through a terminal. Moving through security and immigration, for example, commonly takes more than 30 minutes and up to an hour at busy airports. For travelers with short layovers, this wait time can make the difference between an on-time and a missed connection. More than an inconvenience, this lost time has a greater impact on the overall itinerary and is an increase in the paradox of traveling’s related stress.
10 Reasons Airlines Meet and Greet Is the New Standard for True Business Class Comfort
1. Global Passenger Growth Is Creating Airport Congestion
Air travel has returned, and IATA reports 4.7 billion air passengers in 2024. The leading airlines have logged impressive volumes, including:
- Emirates 51.9 million
- Qatar Airways 31.7 million
- Singapore Airlines Group 36.4 million
- Delta Air Lines 192 million
- United Airlines 165 million
The increase in passenger volume means airlines are experiencing a greater need for assistance to avoid a backlog in business class. The airlines meet and greet service is designed to help business travelers maintain a premium experience even as mass-market air travel spikes.
2. Business Class Travelers Prioritize Speed and Predictability
The prompt statements of any airport traveler capture the essence of confusion and unease. The traveler needs to avoid lengthy delays to avoid disruption of the travel itinerary.
Time is certainly the driving force behind the need for adaptable travel solutions. The travel system stays in the passenger’s mind while quickly passing through scans.
3. The Airport Experience Influences Brand Perception
There is an underlying need for guidance that reduces effort for the traveler. The absence of clear direction increases the stress of the passengers. Passengers find the travel system complex, even as the airline strives to support travelers.
Meet and greet gives airlines a way to shape the passenger experience, even in airports where they have no operational control.
4. Bundling Creates Visible, Easy to Understand Value
Improvements to business-class seats, lounges, and menus across airlines are always welcome. But in the grand scheme of things, they are still relatively small.
Meet and greet stands out because travelers feel the value instantly. This value gets instilled instantly, long before passengers even step on the plane.
This is a huge deciding factor for most travelers to opt for business class instead of premium economy.
5. Loyalty Becomes Stronger When the Journey is Smoother
Although business-class passengers represent a small share of total travelers, they fly frequently and generate the most revenue for airlines.
Business class travelers belong to a particular category of people. They book at the last minute, but at higher prices. A guided airport experience creates emotional satisfaction that goes beyond frequent flyer points.
When everything works smoothly, the airline’s brand remains a strong presence in a business-class traveler’s mind for years to come.
6. Meet and Greet Minimizes Connection Loss and Other Operational Challenges
Escorts are able to detect delays, slow-moving lines, and other issues with paperwork early on. This results in fewer issues with missed flights, delays in boarding, and rebooking issues.
For airlines, seamless operations mean better on-time performance and fewer disruptions in business class.
7. Competition in Premium Cabins Is More Intense Than Ever
Airlines globally are in competition with one another to offer improved and upgraded seats and lounges. Many business-class products offer similar features.
Ground experience is one of the few areas where an airline can stand alone. Meet and greet is one of the few standout features in the business class travel experience.
8. Frequent Travelers Want Consistency Across Destinations
A traveler might find themselves flying through airports like London Heathrow one week, then Doha the next, and Singapore after that.
Meet and greet service provides the same seamless experience everywhere, even if the layout of the airport is unfamiliar.
9. Business Class Becomes a Full Journey Solution
When a meet and greet is included, the airline is not just selling a seat. They are selling the entire experience of travel, from the curb to the plane. The value proposition shifts from “better food and better rest” to “we take care of the entire journey.”
For corporate buyers, this creates stronger justification for premium fares. For individuals, it reduces anxiety and creates a smoother travel day.
10. How Airlines Can Scale This Service?
Airlines can’t operate concierge teams at every airport. This is why many collaborate with global meet and greet providers like airssist, whose trained teams operate across the globe. Collaboration enables airlines to provide consistent service across numerous terminals without the need to set up expensive operations.
Additional Strategic Drivers
Meet and Greet Reduces Transfer Risk
Some airports, like Heathrow, have long transfer walks. Transfers can be more than 2 kilometers.
Meet and greet services facilitate the transfer by reducing the risk of misnavigation and avoiding the stress and confusion that can be experienced with tight connections.
Greater Attraction for Corporations
Corporates need to ensure that their employees arrive focused, rested, and on time.
Guided airport services support that.
Improved Travel Wellness for Frequent Flyers
Travel is tiring, and a smoother ground journey reduces the cognitive load as well as the general stress that is experienced.
Competitor Landscape
Some larger airlines offer ground service for their premium travelers, but consistency varies widely.
- They might only offer it at their main hub.
- They might charge for it as an add-on.
- They might only offer it during limited connections at connecting airports.
To close this gap, airlines can book consistent meet and greet support through airssist at every major airport. Their terminal staff oversee travelers’ transit efficiently and comfortably, providing personalized service to ease airport movement.
In partnership with airssist, airlines can provide an added premium and guaranteed offering even in airport locations lacking local concierge service.
Finally, for business travelers, this further enhances a smooth, effortless transit experience, regardless of the destination.
Advice to Frequent Air Travelers
When purchasing a business class ticket, always check which ground services are included. The seat is undeniably important, but the airport experience can often outweigh comfort at takeoff. Assess how much time and stress a bundled meet and greet can save you across a full year of travel.
FAQs: Why Airlines Bundle Meet and Greet with Business Class
Is it cheaper to upgrade to business class during check-in?
Not always; some airlines may offer instant upgrades to economy-class travelers for a fee. This can be an effective tactic to fill otherwise available business-class seats and improve the overall experience for travelers.
Why do airlines sometimes upgrade to business class?
Primarily to save seats in the economy class, which is often overbooked, to allow passengers to enter business class. There are no actual seats available in business class, and therefore, an economy class ticket must be upgraded to enter. The objective is to deliver a better overall experience for travelers and reward frequent travelers.
How early should business travelers book a meet and greet service?
Booking at least 24 to 48 hours before departure helps ensure availability, especially during major conferences or peak travel seasons when demand rises sharply.
What is an airport meet and greet service?
It is a personalized service. It consists of escorting clients to skip every possible step at the airport, like check-in, immigration, security, transfers, and other time-consuming processes.
Meet and Greet Is No Longer Behind the Scenes
Airlines meet and greet service is no longer an exclusive, sporadic option but a highly effective way to enhance the business-class offering, sustain business, and streamline the experience for clients in busy terminals.
As the travel public is expanding, so is the meet and greet service. The service is and will continue to define the premium travel experience.
Now that you know what meet and greet can do for your business trips, why settle for the usual airport chaos? Choose the best meet and greet service for your next conference.
Sources
- Emirates annual passenger data: Statista — Number of Passengers Emirates Airlines (https://www.statista.com/statistics/300253/number-of-passengers-emirates-airlines/)
- Global air travel report 2025: IATA — Pressroom Release January 30, 2025 (https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2025-releases/2025-01-30-01/)
- World’s busiest airports 2023 rankings: OAG — Busiest Airports World 2023 (https://www.oag.com/busiest-airports-world-2023)
- Dubai airport traffic 2024 record: The National — Dubai airports passenger traffic hits record 92 million in 2024 (https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/aviation/2025/01/30/dubai-airports-passenger-traffic-hits-record-92-million-in-2024/)
- Global passenger traffic trends & forecast: ACI & ICAO — Joint Passenger Traffic Report Trends and Outlook (https://aci.aero/2025/01/28/joint-aci-world-icao-passenger-traffic-report-trends-and-outlook/)
Note: Please note that the information on this page is generic & subject to change due to fluctuations in airport services. Kindly confirm service availability with our team, as offerings may vary daily.
