With over 35 million passengers annually, Dublin Airport operates in a high-pressure, capacity-constrained environment where premium travellers demand more than a place to transit from. They expect speed, privacy and personalisation. Platinum VIP at Dublin Airport was developed as a premium private terminal experience, designed not just as a terminal facility, but as a hospitality-led service that delivers a seamless, discreet, and a highly personalised journey. 

The Opportunity 

As air-travel began to re-open after the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for private aviation experiences began to increase. As such, there was a clear opportunity to scale Platinum VIP operations at Dublin Airport. Despite this, traditional private terminal operating models often demonstrated limited scalability without adding significant cost and complexity. 

The opportunity was clear: redefine the private terminal model into a lean, hospitality-driven experience that delivers on passengers’ needs and wants and delivers both commercial and operational value to the business simultaneously. 

The Solution 

Dublin Airport scaled Platinum VIP as a hybrid private terminal, combining commercial VIP and general aviation passengers within a single, purpose-built facility, with a fundamentally different operating philosophy. 

  • To ensure the experience still feels unique for passengers, even when scaled, the Platinum VIP terminal was treated as a hospitality-first experience. 
  • A two-person end-to-end service model (vs. the typical 6–7) was implemented from check-in to chauffeured to your flight and led to clear ownership of each guest journey by staff. Additionally, there was faster processing with stronger personal relationships 
  • Recruitment focused on attitude and emotional intelligence as opposed to experience alone. New team members underwent a six-week bespoke training programme and a “No-blame” culture drove accountability and retention while it also  ensured continuous improvement. 
  • Additionally, a bespoke in-house platform integrated guest preferences and CRM, scheduling and operations, stakeholder coordination, billing and reporting, which enabled deep personalisation without losing human interaction. 

Projected Impact 

Platinum VIP consistently delivers industry leading customer satisfaction, with an average Net Promoter Score of 95. Repeat usage stands at approximately 86%, reflecting strong loyalty and trust among guests. 

From an operational perspective, the lean service model reduces operating costs while improving clarity, accountability, and consistency, delivering faster processing and a calmer, more personalised guest experience. At the same time, the Platinum VIP business model enhances overall airport resilience by discreetly handling high-impact passengers and complex movements without disrupting main operations, taking pressure off the main terminal’s operations’. 

Key Takeaways 

Premium is delivered by people, not just product. 

Emotional intelligence, consistency, and authenticity create stronger value than physical luxury alone. 

Less can be more. 

Lean service models with fewer touchpoints can outperform traditional, labour-heavy approaches. 

Technology should enhance, not replace, human service. 

Bespoke systems enhance personalisation while preserving genuine interaction. 

Premium services can be strategic infrastructure. 

Beyond revenue, private terminals can improve airport flow, resilience, and overall passenger experience. 

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