Los Angeles International Airport officials have approved opening a special terminal for the rich and famous to wait for their flights far from the paparazzi and riffraff.
The lounge, which was given the green light on Thursday, eclipses even the business class and first class areas available at major airports.
“I am very excited about this service for celebrity and VIP guests at LAX,” said Deborah Flint, executive director of Los Angeles World Airports.
“We are very focused on making LAX a world-class airport and offering a wide variety of amenities,” Flint added.
The “remote lounge” as it is called, was approved by the Los Angeles Airport Commission and marks the first such space in a United States airport.
Both US authorities and the Transportation Security Administration support the idea, the proposal said.
The terminal will be constructed in a hangar already in need of renovation, and requires an investment of some $3 million by security firm Gavin de Becker, which will manage the project.
Celebrities, business executives and other well-heeled individuals can expect to pay $1,500 to $1,800 to access the space, according to reports. That’s pocket change to the likes of Johnny Depp, Kim Kardashian and Kayne West.
Similar lounges already exist however in London, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Dubai, Paris, Moscow, Munich, Frankfurt, Geneva, Madrid and Zurich, according to a project proposal.
The Los Angeles Suite is modeled on the Windsor Suite at London’s Heathrow, which was once reserved for the royal family and visiting heads of state and diplomatic visits but opened up to those with big wallets in 2008 after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office cut its funding. Now access is available for anyone for a minimum of £2,000.
