Twelve years ago, Delta hooked up with brand partner Porsche on a VIP transfer service at the airline’s primary U.S. hub, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, that whisked certain flyers from one plane to another in Stuttgart style. The program has since expanded to eight additional airports, and there appear to be two access tiers. The best is the one with mysterious access — no one’s sure how to get it, but being Delta 360 or Diamond Elite helps — that puts a flyer in a very special Porsche. Last summer, Delta added a 918 Spyder to the car pool of Cayennes, Macans, and Panameras at the Atlanta airport. And now, there’s a 911 GT3 RS at LAX.
Until February 26, passengers chosen at random — and who we suspect are traveling alone, with modest carry-on baggage, and possessing the appropriate stature — will get between gates in the 518-horsepower track monster. A Delta agent meets the passenger on the jetway, the duo descend the steps to the coupe, then traverse the tarmac to pull up next to the appropriate plane. As cool as it looks in the official photos, a picture in a Reddit thread makes plain that the second-best place to see this is from the seat of another plane.
And who knows, if you’re one of the lucky ones and your connection is extremely tight, the chauffeur might demonstrate that 2.7-second sprint to 60 miles per hour — or might not, as the speed limit on LAX ramp and apron areas appears to be 10 mph.
The second tier is more mundane, and expensive. Flyers who don’t mind spending at least $500 can book Delta’s VIP Select transfer service by calling an 800 number at least six hours before the necessary transfer. There’s no Porsche guaranteed, though; as Destinations Unknown wrote, “You could be escorted inside the terminal via Delta agent(s) on a golf cart. I have been escorted inside the terminal a few times (especially when the arrival and departure gates are nearby), but >90% have been plane-side Porsche transfers.” And Travel Noire wrote that it “could involve an escort by foot.” Oh, and each additional passenger in the entourage costs another $100, at least.
This is the first time we’ve wished a tight connection on anyone, but to all those heading through LAX on Delta, good luck.
Source: www.autoblog.com