Most people brace themselves for the chaos of Los Angeles International. A growing handful instead drive to an unassuming building on Imperial Highway, south of the runways, hand over their bags at a gated entrance, and don't set foot in a terminal until they're driven across the taxiways to their plane. That's PS — a private terminal concept that has quietly changed what a pre-flight routine can look like.
The writer behind One Mile at a Time recently tried it courtesy of Starlux Airlines, whose first class passengers flying the A350 from LAX to Taipei get access included with their ticket. Had he paid retail, the visit would have cost $1,295 per person. There are now four locations — Los Angeles (the original), Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Miami — with broadly similar pricing and service.
PS offers two tiers. The Salon is a shared lounge — one main room with a dozen bar seats, a few living-room-style seating areas, and an outdoor terrace — where the vibe is vaguely social among fellow high-spenders. Private Suite, the pricier original concept, gives you a room of your own with a bathroom and shower. Membership drops the Salon price to as low as $895, and some Amex Centurion holders and American Concierge Key members get complimentary visits. Book at least 24 hours ahead or face a 45% late-booking fee.
The flow is the real appeal. You arrive up to three hours before departure — two hours minimum if you're checking bags for an international flight — and staff take it from there. Your boarding pass appears at your seat, a Starlux agent even materialises to check for lithium batteries, and food comes off an a la carte menu that's genuinely good: a caviar welcome with Perrier-Jouet, a signature martini with a caviar-stuffed olive, and proper restaurant-quality plates like grilled corn salad and branzino. Everything is included. There's a private TSA checkpoint, then a BMW 7-Series drives you through a tunnel under the runways to your gate — about ten minutes to the Tom Bradley International Terminal, where you board first.
Is it worth it? The honest answer from the review is that the time-saving pitch is thin — you still need to arrive two hours early with bags, and LAX has improved its security queues in recent years. What you're paying for is frictionlessness: no lines, no crowds, no wrestling luggage through a terminal, plus food and drink that beats anything airside. As a one-off splurge to start a big trip, it clearly delivers; as a habit, it's a serious outlay. Worth knowing if you're booking Starlux or another partner first class ticket, since access is sometimes bundled in — in which case, say yes.
Review first published by One Mile at a Time.
