TRAVELLERS who adore the special services and exclusive treatment that make arrivals and transit time a pleasure, will find all this in Munich Airport’s new VIP Wing which opens its doors in June.
Unlike in the past, when airport VIP Lounges were strictly reserved for politicians or high-ranking guests, now at Munich Airport regardless of seating class or carrier, passengers seeking individual and exclusive services – on arrival, departure or during transit – can book and have access to a wide range of VIP services.
Travellers using the VIP Wing may even find it exceeds their expectations in part due to Bavaria’s legendary hospitality which co-exists with German efficiency and professionalism.
Chauffeured limousines shuttle the guests in luxury from and to the aircraft and the lounge will be staffed by multilingual representatives offering travellers all-round support. Personal assistants will be on hand to organise all the guest’s flight-related processes and formalities, such as immigration support, check-in, baggage-handling, tax refunds and customs clearance, while they relax.
Offerings will include access to the VIP open-air garden, an upscale bar, spacious bath and shower facilities, and an elegant cigar lounge. For a quiet rest or nap, VIP guests can select from private suites – with spectacular tarmac views.
Facilities at the VIP Wing also include a fully equipped conference suite, which may be booked in advance, and is ideal for negotiations, meetings and conferences.
International papers, magazines and TV channels keep the guest up-dated, as well as complimentary access to the internet. Designers of this lounge considered many facets of the traveller’s interests and included a multi-faith prayer room in their plan.
Those arriving in Munich will find royal palaces, grand monuments and art collections, world-renowned classical music, appealing parks and gardens, top sporting events and fabulous shopping - not to forget the convenient proximity to the Bavarian Alps which all make the city worth a visit.
And serving the region Munich Airport (MUC) won the title of Europe’s Best Airport at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2011.
Europe’s most convenient hub is in fact an ‘airport city’ with spa facilities, hotels, public events, 200 shops and eateries including a garden restaurant, meeting and conference facilities, child care and a visitor’s park.
Due to the increasing number of flights, Munich Airport has turned into an important gateway to Europe and the Alps for passengers from the Middle East. Etihad Airways operates daily from Abu Dhabi, Emirates serves Munich twice daily from Dubai. Oman Air offers flights from Muscat four times weekly and Qatar Airways now operates 12 weekly flights from Doha to Munich.
The German carrier Lufthansa offers daily flights from Dubai and three flights weekly from Riyadh to Munich. Royal Jordanian just increased to three weekly frequencies from Amman to Munich and TunisAir serves Munich twice per week from Tunis. Egypt Air serves Munich daily from Cairo and onward connections within Europe and beyond are available for all flights from the Middle East.
In addition to being perfectly connected, service at Munich Airport does not end upon touch-down. Munich Airport puts great effort in welcoming and accommodating Arab-speaking passengers and aims to make Munich Airport the so-called ‘Gateway Arabia’ - especially in Terminal 1 (Hall C) where the majority of all Middle East carriers operate.
The service portfolio includes Arabic signs and announcements to guide arriving passengers to the baggage claim, the lounges and around the airport. Right after immigration and baggage claim, guests will find an information counter with Arabic-speaking staff to help out with any request and there is an Arabic airport guide and Arabic-English booklet which includes lots of great ideas for what to see and do in and around Munich.
When departing from the airport, newly installed interactive information screens in Terminal 1 and in the Munich Airport Center help passengers to find their way connecting passengers directly with airport staff via video conference. By scanning the boarding pass at any of the numerous interactive-display monitors and pressing the Arabic button, passengers will find a description of the shortest way to the gates or any place desired within the airport in Arabic.
To make a culinary experience at the airport truly delightful for Muslim guests, all eateries in Terminal 1 (Hall C) have marked their menus - identifying vegetarian dishes and meals containing pork.
And to further welcome Arab guests, inviting prayer rooms are the airport’s newest highlight. A smaller one is located in the public area of Terminal 1 (Hall C), near the check-in area with a more spacious and comfortable prayer room located inside the non-public area, close to the boarding gates and across from the airport lounges. What makes these prayer rooms so special? Designers have taken specific care of the needs of Muslim guests. A beautiful Arabic carpet was especially produced for the prayer room. Footbaths have been installed for men and women seperately. And there are also two prayer rooms, one for women and one for men.
And In order to improve the intercultural understanding immigration officers are being trained on the demands of Middle East passengers.