"FAST TRACK" at Fiumicino (FCO): AssisAnt, ROYAL Airport Concierge & AirAssist

[showerdancer55]

Hello Fellow Cruisers!

I am looking into using the "FAST TRACK" concierge services that meet you at the airport curbside and expedite getting your group through checked baggage, security and flight check-in. Has anyone used AssitAnt, Royal Airport Concierge or AirAssist at Fiumicino Airport in Rome and were you satisfied with their services? It is a pretty hefty fee but our flight home has been changed and instead of 6 hours to flight time after disembarking from Citavecchia, we now have 3 1/2 hours. Could be a very exciting end to our trip!

[j&bcruzing]

On 7/22/2018 at 4:27 PM, showerdancer55 said:

Hello Fellow Cruisers!

I am looking into using the "FAST TRACK" concierge services that meet you at the airport curbside and expedite getting your group through checked baggage, security and flight check-in. Has anyone used AssitAnt, Royal Airport Concierge or AirAssist at Fiumicino Airport in Rome and were you satisfied with their services? It is a pretty hefty fee but our flight home has been changed and instead of 6 hours to flight time after disembarking from Citavecchia, we now have 3 1/2 hours. Could be a very exciting end to our trip!

Showerdancer55, what did you end up doing about the "Fast Track" concierge services? Did it work for you and your group? How many people were in your group? How much did it cost? Thanks for any information.

[GeezerCouple]

We have had "VIP" /fast-track (I'll call it "fast-track", because we were only "VIPs" because we paid the fee  in Paris years ago, and again at FCO about 3 years ago.

But this was for *arrivals*.

 

In both cases, we were pretty much amazed.

 

In Paris, unfortunately, our plane landed where we needed to bus to the regular arrival 'gate' (a "REAL VIP" would no doubt have been met *there*!).  But once we were entering the regular 'gate' area, there was a gentleman with a sign with our name.  From that point on, we were whisked behind a velvet rope (yes, a real "velvet rope", not one of the textile "ribbons" usually used as separators) through immigration, and we didn't see the crowd again until baggage claim, and then we were whisked away  again, with the gentleman directing movement of our luggage, through customs... and then to a waiting luxury Mercedes (I was surprised, as I had *not* selected "limo", so I wonder what vehicle *that* would have been!), and off to our hotel, where the outside bell captain obviously knew to expect us, and by name. 

This was for our honeymoon (we married late in life, so this isn't ages ago), and it was all a surprise for DH.

Very, very easy.

 

The next time, more recently at FCO, as the plane pulled up to the gate, there was an announcement for me by name to identify myself.  (Did they think we changed seats?)  Again, it was a surprise for DH, and he ended up worried we were about to have some problems.  Anyway, we were asked to exit the plane through the "front end" (we were in economy for the last time that trip for long-haul).  And there was our escort, a charming woman this time.  Again, we quickly were taken "behind the scenes", and everything was expedited and quiet.  No lines anywhere.  At the "immigration" part, she took our passports and flight info and hotel destination, and almost disappeared to a special kiosk, and then she re-joined us, and took us outside and hailed our driver.  

 

Apparently these services have quite a few staff that just stay at the airport and as soon as one "VIP" is taken care of, they are given the name/location of the next one to meet.

 

But we have not (yet!?) done this for departures.

(I'm not sure all of this is available quite the same way for semi-VIPs in the USA, due to security.  And we know "how it all works", so we've never felt the need...)

 

And now we joke about understanding why in high profile divorce cases, we sometime read about how among the discussions is that the "lesser$$$ spouse" insists upon private jet travel all the time.  They don't even go through the same commercial terminals most of the time.

 

Yup, *that* would be nice these days!  

 

But we haven't used it anywhere else, including returns to FCO, and all went well, albeit more slowly

 

GC