By Chris Dong,Contributor,Jennifer Kester
Copyright forbes
Travelers in L.A. and other places can now soar past airport headaches.
iStock-Jet liner images
For years, skipping the crowds and chaos of a main airport terminal required a private jet. But not anymore. A new wave of private facilities built for commercial passengers is reinventing the airport experience. That means exclusive entrances and lounges, dedicated security and immigration and chauffeured tarmac transfers straight to your flight.
Airports across Europe, such as London’s Heathrow and Paris-Charles de Gaulle, have had private airport facilities for years. And in the U.S., Los Angeles International Airport and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport arrived on the scene in 2017 and 2023, respectively, with independent luxury terminals from a company called PS.
Now, São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport has welcomed the BTG Pactual Terminal, Latin America’s first fully independent private terminal built for commercial airline passengers. The market is clearly taking off — and fast.
PS’s exclusive experiences have landed in Atlanta.
Galina Juliana
What These Terminals Actually Do
Think of these private terminals as standalone, members-club-style airports. It’s an intriguing niche: attract travelers who want the private-jet experience without the much higher costs of a private flight. Like with a private jet, there are no congested entryways for pickups and drop-offs; instead, guests arrive at a separate facility across the airfield. Flyers then hand off their passports and bags, clear security in a dedicated lane and relax in a suite or salon-like lounge until a driver whisks them across the ramp to their gate.
You can be the first or last to board with no long concourses to walk through, no crowded gates and no traffic. Sometimes, there isn’t even a requirement to fly in business or first class.
With BTG Pactual Terminal, serenity has arrived right on time to São Paulo.
BTG Pactual Terminal
A Debut for Latin America
Launched in late 2024 and fully rolling out this year, BTG Pactual Terminal in São Paulo brings this concept to South America for the first time. “Luxury in Brazil is growing fast, and there is a scarcity of high-end products and services,” says Fábio Camargo, the company’s CEO. “We’re filling a huge gap in the market here.”
São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport sees more than 40 million passengers per year, and high-net-worth travelers — or those who are looking to splurge — can book an experience starting from $590. Camargo expects a sizable portion of its business to be foreign travelers. So far, 16% of passengers passing through the terminal have been from outside Brazil.
It also speaks to a broader global trend: luxury travelers who are looking for privacy and efficiency — all without the expensive upkeep of private planes.
In addition to convenience and the white-glove service, BTG Pactual Terminal also offers a premium-level dining from chef Ivan Ralston alongside serene suites, lounges and meeting spaces. Expect a direct-to-aircraft transfer in an elegant Volvo vehicle. The company also offers add-ons, like helicopter transfers to and from the city center.
PS is spreading its wings to Miami in 2026.
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What’s Next for Private Terminals
Camargo says that his company has its sights set on other locations in Latin America and even across the Atlantic. “We see this niche as a rising opportunity, both in Brazil and elsewhere,” he says.
In the United States, PS continues to expand. It began construction in May on 12,200 square feet of private suites and shared lounges at Dallas-Fort Worth. Additionally, groundbreaking started in June for a Miami International Airport facility housed in a former Pan Am building from the 1960s. Both locations are scheduled to be in operation by spring 2026. The company also recently introduced PS Direct, a service that chauffeurs L.A. and Atlanta travelers directly from the plane to their desired destination in a luxury vehicle.
Amina Belouizdad Porter, CEO of PS, says, “We sit in a space that, until now, didn’t really exist — the white space between commercial and private air travel.”
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