Heathrow airport now selling Fast Track security access again

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• FlightDoctor says:

  26 May26 May 10:45

  When I’ve travelled with family through T5 in the last couple of years (if flying W or Y) , even during the summer holidays, we have never had to wait more than 10 mins to get through. So paying £62.50 to save maybe 5 mins is ridiculous!

• Ollie says:

  26 May26 May 10:56

  What’s the point of having to choose a one hour time slot at least two hours in advance of your flight? If arriving that early then surely you’ll have enough time to go through normal security, and if you purchase this specifically and find you have to arrive earlier than usual, that rather defeats the point. I’ve made it through variously from T-35 mins (10 seconds shy of missing conformance) to my usual which is T-70 mins. Of course, the type of people who purchase this are those who would not usually have it through status or cabin class, so they would probably choose to “treat themselves” and spend those three extra hours they arrived early in a paid lounge, hence the overcrowding…

  • ADS says:

    26 May26 May 13:54

    “at least two hours in advance of your flight” is bonkers!

    • Novice says:

      26 May26 May 14:02

      My connection flight from lhr is 2 hours transit… Man- LHR and then onwards and the BA agent that’s enough time. I reckon I won’t be using Lounge in that time but it’s hardly Cathay lounge so I am not bothered.

      • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

        26 May26 May 17:16

        Arrivals from MAN with an onward from T5 don’t require you to go through security

        • Novice says:

          26 May26 May 17:36

          Great. I did this a lot of years ago so wasn’t sure. It’s usually better to go places via other European cities when travelling from Man as you know.

• Travel Strong says:

  26 May26 May 11:14

  Longer than usual fast track line at T3 was halted by a Virgin staff member the other day, and all Upper travellers asked to come to the front.

  We were literally at the front of the line when they intervened but after asking the heathrow staff member (who was being directed by VS) they did let us through on the basis of a BA CW ticket being no less worthy that VS Upper!

  By inference I guess that means those being held back were purchasers of fast track, or status holders not travelling in a business cabin. Either way, it’s fair to say fast track was not as good as usual.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    26 May26 May 13:49

    Usually only happens when the flight is about to depart in the next hour as I bodice you must pass security within 40 mins of your flight.

  • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

    26 May26 May 17:17

    Temp issue until the UC Wing reopens once HAL has finished installing the new scanner.

• Novice says:

  26 May26 May 12:04

  There are solutions to this problem if they are willing to take action.

  One solution is as I mentioned before the check passport for travel stamps and have two lanes; one for ppl with no stamp and one for people with a lot of stamps. I know you don’t get stamps in Europe but I would like to think people who love to travel go to other countries as well.

  Another solution is; Have 3 lanes, one for economy, one for premium economy/disabled, lastly the business/first. So basically depending on what class you travel. Because why should a person who has paid £4000+ be stuck behind someone who has paid £400.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    26 May26 May 12:30

    They won’t be .. the business/first traveller will be in fast track security. Or do you want to split flat track in to different lanes ?

    • Novice says:

      26 May26 May 14:18

      I know that but atm anyone can buy fast track so my statement is still valid. In my scenario, there’s no way for an economy passenger to buy their way into a business/first lane. All airlines should be making this clear to the airports. If you don’t differentiate the service on ground for a passenger who has paid extortionate prices then how can you not expect complaints.

      If the airport wants to make money then really they should be charging the airlines who ask business and first passengers to pay 4x or more than the cattle class.

      Airports are just not good enough. Honestly, despite believing in climate change etc, if I could have my own jet or even afford to pay private jets, I would just fly everywhere like that.

      Nothing is designed properly anywhere. Services and products, all have flaws. Sometimes it amazes me how much the people designing/planning everything are getting paid for mediocre everything.

      I will give an example in travel industry. Is it just me who finds the washbasins in vast majority of hotels regardless of how luxurious the hotel is, to be designed awful. Taps on the side or way back so you can’t wash your arms or anything properly.

      Designers/planners/service providers etc don’t think things through. It’s like thy have never used any service before that they are clueless as to what is actual luxury or first class service or product.

      • TGLoyalty says:

        26 May26 May 14:54

        So at Heathrow First class passengers would use First wing. You can’t buy access to that.

        Status passengers and fare paying passengers are treated the same and so it should be as that’s why you’ve been loyal (be that to oneworld or BA or another airline they are the rules the airline gets to set)

        Sure you will soon find out if £12.50 is too cheap and demand outstrips supply the price will rise until such that you’re closing the gap. If BA wanted the ground service for its business passengers to be different then they need to stipulate how that happens … do a deal with HAL to change one of the security fast tracks to business wing and only pay for the other etc

        The airport provides the services the airlines and therefore us as customers are willing to pay for (ultimately we pay the fees)

        • Novice says:

          26 May26 May 15:29

          I can’t afford first so much so usually I travel business and I was really just talking from my experience. In MAN, the fast track lane is same or busier than normal lane usually when I go.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          26 May26 May 15:41

          Isn’t MAN a fake fast track that just queue jumps you into the same security? I recall either that or LGW or maybe both replying that.

          Heathrow has a proper fast track security with its own scanners.

  • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

    26 May26 May 15:49

    ” I know you don’t get stamps in Europe”

    Lol very funny. Where have you been?

    And what if you have a new passport that has no stamps? Are you assumed to be an idiot that has no clue about security? I find some of the slowest people in the security are the very frequent flyers

    • Novice says:

      26 May26 May 17:40

      Are European countries stamping now due to Brexit?

      My past few trips have all been islands or Asia, Africa and South America. I have not been mainland Europe for a few years now. I have been too busy travelling other countries.

      • Rob says:

        26 May26 May 19:06

        All stamping. So much that I will need to renew my passport next month after just 3 years because I am out of pages.

        • Novice says:

          26 May26 May 19:59

          Oh wow. I remember when we were still in EU, I used to have to ask for stamps because I collected them. Sometimes I used to get weird looks when I asked.

      • Johyu5 says:

        27 May27 May 10:08

        Amazing story, thanks for sharing your travel patterns.

  • acewoking says:

    27 May27 May 06:24

    Disablist assumption that disabled people wouldn’t be flying in PE or Business/First anyway.

• Holyphuket says:

  26 May26 May 12:41

  Lady London makes a sensible point. Stop paying bird seed money and decent staff morale. So the consensus is to have “Womble” “Not Womble” with a big red line through that sign. Then we could have “Superiority complex/narcissist” and finally, “Everyone else just arriving on time and not having $400 worth of beauty products in their hand luggage” I’m not paying £12 for someone to shout at me to do something I know how to do, thanks very much.

  • Tim P says:

    26 May26 May 13:07

    Another vote for the “let’s have decent service for everyone” party.

    • TGLoyalty says:

      26 May26 May 13:51

      If everyone has fast track no one has fast track because the whole point of fast track is shorter queues by virtue of someone paying for you to access or you paying yourself.

      The new scanners give everyone a better service as long as we the public all follow the actual rules like removing belts or high heels or whatever else

      • Novice says:

        26 May26 May 14:28

        But TGloyalty, are they ever short though. I am a leisure traveller so I am not travelling that regularly to know but everyone who I know who travel regularly for business always complain that fast track was packed in comparison to normal lane sometimes.

        In my own experience, when in airport I really can’t tell the difference between fast track because fast track usually has a lot of people who have booked thinking that they will be faster but in reality, the more people who want fast end up in slow lanes.

        In MAN, I have seen some people somehow get priority it might be something to do with their passport and also wheelchairs and strollers never seem to wait either.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          26 May26 May 15:39

          Depends on the airport. Some have a fake fast track where you just end up at the normal security and get let in as a sort of super slow queue jump.

          Having been in the normal security at busy times fast track has never been as awful even when it is awful

• Sam says:

  26 May26 May 14:59

  The T3 timeslot does not give you a dedicated security line – it’s only a separate queue to enter the gate barriers but you’ll join the main queue at security

• Blair Waldorf Salad says:

  26 May26 May 15:14

  “In my scenario, there’s no way for an economy passenger to buy their way into a business/first lane. All airlines should be making this clear to the airports. If you don’t differentiate the service on ground for a passenger who has paid extortionate prices then how can you not expect complaints.”

  @Novice, I am in complete agreement with your proposal and this rationale. The amount of times I flew Emirates F from MAN to find myself shaken and shouted at by the apalling basement security process and staff. Shoved in a queue with the bewildered and the clueless, on average 40 mins to get both myself and my secondary screened bags through.

• Blair Waldorf Salad says:

  26 May26 May 15:22

  Careful what you wish for re any record of how often you fly being consolidated for the puposes of security fast track. In Ireland, no doubt the co-governing Greens would see that data as an excellent starting place for an annual flight allowance. There’s sufficient elites in the UK who could talk a PM Starmer into that

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