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Most English airports allow passengers to cut ahead in the security line for a small fee. Yet most Americans don't know about this because they usually visit London by flying into Heathrow, one of England's only airports to not have adopted the fee.
Luton, outside of London, was the first airport to charge £3 ($5) to passengers who want to take a shortcut at airport security, bypassing long lines for a fast-track queue. Passengers can pay for Priority Lane access at an airport kiosk or at the airport's website.
Liverpool's John Lennon Airport charges £4 (about $6.50) at its kiosks. Bristol Airport charges £3.95 (or about $6.50).
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Would you pay to take a fast-track line through airport security?
Gatwick and Stansted don't offer fee-based fast-track security lanes. Gatwick claims that last year, it took on average just 1 minute 47 seconds to pass through security and over 97 percent of the time passengers got through in less than five minutes.
Small side note: I wish I could tell you what average wait times are at U.S. airports, but I can't. The TSA once had a Wait Time Calculator for terminals across the country, but that has been closed since 2009. When you go to a site like FlightStats and see "security wait times" you are looking at estimates that could have no bearing on reality.
A couple of weeks ago, we asked our readers if they would be willing to enroll in a Trusted Traveler program in exchange for getting through security faster. Results of our (admittedly unscientific) blog poll were mixed: Only 28 percent said yes, while others were unsure or skeptical.
We're wondering if U.S. airports should adopt fast-track security lanes for a fee. Right now, many major American airports provide fast-track service as a perk for first-class passengers.
On the one hand, travelers already have to pay airport taxes and facility fees as part of their ticket and this may seem like double-charging. Plus, the system creates a perverse incentive for airports to actually slow down their existing security lines to encourage more people to pay for the shorter lines, which are profitable for the airport.
On the other hand, avoiding getting delayed for a flight because of amateur travelers clogging up the metal detectors is something that some people would be eager to skip for a price.
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Paying to undermine safety, and "break the law", is nothing short of corrupt. Those wacky Brits!
Ah for god sakes give me a friggen break.People choose to do this.Enough with the fear factoring Bull Sh it.It's getting to the point of nauseating.
Who the hell said it was THE LAW,YOU?Those whacky Brits maybe whacky but from time to time they use Common Sense, then us fear mongering IDIOTs.This sir or madam is one of them.
Europeans don't want to come here because of the so called safety CRAP, brought to you by the BOGUS HOMELAND SECURITY AND THE TSA.They said the so called safety bull crap procedure are WAY OVER BLOWN.I Agree with them.One told me it was like coming into Nazi Germany.The woman was 84 yrs. old, so who should know better.She won't come here anymore because of all the Fear Mongering Totalotarian BS Tactics.Her words not mine.By the way she livid in Nazi Germany.She came here once and never again.
There's nothing Corrupt abut this.The person has a choice with this.Not like the Stupid Rediculus TSA Terror Tactics they have in the United States.The so called TSA at the airports are more of a threat than the Terrorists themselves.The people that instituted these human rights obliterating procedures, belong in PRISON, not in the Corrupt Positions they hold now.They are corrupt because they do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FOR YOUR SAFETY.
You have a better chance of getting struck by lightening than being attacked.
SMARTEN THE HELL UP!
I agree with you on the US security crap. In fact, Miami (MIA) pays the price, since it has lost a substantial amount of business on transitory passengers hopping by between Europe and Latin America,
I do NOT agree with you on this being common sense. Putting it simply, everytime someone pays for Fasttrack, it slows the others time, creating perverse situations:
a. Too many people buy fast track, those removing security checklanes for everyone else and slowing them.
b. Too many people buy fasttrack, do not take additional security lanes, and thus slow down fasttrack to normal rate.
In regards to the article, I am one of those overly prepared people who removes all metal objects and puts them in my luggage on the way to the airport. There should be another way of giving people this privilege. For instance, the status of your airline membership, giving frequent flyers access, since they know what they're doing like me. This already exists a lot in the U.S. Unfortunately, due to airline routes and the number of airlines, now that I'm back in Europe, I haven´t been able to reach any status.
But here's a novel thought: Improve the system of going through in the first place. The security that checks your papers first could spend more time checking you have everything done correctly instead of just hanging like they seem to at most airports.
Spain has done a good job of speeding up the other end too, setting up tables and making people clear off the security belts and go to the tables to reorganize themselves.
Mr. O'Neil,
Why did you not include in your article about all of those tens(?) of thousands who signed up for the earlier fast-track security system? What has happened to all of the personal data that company had under its control? What/who from the government and/or TSA made sure that data was not sold, or in some other manner, passed on to anyone who was willing to pay the price? What has been done to ensure that participation in, say, Seattle will be accepted in Atlanta-an issue with the original fast-track program as I recall.
I would say that participating in any new program would be perilous until some fail-safe program is enacted to ensure that another massive data base will not be in danger of disappearing into the ether when this attempt does not get enough participants to make it worth while for the owner of this program.
Dear Plapen,
Thanks for your comment. I was talking about a one-time fee paid on the spot to skip the length of the security line. I was not talking about skipping the actual security process. You are referring to a system to pre-screen travelers. The TSA continues to experiment with tests of such a system. A pilot program for flight crews only starts this summer.
As for personal data regarding CLEAR, one of the two companies that previously attempted to sell a pre-screening services for about $140, the owners insist that personal data submitted to the company is held by its new owner Lockheed Martin Inc. and can be reclaimed by the TSA. Under CLEAR’s contract with members, data cannot be sold to a marketing company or any other company. It's only for an airport security clearance program. I take that statement at face value.
Kind regards,
Sean
Liberty and Equality for all!!!! Unless you want to pay to avoid it. Very American. Maybe we can issue them vouchers to go through a privately run security checkpoint?
Once again money talks louder than the need to dispel anxiety. The terrorists won by allowing additional airline fees to get on an airplane.
The Terrorists won by the fattening up of the TSA and "fear" that has us go through this entire process. You should see travel via airports in other countries....Lines? What lines? Some of them don't even make you take your shoes off!
I would pay $20 be privately and expeditiously cleared through security. Make that $40. The TSA is trying to be politically correct by making grandma take off her diaper (were those morons fired?) while letting Abdullah breeze through. We need to follow Israel's lead and profile.
I'll have no problem with it, just let the fee be a percentage of your annual income, say .1%. So if you make $30,000 a year it would be $30, but if you if your income is so high that you laugh at the price of $30, because you make say $30,000,000, you'll feel the sting a little bit more like your less well off Americans with a fee of $30,000. See perfectly fair.
Might be cheaper just to hide a $10 bill in an orifice as a tip for the TSA, you know, for being gentle.
And yet....there will be so many others who say it's "unfair". I'm still struck by how many people balk at what you've stated here.
Does everybody know why the expedited security lanes at airports today exist - the ones for first class and members of airline frequent flier programs with elite status? Its purely a status thing. Lets face reality clearly: the US is a capitalist country, and our society breeds a need to be better than the next guy.
I have seen first class/elite lines at airports that were longer than the regular lines, and people in suits with carryon bags that look like they fly frequently (ie. "road warriors" who are likely to have status in their airline program) get in the first class/elite line - without looking to see if its longer - because they believe they belong in the 'better' line, and not the 'regular' one. So this expedited screening thing is all about humans' need for security, and status grants security (always has, go back through the middle ages and earlier). So, no amount of decrying programs that put one person above another will ever get rid of them. Alas, its human nature.
Very bad practice that may well lead to a disaster one day.
"amateur travelers"? Give me a break.
The couple that has a suitcase way over 50lbs that is holding up the ticket counter while moving items from one bag to another. The guy in the security line wearing laced-up high-tops that take him 5 minutes to take off. The person that doesn't realize their belt buckle or keys will set off the metal detector and doesn't understand the problem with their keychain pocketknife or the bottles of liquid in their bag. The woman who isn't aware that berating the security official doesn't make the line move faster. The idiots who can't just sit in their seat on the plane, instead blocking the isle for a good two minutes while they put their carry-on away and adjust all their belongings.
I see, so the only people that will be groped going forward are poor people or people who travel infrequently..............can you say discrimination!
And then of course, there are the identity theives who will latch on to someone's TSA records if they decide they want to skip the line and the groping and move right along with their bomb laced luggage!
The DHS and their TSA program is becoming a rather bad joke these days.
So these "poor" people can afford a round-trip ticket to London, but can't do another $5 for the fast-track line?
The Brits only charge $5. Here in the good old USA we get charged $140. We sell a better sense of false security in America.
Of course none of them had 3000 people murdered in one morning, the 2 highest skyscrapers in the world destroyed and their military command 1/5 destroyed
More fees. Aren't the airline fees for everything enough? now they ask for payment just to do their jobs faster. I found a new site to discuss travel experiences and vent at airlineslodgingetc com They also post travel deals and travel contests.