Do you want to know if it is worth spending more money to skip the lines at security checkpoints? We expose how much more it will cost to use the express lanes at the major airports in the UK
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If you are ready to pay more, the majority of airports in the UK provide a faster route to the departure gate. Passengers can look forward to a less stressful trip thanks to expedited security screening, giving them additional time to relax, eat, and shop. You will have to go through the X-ray machine like everyone else does because all passengers are subject to the same safety inspections, but you should be able to reach Departures more quickly. However, does it make sense to pay extra money for additional minutes in duty-free, or are so-called “faster” lanes just another method to extort money from harried travelers on vacation?
In a hurry? Check out the fine print.
It is essential to have clear terms and conditions before parting with any money so that you are aware of what you are agreeing to before doing so. However, we were unable to locate any terms and conditions for the fast-track service on the websites of Belfast, Gatwick, Glasgow, or Luton airports. For those who did give terms and conditions, we found a few potential problems hidden in the fine language, including the following:
There is no assurance that it will be faster — Airports at Birmingham, East Midlands, Manchester, and Stansted have all stated that they are unable to guarantee that the fast-track lane will be faster than the conventional lanes. No freebies for kids – At some airports, even babies and infants are required to purchase a fast-track ticket; hence, a family of four may be required to spend £28 in order to skip the lines at that airport.
There is no room for strollers, so if you are taking little children with you, resist the urge to pay the additional fee for the fast track. However, you should be aware that many schemes, like as the ones at Manchester and Stansted, will not allow you to pass through with strollers, car seats, or pushchairs. Booking fees: When purchasing fast-track tickets online, certain airports will assess a credit card fee of up to 1.5 percent, which is equivalent to less than 20 pence.
Be wary of Gatwick’s set £2 charge, though, as this represents a 40 percent rise on the price of a fast-track security ticket that normally costs £5. Reservations made in advance While Gatwick and Glasgow are the only airports that accept reservations in advance, the majority of other airports allow you to purchase fast-track tickets inside the terminal, albeit at a higher price. Since the turn-up price is the same at East Midlands, Manchester, and Stansted, you might as well wait to see how long the lines are before handing out the money.
Naturally, the question that everyone is interested in having answered is whether or whether the priority lanes are, in fact, faster. Some airports even declare in their terms and conditions that they cannot promise that the fast-track lane will be any quicker than the conventional security lines. This is the case with airports that provide both types of security lines. According to the data provided by the CAA and the airports themselves, the typical length of time spent waiting in line for security checks falls somewhere between five and seven and a half minutes. This just takes eight to ten minutes, and that’s even during the busiest times of the day (see the infographic that follows).
Check out the fine print
When traveling during busy periods is when you are most likely to feel the benefit of using the fast-track security lanes. If you have a flight that leaves before 10 a.m., you can anticipate that this will be the busiest time of the day at the airport. Although these airport data do not take into account seasonal variances, such as the busy times of the year when schools are on break, the busiest times of the day at an airport should be rather similar throughout the year.
