zcat18

Yes, this was a strange circumstance. Long story short, this was a business trip for me that had been booked a couple of months ago, obviously on the company dime. Just a few weeks before departure, my wife decided that she wanted to come with me, so of course, her ticket would be booked with our own funds. J or upgradeable Y fares were not within our personal budget, so she booked a non-upgradeable ticket on the same flights as just a very functional means to get to TLV with me.


I was also pleasantly surprised that wifi was available on the TLV routes, though I know that UA is now churning through its 777 fleet with wifi updates, which is a good thing.

True, it depends on which model they want to follow. Most US airports will let anyone with status, plus their family/traveling companions, through the priority security lanes (TSA Precheck is limited to the individual holding Precheck authorization, though they will usually let Precheck holders' traveling companions go through the priority security line, even if they do not hold status). This does lead to unnecessarily long priority lines. However, premium cabin pax only, plus their traveling companions, probably wouldn't egregiously inflate the Fast Track line, since as you said, it would be rare that someone in a premium cabin would be traveling with too many companions not in J or F. That's just my 2 cents, though.

benberg2013

Further to my earlier post, recently when flying economy together with a friend who was flying business, I was only allowed access to the fast-lane because i was flying together with him, and the woman "was in a good mood" (as she put it) but still no fast track for Elite status.

mikebg

A month or so ago I was travelling with my wife in business class, together with her uncle who was in economy. No such allowances then! So we all went in the regular line.

shuly

A week ago, very quiet time, I was in C and a colleague was in Y, we were both allowed to breeze through.

Shuly

benberg2013

It seems it just depends on the mood of the dragon there at the time.

awayIgo

That is, IMO, categorically unfair and rude. It has been stated earlier in this thread that it is only for those who are flying in the appropriate class. If the line is short ( or nonexistent) the security person may decide to be lenient, or not. BUT, to name-call someone for following the rules is really juvenile.

benberg2013

When ı wrote 'lounge dragon' ı dıd not mean ıt ın a negatıve way - ıt ıs a way people refer to woman at the entrance of the lounge - see thıs thread - thumbs-up-lounge-dragon-vie and the fırst 3 posts.

mikebg

I am sure the origin of the phrase 'lounge dragon' is not that they look like/behave like dragons, but from the folk tales which have dragons guarding caves of treasure ...

It is used very commonly on flyertalk and elsewhere on the net.

Innocent Abroad

I had the most unpleasant experience there last week. I was flying with my son in Business with IB with hand baggage only; for some reason I could only print his boarding pass at home so had to go to the IB counters to get mine (and the vouchers to the lounge) and went from there to the security lane for PAX without luggage. First of all it was crowded as I never saw it before (but that's reasonable) but when we got to the lady that ask the security questions she refused to take care of us because we had the IB BPs and not the one printed at home. I could not tell the difference but she claimed they only admit PAX that did not pass at the airlines counters. I insisted that we were directed to that queue by the airline and that anyway we only have hand luggage, did not pass through security and there is no reason for them not to take care of us. After a quick conversation with a supervisor she was willing to do her job (and I write 'willing" because she did everything very unwillingly). But the worst came after that; she directed us to the regular line and when I told her we fly in Business se took a look at the BPs and said "No, you are not". She insisted on that quite rudely and only when I asked to talk to a supervisor she said there isn't one around but at the end she took our BPs to someone and she let us through.

What a start for a leisure trip

mikebg

I had a similar experience a month ago. When I arrived at the business class fast track entrance the girl there sent me to the regular security, saying that the fast track was 'inside'. I asked there and they said that was nonsense and that the fast track was, as per the signs, where I had gone originally. Only now, instead of no queue, there were about 15 disabled passengers in a queue there ... When I finally reached the machine, the guy there told me the girl was new and was totally clueless about the whole thing ... great staff training there!

joshwex90

ophir_mm, the hand luggage line refused to take you or the Business Class line refused to take you? If the former, it would make sense since you likely had gone through the security interview already and there was no need. If the latter, that's very strange since most C pax have checked luggage and obviously check-in at the desk first

Innocent Abroad

Both did I did not go through "normal" security as we were flying business with HBO. I just went straight to the IB Business counter to get my BP and lounge vouchers and from there headed straight to the HBO line.

After she completed the security routine she simply said that we were not business PAX although I insisted we are (and of course we were). It seems that she was simply being unkind because of the first phase but her suggesting that I do not say the truth regarding business was rude to say the least.

BTW am I correct in understanding that when one flies in business and checks in luggage s/he can still use the "fast track" without having to wait for the security screening there? The proximity of the two lines are not very helpful, anyway.

benberg2013

That's interesting, because once when trying to use the check-in desks they wouldn't print my boarding pass even with HBO if I'd not passed the security questions and got the yellow sticker. Meaning, to get a desk-printed BP, the general security was needed, and only with OLCI + HBO could I use the HBO security questions line
So I think it goes like this: HBO + OLCI = HBO security questions line. If HBO but no OLCI, or OLCI but checking in luggage, general line for security questions.

Correct me if I'm wrong.


Before the check-in desks, in areas A, B, C and D, there are a few lines for the security questions, and in each of those areas one of them is designated for "premium passengers". These are for use by Biz pax who are checking in luggage.


(Just 2 points about this: First - I don't know if elite status card holders are eligible for the security questions premium track, but knowing from the regular security fast track prob not.

Second, Why couldn't anyone use these premium lanes for the security questions - anyone could say they are flying business class - you are not expected to carry a copy of your itinerary with you!

ooops, maybe I shouldn't have written that - now those lines will be fuller )

joshwex90

ophir_mm, so how did you get to the check-in desk? Even if just trying to get a boarding pass, I've never been able to approach without first doing the security interview

Innocent Abroad

It was easy because IB use in the last several months (or perhaps even more than that) the counters that are located around the corner from the A check in section (on the left hand side of the terminal), so no one really sees you.

I travel many times with HBO and since - if I understand correctly - lounge access is only granted with a voucher so I must go first to the counters. It would be annoying to need to go through security just for that. It never happened to me before because I always used my CC to enter. But now things had changed as we all know.