moxieflyer

Just fired this email off (have plenty of time in line!). I only have the general DM mailbox. Is there a Chairman's preferred address? If so, would greatly appreciate if someone could pass it along. Thx!

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Subject: Complaint: no FastTrack for Envoy at Heathrow?

I am right now standing in a two-hour immigration queue at London Heathrow. When I presented my Envoy boarding pass, the officials informed me that United and Delta pay to participate in the FastTrack program for business class but "US Airways refuses to pay for this" and so, despite my having purchased a premium product from you, I must wait in the two hour line. They were polite about it--almost embarrassed for me--and thus I suspect I'm not the first person to ask about this.

A two-hour wait is not the end of the world, but since I have all this time in line :-), let me give you some feedback with the hope that you will consider adding the FastTrack benefit for Envoy passengers. .With the Olympics coming, lines at Heathrow will only get worse through the summer. As a customer who paid >$5,000 for a premium product, these sort of benefits make a difference. Heck, I could have flown Delta with a JFK connection and made better time. Or BA direct (who also offers FastTrack at T5).

Thank you for your attention.

Moxieflyer
US 728 PHL > LHR
DM# xxxxxx (Chairmans Preferred)

kudzu

[email protected]

Haven't flown into LHR on US, but at LGW I seem to recall being given FastTrack in Envoy (memory is hazy 'cause it's been some time)

dcpatti

I've not gotten fast track at any of the UK airports when flying US in envoy, in ages.
Don't much need it at man (in fact I was through the non-EU line faster than my Mr who is an EU citizen and usually done way before me). Lgw is hit or miss but I don't think I've queued there more than 20 minutes, ever.
Lhr is truly a nightmare, and has been for about 2 years. I have queued for 90 minutes WITH a fast track pass from VS when flying VS upper class. It sucks. Consistently. A fast track pass is just a band-aid.

phlwookie

We get the cards for the faster immigration lines at CDG, you wouldn't think it'd be too hard for them to do it for the one flight a day at LHR.

That said, dcpatti is right - it is but a band-aid, and the border patrol is badly understaffed at Heathrow. Last I was in London, the local papers were all predicting it to be a potentially major embarrassment for the UK around the time of the Olympics. We'll see. My experience there has ranged from through in two minutes to through in 90+ minutes.

Often1

Sending a note will do nothing. Switch to UA xIAD or DL xJFK and they might care a bit.

Remember, US is the old HP and still thinks like HP.

dtremit

Next time, maybe ask them why the additional $100 in departure taxes the UK tacks onto each business-class flight isn't sufficient to get into the short line...

mtkeller

APD goes straight to HM Treasury. BAA (the company that operates the shopping mall better known as LHR) operates the FastTrack queues for security and passport control and charges the carriers for access. The UK Border Force has a handful of agents dedicated to the FT queues because to the best of my knowledge, they don't get anything extra for those queues. Oh, and the way the law is written, economy is actually getting a discount of £65 off the regular APD rate

dcpatti

I am not sure how true this is, but have heard that when the US began requiring a Visa or electronic visa waiver from UK citizens, that the border agents' schedules were "adjusted" to have lighter staffing during times of peak arrivals from the US. Like I said--- not sure how true that is; I heard of this from someone at the British embassy to the US--- but I do know that, if true, it wouldn't be the first time a government expressed its displeasure with another government's rules by starting a silly little tit-for-tat rule. Because face it, is the queue length at passport control really going to put you off visiting a major tourist or business destination like London? Probably not. But it still inconveniences primarily American citizens, possibly as payback for the US inconveniencing UK citizens before they get here.

At any rate--- 100% agree that a fast-track pass is a really great enhancement to any International premium cabin flight, but personally I'd not bother complaining over it. AC doesn't hand them out when landing at Sydney; I can't remember where I was going on UA (somewhere in Spain) but they didn't provide them there; and last time I flew longhaul J with NZ, we didn't get them when landing at LAX. I see it more as an extra treat, like a taxi driver that points out the sights as you pass them, and not a part of the core product.

I do, however, avoid LHR whenever possible. I'll take Gatwick any day (plus it is an extra 1000 miles or so round-trip when we go DCA-CLT-LGW).

kv99

Understand that FastTrack is a band-aid on a much bigger UK Border issue. But it's still something that US should offer -- it's ridiculous to pay $6K R/T on a ticket and stand there in a 1 hour queue looking at an empty FastTrack queue as I did on Wednesday morning.

There were plenty of border agents working that morning, just a huge influx of flights. And while it's really good advice to try and 'avoid' LHR, that's a little difficult to do for some of us!

Anyway, this specifically turns me off of using US next time.

BigVince76

I flew Envoy/First from MAN last year. It took me just under two hours to clear immigration, customs and transfer security at PHL, didn't get a 'fast track' pass then either, just saying.

ibrandsguest

OP, you have a fair point, since one reason to shell out $5k for Envoy is to save time (shorter check-in line, shorter security line, etc.).

I recall getting a FastTrack pass on United when I was in Coach, but US Gold Preferred, years ago.