Originally Posted by
Chiro1979
Hey everyone. I have a question for the experts about LHR (I haven't been there in years). I will be flying EWR-LHR-BKK (F on UA and J on TG). I have quite a long layover in LHR so I will be going out to explore the city. When I return to LHR from my adventures, what is required to gain access to fast track for security/immigration, etc? Is the TG boarding pass sufficient or do I need an invite (in which case would I get this from UA when I check in at EWR even though I'm continuing with TG, or can I get one at the arrivals lounge before I head into the city?). I tried to do some research online and it seems that a boarding pass in J should be sufficient, but I just wanted to confirm this. Thanks for your help!
You need an invite (which you'll get on board in F) to get into the Fast Track lane upon ARRIVAL (i.e., at immigration). You DO NOT need a business/first ticket to get into that lane at immigration. To get into the Fast Track security lane for DEPARTURES, you just need your boarding pass (one indicating that you are either in a premium cabin or *G).
As a side note, when you arrive at LHR, if you have any inkling that you might be flying through/to LHR again, I'd suggest that before you jump into the Fast Track lane at immigration, that you assess the length of the Fast Track/non-Fast Track queues. Sometimes, if the non-Fast Track queue is of reasonable length (e.g., 2 or 3 dozen people), I like to hold onto my Fast Track invitation for a future trip when I might not be able to upgrade to C. Sometimes, there's only one agent working the Fast Track queue, versus several working the non-Fast Track queue.