The first wing security channel is just a security channel. If you can avoid security (which you can arriving on a T5 domestic) then that’s the best experience. Going through security sucks, just the first wing tends to suck less than the other channels. But there’s still times it can be busy there, still times your bag may be pulled for a search or the metal detector bleeps and you need to go in the scanner/get a pat down. Why would anyone want to go out their way for that experience?

As for the special entrance to the CCR, I recommend that when coming from an international connection when you go through security as you’re already at that level and it saves going up and down escalators but coming from a domestic I recommend going through the standard entrance as you’re on the lower level and need to go up escalators anyway you might as well take the one up to the lounge complex rather than fight through all the crowds exiting security upstairs.

kileysmom mentions the secret door, sometimes also known as the millionaires door or the special entrance as I call it to those unfamiliar with the other terms. One thing has changed since covid, there’s no longer a second desk inside the entrance they check everything outside the door of that lounge now. Before covid they just used to check outside that you qualified and then the scanning of boarding passes to log your entry was conducted inside. What took two people now takes one