A3*G not allowed to use the fast track at ARN
Oct 17, 2017, 8:32 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Gotheburg, Sweden
Programs: FB PFL; HH Silver
Posts: 19
A3*G not allowed to use the fast track at ARN
Anyone here has a clue as to why A3*G are not allowed to the fast track at ARN? (at least not officially, more often than not they let me use it anyway, but I always have to argue and sometimes show my Gold card).
Seems to be inconsistent with "Consistent recognition of your status throughout the entire Star Alliance network" as it says on A3's website
Seems to be inconsistent with "Consistent recognition of your status throughout the entire Star Alliance network" as it says on A3's website
Oct 17, 2017, 8:47 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Netherlands
Programs: KL Platinum; A3 Gold
Posts: 28,722
Given ATH is only a 4-times a week service [the other routes are less frequent and/or seasonal; many, I suspect, only available with a single class of service], this is more leisure-oriented than business. Not every airline will pay for fast track and priority at every point that they serve. This is not particularly unusual.
Oct 17, 2017, 9:41 am
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Gotheburg, Sweden
Programs: FB PFL; HH Silver
Posts: 19
Fair enough, thanks. Sounds reasonable. Follow-up question 
(or observation rather): I found the "Gold Track" information on the Star Alliance website. Apparently GOT doesn't have a "Gold Track" either, but here I'm always allowed to use the fast track...
(or observation rather): I found the "Gold Track" information on the Star Alliance website. Apparently GOT doesn't have a "Gold Track" either, but here I'm always allowed to use the fast track...
Oct 17, 2017, 1:39 pm
#5
Community Director
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Norwich, UK
Programs: A3*G, BA Gold, BD Gold (in memoriam), IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 8,476
Most of the Scandinavian airports don’t have Gold Track, or Fast Track for *G card holders. It isn’t a right everywhere. It does seem that SK have a near monopoly on Fast Track at their hubs - ARN & CPH are certainly two where only their premium passengers (from Y+ upwards) and own elites get the benefit.
Oct 17, 2017, 3:28 pm
#7
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 157
I guess you are flying A3 out of ARN, right? I think it states really good in A3site that ARN is not on a fasttrack list.
On the other hand, if you are A3gold and fly SAS out, you are free to use fasttrack even though it doesnt say on the BP. The computer screen when you scan bp before security at ARN always says "Fasttrack OK"
On the other hand, if you are A3gold and fly SAS out, you are free to use fasttrack even though it doesnt say on the BP. The computer screen when you scan bp before security at ARN always says "Fasttrack OK"
Oct 17, 2017, 4:49 pm
#8
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
Most of the Scandinavian airports don’t have Gold Track, or Fast Track for *G card holders. It isn’t a right everywhere. It does seem that SK have a near monopoly on Fast Track at their hubs - ARN & CPH are certainly two where only their premium passengers (from Y+ upwards) and own elites get the benefit.
Oct 18, 2017, 2:11 am
#10
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,565
I quote from Wikipedia (my highlighting):
The term Scandinavia always includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The remote Norwegian islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen are usually not seen as a part of Scandinavia, nor is Greenland, an overseas territory of Denmark. However, the Faroe Islands, also a Danish overseas territory, are sometimes included, as sometimes are Iceland, Finland, and the Finnish autonomous region of the Åland Islands, because of their historical association with the Scandinavian countries and the Scandinavian peoples and languages.[3] This looser definition almost equates to that of the Nordic countries. In the local languages, Skandinavia/Skandinavien often means the European parts of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, whereas the name Norden is more commonly used for the extended region that includes Finland, Iceland, and overseas parts of Denmark and Norway.
Let's not be ‘holier than thou’
The term Scandinavia always includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The remote Norwegian islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen are usually not seen as a part of Scandinavia, nor is Greenland, an overseas territory of Denmark. However, the Faroe Islands, also a Danish overseas territory, are sometimes included, as sometimes are Iceland, Finland, and the Finnish autonomous region of the Åland Islands, because of their historical association with the Scandinavian countries and the Scandinavian peoples and languages.[3] This looser definition almost equates to that of the Nordic countries. In the local languages, Skandinavia/Skandinavien often means the European parts of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, whereas the name Norden is more commonly used for the extended region that includes Finland, Iceland, and overseas parts of Denmark and Norway.
Let's not be ‘holier than thou’
Oct 18, 2017, 2:59 am
#11
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NW London and NW Sydney
Programs: BA Diamond, Hilton Bronze, A3 Diamond, IHG *G
Posts: 6,344
If we want to be unambiguous about it, just say the Nordic countries and then Finland is definitely included.
But I think that when NWIFlyer said Scandinavia, he was thinking about the three countries of Scandinavian Airlines rather than a wider definition.
As for CPH, which I went through many times this summer in my attempt to renew A3*G, my experiences are as follows:
Flying A3 in C - I was able to access CPH fast track
Flying SK in Y - variable. Sometimes my mobile BP worked, sometimes it didn't. Sometimes they let me through manually and sometimes they don't (then they tell me to go to the SAS fast track, which is something separate from the main security area and only SK*G and SK Y+/J are granted access).
At OSL I was able to use SAS fast track on SK Y. Not sure if there is a separate fast track, but the sign at the entrance only referred to Eurobonus Gold and not other *G.
Never been through ARN when it has been busy enough for fast track to make a difference.
But I think that when NWIFlyer said Scandinavia, he was thinking about the three countries of Scandinavian Airlines rather than a wider definition.
As for CPH, which I went through many times this summer in my attempt to renew A3*G, my experiences are as follows:
Flying A3 in C - I was able to access CPH fast track
Flying SK in Y - variable. Sometimes my mobile BP worked, sometimes it didn't. Sometimes they let me through manually and sometimes they don't (then they tell me to go to the SAS fast track, which is something separate from the main security area and only SK*G and SK Y+/J are granted access).
At OSL I was able to use SAS fast track on SK Y. Not sure if there is a separate fast track, but the sign at the entrance only referred to Eurobonus Gold and not other *G.
Never been through ARN when it has been busy enough for fast track to make a difference.
Oct 18, 2017, 6:25 am
#12
Suspended
Join Date: May 2017
Location: In the Swiss amoeba's head
Programs: Lowest level possible
Posts: 2,829
I quote from Wikipedia (my highlighting):
The term Scandinavia always includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The remote Norwegian islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen are usually not seen as a part of Scandinavia, nor is Greenland, an overseas territory of Denmark. However, the Faroe Islands, also a Danish overseas territory, are sometimes included, as sometimes are Iceland, Finland, and the Finnish autonomous region of the Åland Islands, because of their historical association with the Scandinavian countries and the Scandinavian peoples and languages.[3] This looser definition almost equates to that of the Nordic countries. In the local languages, Skandinavia/Skandinavien often means the European parts of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, whereas the name Norden is more commonly used for the extended region that includes Finland, Iceland, and overseas parts of Denmark and Norway.
Let's not be ‘holier than thou’
The term Scandinavia always includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. The remote Norwegian islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen are usually not seen as a part of Scandinavia, nor is Greenland, an overseas territory of Denmark. However, the Faroe Islands, also a Danish overseas territory, are sometimes included, as sometimes are Iceland, Finland, and the Finnish autonomous region of the Åland Islands, because of their historical association with the Scandinavian countries and the Scandinavian peoples and languages.[3] This looser definition almost equates to that of the Nordic countries. In the local languages, Skandinavia/Skandinavien often means the European parts of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, whereas the name Norden is more commonly used for the extended region that includes Finland, Iceland, and overseas parts of Denmark and Norway.
Let's not be ‘holier than thou’
Being a Swedish citizen and having lived in the area for decades, I think I have a fair understanding of which countries belong to Scandinavia. But I guess that if a wikipedia article states that some people may sometimes include Finland when they speak about Scandinavia, I must be wrong.
Oct 18, 2017, 3:23 pm
#13
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
You are wrong! And if you believe it or not, even Switzerland belongs to Scandinavia, as Switzerland is a beautiful city in Sweden 
Just believe the Americans... And we - Swiss Swedens of Switzerland - also have close relationshiop to eastern Europe states according them...
Just believe the Americans... And we - Swiss Swedens of Switzerland - also have close relationshiop to eastern Europe states according them...
Oct 18, 2017, 3:28 pm
#14
Community Director
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Norwich, UK
Programs: A3*G, BA Gold, BD Gold (in memoriam), IHG Diamond Ambassador
Posts: 8,476
I think it might, perhaps, be time to move on from geography semantics and back towards lounge access in ARN and other associated SK hubs ...
/mod
/mod
Oct 19, 2017, 12:44 pm
#15
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: LON BCN SYD
Programs: BA, OZ, A3, VA, VS, DL, QF, former BD and others
Posts: 1,074
*A should sort Gold Track - if they are going to promote it as a global benefit, which they do on their website, they should roll it out everywhere the can, even where *A airlines (SK, SQ) don't seem to want to offer it at their own hubs where they have their own arrangements for their own elites.