Fast track security
 

Hi
Flying Emirates businss class to Sri Lanka from London Gatwick via Dubai. Can we use the fast track security facility at Gatwick and Dubai. Reason I ask is that we flew Emirates economy from Gatwick to Cape Town via Dubai 5 years ago and it took us well over an hour to go through security after getting off the Gatwick flight.

Yes you can. It is available to F & J passengers as well as Platinum and Gold Skywards card holders

I've never had success using it though- always told when I asked that fast track cards are for immigration not security.

Normally travelling business class to DXB you will be given a priority pass shortly before your arrival. This pass is supposed to allow you to use the fast track lanes for both arrival and transit.
From my experience, if you are transiting the pass is utterly useless. Although there is a specific lane within the transit security area which is clearly marked for first/business class passengers, staff never ask for the pass or check that the passenger is travelling first or business class. As a result, you may well find that every ‘man and their dog’ are queuing up in that lane, and it’s no quicker than any of the other lanes.
Depending upon your time of arrival, the number of arriving flights at that time and how many security lanes are ‘open’ will dictate how quickly you are able to get through transit. I have cleared transit security in as little as 10 minutes from time of arriving there (this being an exception), but normally I would expect 20-30 minutes.
I hope your transit time is not short. Good luck.

My experience has been more promising. Usually I transit around 7am and have rarely had to queue for more than 2 or 3 minutes. Recently the priority lanes have been reasonably policed and quiet.

Thanks for the information.

Hi all,

EK no longer provide Fast Track security for Plat/Gold departing and GLA travelling in Y. Does anyone know of other outstations where this is the case?

There are many where it has never existed, CPT, JNB, HYD for sure, and IIRC DUB, HAM (I used mobile BP though, perhaps if I had asked at the counter, massive lines). at BHX they told me to use the fast track line but the dragon didn't seem to think I was eligible, when I said EK staff had told me to she let me past though. (I had pointed out the Gold on my BP)

They haven't been providing it for quite some time now. I asked this on the forum last year and if memory serves, people were unsure so I asked the check in supervisor last November. She informed me that EK had got their knuckles tapped by GLA management because the only EK passengers that were allowed to use Fast Track were F & J but it hadn't seemed to filter down and check in staff had mistakenly been advising elites in Y that they could use it :eek:

S

See my comment in my previous post about BHX, sounds like that's exactly what happened there as well

Sounds like it. Wonder if it was a contractual oversight or if elites were never intended to qualify at these outstations? In my case, the supervisor had told me they had been advising pax for a few years that it was okay before the tap on knuckles to remind them otherwise.

S

You say tap on the knuckles, I say EK got the bill from the airport and balked :D

To be honest, the way the supervisor explained was as if they were only told off and instructed that only J & F access to fast rack was permitted

S

Depends on the contract, whether it's a flat rate or per-pax. It's probably a flat rate, so EK figured they could get away with it, then either airport told them to stop as they exceeded the assumed quota (possibly even in the contract defined) or as you say sent a bill for excess usage, which EK wouldn't have paid, but would've served the point of getting them to stop

No fast track at OSL for Y regardless of frequent flyer status.

Got fast track with Gold and Y at CPH

At it makes a huge difference

Saved about 45min

Ha, so if you buy the upgrade offer ex-GLA/BHX you get Fast Track. Good to know.

Can't you just buy the fast track separately?

I thought it was only sold with lounge access, but it's available as a stand alone too. £4.99 GBP

https://prebook.glasgowairport.com/en/?pt=3

Have been asked the last couple of times for my Priority card for transiting DXB - was never the case before. Made a big difference, especially transiting at midnight.

Same at MAN, and I guess other UK airports.

MAN has also just introduced FastTrack immigration :eek:

How do I get that? Queue was ridiculous last time I landed.

Manchester Airport website. Must be booked in advance.

S

I didn't even see a sign for fast track immigration- let's see if F pax get it when I fly back on 15th sept

By the way as gold or plat you should get fast track in my view

If it the same as LHR fastrack immigration only applies to non-UK/EEA passport holders - not helpful on the days only 2 e-readers are operating.....

I save them and use the regular line, in my last 4 or 5 transits there was no queue for the regular line. Midnight and morning rushes.

Going back to your specific question,

Gatwick - security at Gatwick is excellent, so much better than Heathrow, even at the peak of the holiday season. I'd not bother with Fasttrack, which has a limited number of channels. Head to the main security gates, use the ones to the right (they're at right angles to the larger line of them), and head to the scanners towards the right. I rarely have to queue at all.

Dubai - show your boarding pass or fast track card and they'll let you through. Some Gatwick flights land outside peak hours and you'll not have to queue for long.

I've never removed my laptop etc at Dubai and they just don't seem to care (although I was once pulled aside for having some magnetic whiteboard tape in my bag, so someone was awake that day)

It only started August 1st. I doubt very much EK will know anything about it, as it's a MAN specific thing. No doubt other airports will pick up on it.

When I got back from AMS a couple of weeks ago, the queues were quite long. Only half of the e-gates were operational. When I asked why, I was told that each bank of 5 e-gates needs one member of staff. As they were expecting the late DXB flight, one of the e-gate operators had been moved to the non-EU desks.

No, anybody can buy it.

Also has anyone noticed that the way express security in Sydney works is bizarre? You pass through your departing immigration station (which is already in the express area) and hand your card over at the X-ray/search. It means it is a potential free for all as there is no way back once you're through and you don't need to show your card before.

At DUB I've used fast track security in Y with Gold, printed boarding pass, the guy scanning the BP noticeably clocked 'Gold' and moved me through. Didn't get my Op-up until the gate ;)

I was quite surprised to receive a fast track security sticker at Gatwick last month as a Silver in Y. But as with Lux's experience, security was a breeze (especially so on the evening EK flight when there are only a handful of departures out of LGW North anyway) and queues were also nonexistent in the regular security line.

(Priority boarding would have been more helpful to skip the main Y line, but with the inconsistencies of this working at outstations, ah well)