Star Alliance Gold Track (new common *A branding for Premier security)
Sep 9, 2016, 3:14 pm
#47
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Programs: DL PM, MR Titanium/LTP, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 10,130
Used this for the first (and only) time at LHR in July as *G flying SK (to OSL).
My parents were departing a bit earlier on a UA flight in Y back to the US (no status for either of them). I didn't realize there was a limit to guests when approaching the queue (nor did I see any mention of it anywhere - I just saw the Fast Track sign and went towards it).
The gate dragon only let one of my two parents through - looking at FT it's clear that is the rule (again first time using it and didn't realize there was a limit) but given that no one else was in the fast track queue and they were clearly my parents (same last name) - she could've found it in herself to let it slide to save my poor Dad having to go spend 10 minutes in the regular security queue to catch back up with us.
Note: I would've given it up and let my parents both go through and gone in the regular line but that wasn't allowed per the gate dragon because I was the one with *G.
My parents were departing a bit earlier on a UA flight in Y back to the US (no status for either of them). I didn't realize there was a limit to guests when approaching the queue (nor did I see any mention of it anywhere - I just saw the Fast Track sign and went towards it).
The gate dragon only let one of my two parents through - looking at FT it's clear that is the rule (again first time using it and didn't realize there was a limit) but given that no one else was in the fast track queue and they were clearly my parents (same last name) - she could've found it in herself to let it slide to save my poor Dad having to go spend 10 minutes in the regular security queue to catch back up with us.
Note: I would've given it up and let my parents both go through and gone in the regular line but that wasn't allowed per the gate dragon because I was the one with *G.
Sep 20, 2016, 11:59 pm
#48
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: AMS+IAH
Programs: Lufthansa: Senator || IHG: Diamond Royal Ambassador Inner Circle || Plutonium Status
Posts: 3,517
Priority security at AMS T1/T2/T3 as *G is a hit or a miss. Mostly they ask if travelling in business? Even *G with Y bp get turned away because above the security checkpoint it says for First/Business only. Only on their rulessheet does it include *G in Y, so you might need to point it out. Guest excluded at 99% of the times due to the upstairs automated bp scan.
Sep 21, 2016, 2:11 am
#49
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL/MCO
Programs: Costco Executive, RaceTrac Sultan of Soda, Chick-fil-A Red
Posts: 5,664
Priority security at AMS T1/T2/T3 as *G is a hit or a miss. Mostly they ask if travelling in business? Even *G with Y bp get turned away because above the security checkpoint it says for First/Business only. Only on their rulessheet does it include *G in Y, so you might need to point it out. Guest excluded at 99% of the times due to the upstairs automated bp scan.
Oct 1, 2016, 9:38 am
#50
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: 1 thousand
Posts: 2,112
Does anyone have experience with guests in Narita? Similarly, with "regional" airports in China? Specifically wondering if I'm likely to have issues with 2 guests, or whether I should stick to one guest, or no guests (in which case I'd just use the normal lines with my guests).
Along the same lines: how about *G checkin with guests in Narita (all separate tickets), and priority boarding (again, separate tickets)? All flights on NH.
Also, I just discovered that gold track might be expanding to immigration soon:
"There is even more to look forward to as Star Alliance will extend the benefit to offer Gold Track immigration services at a dozen airports worldwide by the end of 2016."
http://www.staralliance.com/en/web/s...nce/gold-track
Along the same lines: how about *G checkin with guests in Narita (all separate tickets), and priority boarding (again, separate tickets)? All flights on NH.
Also, I just discovered that gold track might be expanding to immigration soon:
"There is even more to look forward to as Star Alliance will extend the benefit to offer Gold Track immigration services at a dozen airports worldwide by the end of 2016."
http://www.staralliance.com/en/web/s...nce/gold-track
Last edited by televisor; Oct 1, 2016 at 10:01 am
Oct 25, 2016, 2:33 pm
#51
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Boulder, CO
Posts: 17
Flew through NRT in early Sept 2016. It was a PVG > NRT > DEN flight pattern. Went ANA on the PVG > NRT leg.
Landed, went up an escalator, and immediately hit the transfer security gate. That gate looked like it would handle about 50-75 passengers ... or about 1/4 of our plane's passengers. There wasn't really anywhere to go, either.
It turns out that there were 2 lines: normal and Fast Track. Of course, nobody could actually see those signs as we were dumped from the escalators into a pile of bodies. And, there were no checks or people. So, there were quite a few *G people who were pissed, because the lines just got overwhelmed. They just became two general lines, not a normal an Fast Track line.
Wasn't the passengers' fault. By the time the mess cleared enough to see the Gold Track sign, you would have been in line for 15+ minutes. Nobody's jumping out of line at that point ... particularly since nobody was manning any of the lines.
One of the worst people management scenarios I've seen.
So, that's how NRT works from an international transfer perspective. Enjoy!
Landed, went up an escalator, and immediately hit the transfer security gate. That gate looked like it would handle about 50-75 passengers ... or about 1/4 of our plane's passengers. There wasn't really anywhere to go, either.
It turns out that there were 2 lines: normal and Fast Track. Of course, nobody could actually see those signs as we were dumped from the escalators into a pile of bodies. And, there were no checks or people. So, there were quite a few *G people who were pissed, because the lines just got overwhelmed. They just became two general lines, not a normal an Fast Track line.
Wasn't the passengers' fault. By the time the mess cleared enough to see the Gold Track sign, you would have been in line for 15+ minutes. Nobody's jumping out of line at that point ... particularly since nobody was manning any of the lines.
One of the worst people management scenarios I've seen.
So, that's how NRT works from an international transfer perspective. Enjoy!
Oct 30, 2016, 7:52 am
#52
Join Date: Jun 2016
Programs: AC,OZ Diamond
Posts: 54
Flew through NRT in early Sept 2016. It was a PVG > NRT > DEN flight pattern. Went ANA on the PVG > NRT leg.
Landed, went up an escalator, and immediately hit the transfer security gate. That gate looked like it would handle about 50-75 passengers ... or about 1/4 of our plane's passengers. There wasn't really anywhere to go, either.
It turns out that there were 2 lines: normal and Fast Track. Of course, nobody could actually see those signs as we were dumped from the escalators into a pile of bodies. And, there were no checks or people. So, there were quite a few *G people who were pissed, because the lines just got overwhelmed. They just became two general lines, not a normal an Fast Track line.
Wasn't the passengers' fault. By the time the mess cleared enough to see the Gold Track sign, you would have been in line for 15+ minutes. Nobody's jumping out of line at that point ... particularly since nobody was manning any of the lines.
One of the worst people management scenarios I've seen.
So, that's how NRT works from an international transfer perspective. Enjoy!
Landed, went up an escalator, and immediately hit the transfer security gate. That gate looked like it would handle about 50-75 passengers ... or about 1/4 of our plane's passengers. There wasn't really anywhere to go, either.
It turns out that there were 2 lines: normal and Fast Track. Of course, nobody could actually see those signs as we were dumped from the escalators into a pile of bodies. And, there were no checks or people. So, there were quite a few *G people who were pissed, because the lines just got overwhelmed. They just became two general lines, not a normal an Fast Track line.
Wasn't the passengers' fault. By the time the mess cleared enough to see the Gold Track sign, you would have been in line for 15+ minutes. Nobody's jumping out of line at that point ... particularly since nobody was manning any of the lines.
One of the worst people management scenarios I've seen.
So, that's how NRT works from an international transfer perspective. Enjoy!
Oct 30, 2016, 7:59 am
#53
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: 1 thousand
Posts: 2,112
http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/secu...ection_ss.html
I definitely arrived on the non-clean side when arriving from both mainland china, and mainland europe.
Oct 30, 2016, 8:06 am
#54
Join Date: Jun 2016
Programs: AC,OZ Diamond
Posts: 54
Does anyone have experience with guests in Narita? Similarly, with "regional" airports in China? Specifically wondering if I'm likely to have issues with 2 guests, or whether I should stick to one guest, or no guests (in which case I'd just use the normal lines with my guests).
Along the same lines: how about *G checkin with guests in Narita (all separate tickets), and priority boarding (again, separate tickets)? All flights on NH.
Also, I just discovered that gold track might be expanding to immigration soon:
"There is even more to look forward to as Star Alliance will extend the benefit to offer Gold Track immigration services at a dozen airports worldwide by the end of 2016."
http://www.staralliance.com/en/web/s...nce/gold-track
Along the same lines: how about *G checkin with guests in Narita (all separate tickets), and priority boarding (again, separate tickets)? All flights on NH.
Also, I just discovered that gold track might be expanding to immigration soon:
"There is even more to look forward to as Star Alliance will extend the benefit to offer Gold Track immigration services at a dozen airports worldwide by the end of 2016."
http://www.staralliance.com/en/web/s...nce/gold-track
Later on, at the boarding gate, the two SE100K's saw someone at the gate whom they were familiar with (she was formerly the SE100K concierge), chatted with her a bit, and she then let the entire party of 5 board immediately, before everyone else in J lol.
Granted this probably isn't going to be a typical *G flyer's experience and is highly airline dependent, so I'm not sure how it will work on NH. I think you will probably be fine with a guest (or maybe two) at the check-in counter, but not sure if they will be as lenient with the guests in the security lane and boarding.
On another note, interesting to see the Gold Track lane applying to immigration as well. Would be a nice complement to having TSA Pre-check/global entry/NEXUS outside of North America, and might even make having one of those trusted traveler program a bit less valuable within NA. But of course, there are still some benefits that those programs offer above a faster queue, and the Gold Track will never be as prevalent across NA airports as the trusted traveler programs.
Nov 28, 2016, 4:02 am
#55
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Canada
Programs: AC E50k, A3*G, UA*S, MR Titanium, HHonors Gold, Carlson Gold, NEXUS
Posts: 3,669
Apparently Gold Track now includes immigration at ADD, AMS, BNE, CAI, CDG, DME, IST, MEL, SAW, and SYD according to http://www.staralliance.com/en/gold-track-immigration -- curiously, only ADD and CAI have Gold Track for arrivals immigration. Additionally, it's limited by terminal. CDG-2A, where AC flies from, doesn't have Gold Track, for example. It's only CDG 2B/C, which basically only serves AI. How helpful...
Nov 28, 2016, 9:48 am
#56
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: OZ Diamond *A Gold / Delta Gold
Posts: 775
Apparently Gold Track now includes immigration at ADD, AMS, BNE, CAI, CDG, DME, IST, MEL, SAW, and SYD according to http://www.staralliance.com/en/gold-track-immigration -- curiously, only ADD and CAI have Gold Track for arrivals immigration. Additionally, it's limited by terminal. CDG-2A, where AC flies from, doesn't have Gold Track, for example. It's only CDG 2B/C, which basically only serves AI. How helpful...
Nov 28, 2016, 10:14 am
#57
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Seat 1A, Juice pretty much everywhere, Mucci des Coins Exotiques
Posts: 34,339
Apparently Gold Track now includes immigration at ADD, AMS, BNE, CAI, CDG, DME, IST, MEL, SAW, and SYD according to http://www.staralliance.com/en/gold-track-immigration -- curiously, only ADD and CAI have Gold Track for arrivals immigration. Additionally, it's limited by terminal. CDG-2A, where AC flies from, doesn't have Gold Track, for example. It's only CDG 2B/C, which basically only serves AI. How helpful...
Nov 30, 2016, 9:24 am
#59
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: 1 thousand
Posts: 2,112
My second time through NRT was a bit of a mess: queue extended far beyond the signs, luckily I arrived at the security area just as the queue was starting to outgrow the signed area, so I still got into goldtrack. No checking of status though. All my other transits, security has been fairly empty (there seem to be 2-3 separate security areas for transfers in NRT, I wonder if walking around to find an emptier checkpoint is worthwhile)?
For departures SFO is well signed and enforced, LHR is extremely well enforced but not as well signed, it's also well segregated.
ZRH didn't have any *G signs the last time I went through. They have a priority/business/first lane, which I was able to use as *G (enforcement only when it's busier), I'm not sure if they used to state *G in the past.
Gold track would have been really nice in TPE though, they had absolutely no priority, except for e-gates for citizens. That said, the security and border queues moved quite fast, so it didn't feel like a bad wait.
For departures SFO is well signed and enforced, LHR is extremely well enforced but not as well signed, it's also well segregated.
ZRH didn't have any *G signs the last time I went through. They have a priority/business/first lane, which I was able to use as *G (enforcement only when it's busier), I'm not sure if they used to state *G in the past.
Gold track would have been really nice in TPE though, they had absolutely no priority, except for e-gates for citizens. That said, the security and border queues moved quite fast, so it didn't feel like a bad wait.