Is using airport fast-track services fair?

[Keith009]

I see it as a value-added service for paying for a higher class of service. Paying for premium tickets or being an elite traveller gets you better pre-departure facilities, better seats onboard etc - why shouldn't it get you a better arrivals experience?

Some of the arguments mounted in this thread reminds me of the saying "Communism - equality in poverty and misery."

 

[tuapekastar]

Regardless of whether I have an issue with 'fairness' of fast-track for premium pax and the like (and TBH I don't, it's a perk, whether paid for by gaining status, flying J/F or paying 3 quid at Luton), if it's available to me (which it is in limited quantities), then I'll damn well take it. Why queue if you don't have to?

 

[SnowYeti]

Regardless of whether I have an issue with 'fairness' of fast-track for premium pax and the like (and TBH I don't, it's a perk, whether paid for by gaining status, flying J/F or paying 3 quid at Luton), if it's available to me (which it is in limited quantities), then I'll damn well take it. Why queue if you don't have to?

I agree! (for me anyway)

 

[stryker]

Some of the arguments mounted in this thread reminds me of the saying "Communism - equality in poverty and misery."

Obviously you have never heard of the communist elite being "more equal" than the proletariat.

No misery or poverty in communism if you know the right people.

A bit like capitalism if you ask me.

And I am UA *G, 1K, MM before you accuse me of being a cough head.

Have a nice day...

 

[Zardoz]

I see it as a value-added service for paying for a higher class of service. Paying for premium tickets or being an elite traveller gets you better pre-departure facilities, better seats onboard etc - why shouldn't it get you a better arrivals experience?

Some of the arguments mounted in this thread reminds me of the saying "Communism - equality in poverty and misery."

Of course airlines treat their premium passengers better, but why should that extend to the treatment given by an apparently unrelated, third party ie customs? In their eyes, J/F/WP or whatever should be irrelevant.
Is the taxi queue next?

Communism? No, think democratic.

Originally posted by Dave Noble
Availablle pretty much to anyone prepared to pay for one, not that different a concept except that it is a period pass rather than a one off

Dave, you are correct about the APEC card, but feel there is a point of difference as this is an arrangement between you & the govt, no airlines involved.
And, maybe in practice it’s easy to get, but on the face of it - a demonstrated need for work related travel to particular countries at least 3 times a year - is hardly pretty much anyone.

PS Thanks for the greeting, Mal.

 

[Dave Noble]

]

Dave, you are correct about the APEC card, but feel there is a point of difference as this is an arrangement between you & the govt, no airlines involved.

And how is that any different than a relationship than between you and an airport to avoid queuing or for an airline and an airport to avoid queuing for its premium passengers

Theme parks off similar options; you can pay a fair bit more but get a fast track pass for queuing

Dave

 

[SnowYeti]

I think of it this way. If you pay to use an express service and go to a specific/dedicated queue, then obviously someone has to pay for that person to be serving. If there was no such express service, maybe this person wouldn't necessarily have to be rostered on. So effectively you're paying for it, and it's not unfair.....

 

[Keith009]

Of course airlines treat their premium passengers better, but why should that extend to the treatment given by an apparently unrelated, third party ie customs? In their eyes, J/F/WP or whatever should be irrelevant.
Is the taxi queue next?

Communism? No, think democratic.

Because it's a facility organised between airlines and customs, in which airlines get charged for participating in the arrangement. So as an eligible passenger of a participating airline, you've paid for the service via your ticket or qualified to use said facility as a perk of your elite status. It's no different from providing priority check in queues or lounges (as airlines rent their space from the airport operator) or luggage (most airlines contract ground handling out to a third party especially at outstations).

In the case of LTN, it sounds like the airports themselves provide the service rather than airline-funded. But again, if I can pay for a higher class of service when flying, why shouldn't I be able to choose to pay for better treatment at the airport?

Taxi queues at MEL aren't that bad - but at some airports, heck I'll gladly pay for priority taxi queues!

 

[simongr]

Is the taxi queue next?

No - it is already there. I pay for a hire car/limo and never have to queue for a cab.

 

[Moody]

So we've successfully killed off the ridiculous egalitarian argument and are back to the haves and the have nots.

Private enterprise promotes this fully because it maximises profits by creating a material "benefit" of paying for elite status. When the poor family on their once in a decade holiday queues for hours with the kids getting fractious and the parents getting frustrated, I'm sure they think to themselves "Let's pay 5 times the amount next time and fly business so that we can be fast-tracked by the airline". Or maybe they suck it up and try to laugh it off as part of the adventure. In any case if they receive poor service from the airline they can always take their business elsewhere.

But for the airport and C&I to try and jump on the bandwagon is morally dubious because you don't have a choice of providers. So there is the family returning from a long holiday and a long-haul flight, and they are faced with the choice of a long queue or a nice little backhander to the DC to unclip the rope and let you through. It's an airport not a stuck-up nightclub, isn't it?

Oh - and by the way. Communism died 20 years ago and capitalism is currently a walking zombie, so how about we work out a new system that screws the least amount of people for a change.

 

[harvyk]

When the poor family on their once in a decade holiday queues for hours with the kids getting fractious and the parents getting frustrated, I'm sure they think to themselves "Let's pay 5 times the amount next time and fly business so that we can be fast-tracked by the airline". Or maybe they suck it up and try to laugh it off as part of the adventure.

A couple of years ago, I went on my first flight in nearly 8 years. I was so excited about flying somewhere that I didn't mind the BS that goes with getting through airports. It was all part of the experience. Now fast forward on a few years where I'm now flying every couple of weeks the novelty is over. What I once laughed off as "part of the experience" I now look at as an annoyance which must be over and done with quickly.

This is the thing, the family waiting in lines with kids, the family doesn't really care because the excitment of going on a plane is kicking in. I can vouch for this personally because about 4 weeks ago I took my family (who are not frequent flyers by any stretch of the imagination) OS, and the excitement of what they where about to do overwrote any annoyance in having to queue at security \ immigration \ customs etc...

 

[simongr]

other things like security, customs and immigration are a mandatory part of flying and, to pay for them, a tax is paid on each ticket. Effectively, passengers have already paid for these services by paying the tax.... If these serviecs aren't being provided efficiently, I think it's fair to say that any attempts to get extra money to provide these services better is an abuse of market power by private operators.

The C&I services are run by the Government and funded by the taxes that you pay. The premium that some pax are paying is not for the service it is for a faster service.

 

[Zardoz]

My main issue is whatever your dealings with a private company should have no bearing on how you are subsequently treated by a govt dept. That said, the financials behind all of this are still murky to me. The implication here is the airline (and, by extension, the pax) is paying for fast track services. Is this an assumption simply because of it's existence, or fact?

Interestingly, a quick check of the QF website on fare classes and elite status and there is no reference to priority at C & I for premium pax. Now I know there are unwritten benefits, but if this is one and it actually costs them (as opposed to others - exit rows, etc which, in essence, cost them nothing), why wouldn’t they want to advertise it?

 

[Dave Noble]

My main issue is whatever your dealings with a private company should have no bearing on how you are subsequently treated by a govt dept.

They don't. The fast track service gets you to the immigration officers quicker, but has no bearing on the processing

Dave

 

[NM]

My concern is they may degrade the "standard" service as a way to encourage more people to pay for the "enhanced" service. Will we see the situation at LTN where there is one person processing the "standard" queue and 15 lanes for the "enhanced" queue, giving people the choice of a 2 our delay or pay extra and get through in 2 mins.

I know that is an extreme example and at some point the "free market" will equalise and the 2 hour queue will not eventuate as more people pay the enhanced fee. But it is a situation that should be monitored to ensure the end result is an enhanced service for those paying extra and not a reduced service for those choosing not to pay extra.

 

[Moody]

They don't. The fast track service gets you to the immigration officers quicker, but has no bearing on the processing

Dave

Contratulations. That is the most ridiculous comment ever uttered by a forum member.

How are you planning on topping that one?

 

[Dave Noble]

Contratulations. That is the most ridiculous comment ever uttered by a forum member.

How are you planning on topping that one?

What on earth is ridiculous about it. The fast track makes no difference to the processing by the immigration officer ; all it does is get to the immigration officer quicker and perfectly relevent in relation to post being replied to regarding treatment by a gov't dept

Dave

 

[pauly7]

My concern is they may degrade the "standard" service as a way to encourage more people to pay for the "enhanced" service. Will we see the situation at LTN where there is one person processing the "standard" queue and 15 lanes for the "enhanced" queue, giving people the choice of a 2 our delay or pay extra and get through in 2 mins.
.

No, they will probably just introduce another premium enhanced fastrack on top of the enhanced fastrack

 

[NM]

No, they will probably just introduce another premium enhanced fastrack on top of the enhanced fastrack

Ahh yes, the Executive Premium Fast Track service

 

[straitman]

Contratulations. That is the most ridiculous comment ever uttered by a forum member.

How are you planning on topping that one?

Moody,

Having a Moody day were we :?: