To think that proposed charge for fast track through passport control is a bloody cheek

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Travellers face £5 charge to get through passport control faster - the guardian
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So charges at every airport to get through passport control quickly - surely this means longer queues for everyone else who can't stump up the cash as the staff are elsewhere serving those rich enough to queue jump? Given that it's a public service that we already pay for through taxes etc, this feels really cheeky to me.

I've never had to wait more than 20 minutes to get back home through EU/UK passport control. And I travel a lot, but mostly through Edinburgh. Maybe I've been lucky.

Wasonthelist has nailed it again. You're not paying for a better service - you're paying for the service that should be standard.

Also, the examples alpacapicnic gave are all private enterprise and examples of capitalism at work, rather than government services that we already pay for through taxes. In that sense , they are also different to the airport parking charges or drop off zone charges, which are also charges levied by a private company running the airport but equally a rip off and unavoidable

I've had to wait ages at gatwick and Heathrow - time your arrival with a few big planes, and you can be in a massive backlog.

I really don't think it's a case of the riches. £5 isn't that much in the grand scheme of things, if you can afford to fly anyway. I'm not rich but can most definitely afford £5 but would choose not to. I've never had to queue too long really.. and even if I do, that's just life. Airports get very busy and even with lots of people checking passports it still sometimes takes time. I just see it as part of flying. That's why you get there early etc...

There already is a fast track system for people without under 18's anyway as they can go through scanners..

So it is another family tax.

We got fast tracked through passport control as my father in law was profoundly deaf and needed a wheelchair due to a fall on holiday. We had special assistance from Ryanair as I struggled to manage two children, luggage and someone in a wheelchair.

I don't see the problem with fast track passport control.

Heathrow T3 has started letting 12 year olds and above through the automatic recognition at arrivals. I was pleasantly surprised a few days ago, and it meant I no longer have to join the long queue with DS. If paying £5 could get me out even quicker, I would happily pay.

Yes we used the fast track system at Heathrow a couple of weeks ago as a family. Much better than the previous time when I also felt that they were trying to catch us out "where have you flown in from"? Presumably it was showing on their computer screen!

I am glad they've smartened up though. They used to sit there, chewing gum and wearing wooly cardigans. At least now they wear uniforms and look like they might mean business. I thought they were deeply unprofessional before.

I would be tempted to pay the £5 if I were on my own with hand luggage only. But it's not worth it if you've got to wait for your luggage anyway.

Presumably the £5 pays for extra channels and so staff would not be diverted?

Airports have had to take on so much extra recently , the space, equipment and staff to address ever tighter security measures.

Plus more and more passengers with electronic gadgets, so many 2 year olds with iPads etc!

Plus the growing trend to take carry on baggage only means they have huge amounts of stuff to scan and examine.

This is all airport cost, not airline. Would you rather the airport charge the airline who automatically pass the cost on to all customers, or would you rather have the option to pay direct and choose a quicker service?

I've never had to wait that long at arrivals (10-15 minutes at most) or answer questions about where I've been.

This is flying from Europe outside the main summer season, to airports across the north of England, including Manchester.

Are the queues predominantly a 'Heathrow and Gatwick in the school holidays' problem?

Stansted is also letting 12 year olds through the scanners ......

Offline - you are talking about pre-departure "security" checks, and my heart bleeds for the poor old airports. I strongly suspect they have passed on the costs, plus a bit more to the airports.

This is entirely different from the massive queues in arrivals to show your passport to someone from the Border Force or whatever they are called this week.

Are the queues predominantly a 'Heathrow and Gatwick in the school holidays' problem

No EMA is shocking.

I think it's highly unlikey the Border Farce computer knows where you arrived from too BTW.

i hate the idea of a rich queue and the hoi polloi being left to suck it up

I'm afraid you are far too late on this one. The actual rich had this sorted years ago.

People flying business and first class have been getting Fast Track queues for years. At security, at the gates, at immigration

And if you have a Platimum American Express card, you get a little stash of passes to get you into the fast track queues with an economy ticket.

Someone with an extra £5 to pay towards their holiday. It's less than the cost of a drink in the airport. Unless you want to label everyone in Wetherspoons nursing a pint as 'rich' as well!

I only ever use fast track at Heathrow. It's shit. If I was paying extra I would at least expect a better quality of service. To be fair since the so called security measures I haven't used to normal channel. But I would pay a hundred quid to go through a channel where they weren't abusive.

Crackerdog, staff at UK aiports seem to go on a special unpleasantness training course. The contrast between them and the charming and polite (really) folk at Dublin couldn't be more stark. I take no pleasure in this as I am English with no Irish heritage - we could learn a lot about dojng shitty jobs with politeness and good humour from Dublin.

Or Jeddah...which is considerably nicer. Or Colombo which warns you that you will be hung or shot if you smuggle drugs. Still nicer. Or Doha where they smile and give children sweets if there's a long queue. Although in Doha everything is electronic so unless I've forgotten my card I don't have to interact with a human. Much better.

Add Bristol to the list of airports with appallingly bad staff. Rude, unpleasant, and some of the men seem to be on a power trip. i fucking hate UK airports. There is not one i've flown from, where the security staff have been pleasant.
How some of these people have got customer facing jobs is beyond me
Completely agree about Dublin. Really pleasant staff, and they don't look at you like a piece of shit on their shoe.

Is it because airports are usually in really shit areas? Heathrow/Hounslow etc?

When I lived near Heathrow I had a school hours job there. Clearly uneducated and living in a shit area (houses currently go in my road for a whisker under a million) .

Airports really do bring the worst out in some people. I'm sure crackers isn't usually a prejudiced snob.

I've used Fastrack at Heathrow for years , peak times for business travel there's little benefit . I'm a huge fan of the kiosks though definitely quicker going through although for those with luggage I suspect it just means waiting longer in the baggage halls instead of at immigration.

Neither Leeds or Manchester airports are in shit areas, far from it both are in or close to the nicest areas of the city.

I don't think it is fair to say that people who live in shit areas are incapable of being pleasant or doing a good job either.

And it's not necessarily the case that the majority of the people who work at the airport live in the local area either.

Crackers you are thinking for Heathrow Hounslow but equally Weybridge and Egham are close . Gatwick has Crawley but there's plenty of very very nice and expensive villages on the Surrey Sussex border.

Basically you are talking snobbish bollocks my dear.