To think people jumping the airport security queue should pay for fast track or wait like everyone else?

[TiredTraveller]

Last week I had to get 2 coaches to the airport during the train strike and as a result, was worried about making my flight in time due to the coach being delayed by almost 2 hours.

Joined the security queue and it was moving slower than I thought. Regretted not paying for fast track. But during the time I was waiting, people jumped the queue on three separate occasions by saying things like ‘Sorry, I need to go to the front because my plane leaves in 10 minutes (or some other weak excuse). Everyone let them through (they didn’t ask me because they were cutting through the people further ahead.)

I was quietly annoyed about this because I was so tight on time and didn’t want people (one of which was a family of 5) delaying me. AIBU to think they should have paid for fast track rather than ask to jump in front of everyone else who was waiting patiently for 25 minutes? I find it so entitled because realistically they knew that people would be too polite to refuse.

Has anyone ever seen anyone actually say no when this happens?

To be honest I’ve never had someone ask me in a queue in airport security, I’ve seen people explain to staff they’re late and be rushed through - it doesn’t bother me, sometimes in an airport it’s beyond your control if you’re on time and I hope if I’m ever late people will help me. I flew from Heathrow in March and Swiss opened check in an hour late - they argued we should all do self check in, but those of us with connecting flights couldn’t get it to work and it turned out to be most of the plane. Luckily security moved fast, but potentially we all could have been very late in the security queue through no fault of our own.

All those saying pay for fast track, the point is we shouldn't have to. Most of us arrive early, why are we queuing for hours? I like the whole airport experience. Queuing for hours to get through security when we could be through, treating ourselves to a breakfast, or letting ds's look at duty free aftershaves. Why should we have to. It's so poor, so unfair.

If the flight is delayed because the airline has to remove your luggage from the hold, your lateness very much becomes other people's problems...

You were being ridiculous OP.

You seem to believe that the world is divided into polite people who queue, and rude entitled people who push ahead.

The reality is that there is more give and take in the world. Most people are nuanced enough to make some compromise - that if someone is going to miss their flight they should be allowed to the front, not only for their benefit but also for everyone else’s.

Ironically you were being selfish by not going to the front. It would have caused disruption if you hadn’t made it to your flight.

I don't understand this post.

When someone behind me is about to miss his/ her flight of course it doesn't bother me at all to let them jump the queue
I'm just glad it's not me who needs to run through the airport to make it.

Bristol does it - I’ve used fast track at Bristol when it was obvious they’d got in a bit of a mess with the queue.

Why didn't you ask security staff if you could go ahead as well? There's no point being bitter about other people doing it and risking missing your flight. People are late for all sorts of reasons and I wouldn't mind if you had to go ahead of me. Staff will sometimes call people forward in queues if their flight is leaving soon anyway, it's not a big deal.

Also - if everyone paid for fast pass... it wouldn't be a quicker queue

You can't always buy Fast Track tickets if you leave it too late. There are only so many they can sell for each time slot I assume. So you can't always risk leaving it to see what the queue will be like.

There are always unplanned delays that can happen which mean you are running later than expected.

In my experience, if you are getting close to your departure time the staff working in the queues will tell you to go forward and jump the queue, to ensure there isn't missed flights.

Doubt there was luggage, checking in luggage is often a luxury these days for short haul.

I literally arrived as the gate was closing and if anyone else had cut in, I may well have missed it.

Why didn't you ask the staff of you could jump ahead as your flight was about to close, if you didn't want to ask other people to let you skip ahead? There are normally some around at various points in the queue.

I wouldn't have stayed where I was and risk missing my flight.

Yes, madness not to speak up and ask for help.

OP is annoyed at other people for being too bolshy, but she not bolshy enough.

OP, you need to develop pointy elbows (metaphorically).

It’s usually staff who organise for the late people to go ahead. When you were late, you should have alerted someone, op.

I don’t mind people going ahead if necessary and as Pp said, it’s essential if they’ve checked a bag or the whole flight will be delayed. OTOH, I’d ban paying for fast track security if it were up to me- it doesn’t seem to me the sort of thing people should be able to pay to do more quickly. I’d have a free fast track lane for those who need it- people with small children, elderly people, people with disabilities etc who find it harder to queue for a long time.

You need to speak up OP.
I've only once asked to queue jump at an airport.
My connecting flight from Manchester to Heathrow left very late as they were de icing all the windows.
I only had 20 minutes to get to the gate for my flight to Spain.
There was no way I would have flown if I'd stood politely waiting my turn.

I'll always remember the woman at Frankfurt who elbowed and shoved her way through, loudly declaring she was going to miss her flight. Trouble was, it was gate security rather than general security so we were all on the same flight, and all she achieved was as a nice long sit on the bus that was taking us to the aircraft, watching everyone she'd elbowed past get on and join her

Seriously though, if someone is genuinely in need because (like you OP) they'd been delayed due to circumstances outside of their control of course I let them through if I'm not in a rush.

It takes a special kind of martyr to stand quietly in the queue until they've missed their flight, seething about those who are proactive enough to at least try and make theirs.

I think it's an incredibly normal thing to let people pass through and push in front if they're running late for their flight. It could be connecting, it could be whatever reason that they're running late. Most people get there with plenty of time to spare so if someone is rushing, of course they can go through first. They couldn't have preempted being late.

This.

I have queue jumped in passport control to make a transfer. Flight was very late and there was only one person working at the passport control and I was cutting ia very close. I'm not gonna miss my flight and buy a new one just to be polite and not to annoy people. I've experienced this on the other side aswell and just suck it up.

Leave enough time, I mean it’s just wise?
why wouldn’t you?

I travel via Stansted alot and have never been asked by anyone if they can jump the queue and if someone did and I was in perfect time for my own flight I'd just say yes, if I was in a hurry myself I'd say join the queue 😂excuse the pun. I would imagine ppl only ask if they really are late but I'm sure you get the odd person who is taking the piss but you got piss takers everywhere not just at the airport so I wouldn't stress over it.

I'm not sure my plane is leaving in 10 mins is a weak excuse? What other weak excuses did they use?

@bloodyplumbing Because if there flight leaves in 10 minutes, there’s no way they’d make it anyway because the gates close half an hour before.

These replies are interesting. Seems I should have gone to the front myself but I find the security area so difficult and stressful. Most of the staff are quite shouty and don’t seem to have much time for the people. In my experience anyway.

I'd assume they meant gate was closing.

What were the other weak excuses you heard?

So why didn’t you pay for fast track though, if you were in a rush 😵‍💫 they are BU to jump the queue, but you can do what you suggest they do too.

‘I have to catch a flight’

And I’m just here for a day out 😂

@TiredTraveller so it wasn't any other excuse ? You referred in your OP to "other such weak excuses"

YABU the one single excuse is justified.