Pregnant - can I used the security fast track lane at Heathrow?

[FluffySliders]

As in the title really! Don’t fancy standing for 30 mins in the queue!

My SIL was like you worked up until a week before she gave birth.

Her father is a paraplegic in a wheelchair. That’s what security fast track is used for. Not entitled pregnant women.

Well said.

Arf at sticking to regional airports because LHR don't allow anyone with a slight twinge to access fast track.

You will get through LHR standard security in a fraction of the time you'd get through fast track at eg MAN. They are used to dealing with millions of people and are far better set up. I've been a weekly LHR user and I've never had to stand in a queue at security. Ever.

You don't seem to understand the difference between being pregnant and having children, and being disabled.

Just so you know, you're not entitled to use the parent and child parking spaces yet either.

You literally said fast track in your title?

I took the fast lane at Heathrow when I flew last (travelling business). Not a busy time of year. Took 40 minutes. I was pregnant and had a toddler. It’s not a magic bullet.

Am I the only person finding it completely hilarious that the family lane is in some way desirable? Often it is slower as it consists of groups of people with general faffing and children and then buggies. And then someone ahead will have undeclared medicine which takes time etc.

we are now at the stage where we will either use the normal queue, or if an airport wants us to use a family queue we separate and send one of us ahead to get a head start on whatever we need to do after the queue.

You can't use the assisted lane as you're not disabled / with children, and you can't use the fast track lane without paying for it. I don't think it matters if people are confused about which one you were originally referring to?

When the first person said no, you'll have to pay, your reaction was 'gosh that's awful they make disabled people pay'... No.. they make pregnant people (and everyone else pay). Being pregnant is not the same as being disabled?

I travelled solo with my 3 year old at Stansted and saw others doing the same - we were not able to use the fast track / assisted / whatever you want to call it lane (and I did ask the staff too).

I've checked my daughter's WhatsApps from yesterday:

9.59 "done bag drop, going to security"

10.09 "through security".

Heathrow.

If your child is sen or disabled you can use the fast track lane at no extra cost. This was the case at East Midlands

But being pregnant or having dc isn't a disability and you'd have to pay for it, rightly so.

Sorry not fast track, I meant assisted

Tbh come holiday season, if all families used the fast track or assisted lanes it would be quicker to use the normal one

No families with SEN / disabled people use the access lane for free. You would need to pay (for fast track lane) as you are neither of these, so don't qualify for the access lane.

Families in general don't qualify for the access lane (even if you are a solo with young children in the queue! Which even if it's only 10 mins isn't easy)

I've been invited to the front of long queues in airports by staff when travelling solo with very young DC. Airport staff can be compassionate and read the situation.

Being pregnant, unless you have other symptoms you are going to drip feed in, doesn't make it much worse queuing in an air conditioned airport. If you are so unwell then maybe you shouldn't travel at all!

You're 100% correct I obviously don't know how every pregnant woman feels. But, I was basing my opinion on the fact that the op is flying. I'm sure in your situation, you wouldn't have chosen to do so. She has and is expecting special treatment.

Both my pregnancies were not easy ones, but I made the best of it and refused to be seen as anything but capable. I have to stand 12-14hrs per working day. I had SPD, nausea and sickness until week 32, food aversions, very, very low iron, high risk for a whole host of issues and had weekly scans. I didn't complain, I cracked on with it. Knowing how lucky I was to be pregnant after 8 years of loss and secondary infertility.

Do not presume to tell me, I lack compassion. My compassion extends to many areas. But, I won't feel compassion for someone as entitled sounding as the op.

My DD wears a sunflower lanyard when we travel because of additional needs.

We get directed to a special desk at airport security. I wouldn't say it's much quicker but it is quieter. It's set away from the other desks and usually behind a screen so everything is a bit calmer. It wouldn't really help with how long you stand or how far you walk.

I’m really surprised by these sorts of replies on a predominantly female (and presumably mostly mums) forum.

Surely people understand (if not from their own experience then from observation of others) that you can have a straight forward pregnancy with very few symptoms or you can experience lots of pain/swelling/other symptoms. Sure it’s not a disability but it certainly puts lots of strain on the body.

I too had very few symptoms with my first pregnancy and worked until the end, climbing hills to the work car park, was active while we moved house ant 38 weeks etc.

However I recognise that not everyone is as lucky as I was - some people suffer more than others and need a bit of consideration. We have no idea what the OPs situation is.
I personally wouldn’t bat an eyelid if anyone was moved to the front of the queue or fast tracked because of pregnancy.

We have no idea what the OPs situation is.

It's right there in the opening post. She doesn't fancy queuing. If she'd said she was crippled with hip pain or sickness she may have had different answers, including the suggestion to book wheelchair assistance, which is free to anyone who needs it.

People are being a bit mean... When I was pregnant I wouldn't have been able to queue for 10mins, let alone 30mins. I was in a lot of pain along with a whole host of other issues, and would probably have fainted.

All the people calling you entitled have either not been pregnant, or had easy pregnancies. You don't know how it feels unless you've experienced it.

That said, if you are having an easy pregnancy then you are being entitled.

To be fair, I would not have travelled when I was pregnant. I would have been my idea of hell. If I had had to travel for some reason I would have paid.

Ok. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume they won’t take advantage of services for vulnerable people unless necessary.
If the OP is truly fighting fit whilst pregnant and assuming she can use the fast track lane just for that reason then fair enough I agree that is unreasonable.

This makes no sense, if all families and pregnant women used the fast track the normal lane would be faster.

You see from my second post that I had never come across the concept of a paid fast track lane. It’s there in black and white. Go back and read it.

I have only ever seen a complimentary fast track lane at regional airports. I didn’t know it was called an ‘assistance’ lane, I just thought it was a fast track lane for families/SEN etc.

Apparently larger airports have both. And some people even pay to get through security quicker. Who knew! Not I, until yesterday.

So everyone piling on saying I want something for free have completely misunderstood or chosen to misunderstand my opening posts.

Some of the words people have used to describe a poster who asked in good faith, on Mumsnet, could she, being pregnant, be able to use an assistance lane at the airport, are quite nasty. I can only assume that typing such things has made you feel really good about yourself. I’m sorry this is how you get your kicks.

The special assistance queue is not for people who "don't fancy" queueing. However, if you have some other ailments because of the pregnancy I'm sure that they would give you assistance.

@MillshakePickle I think that's very sad that you felt the need to 'crack on'. This is why women's pain is not seen . We shouldn't just pretend everything is fine when it's not. We should be asking for that seat on the tube. We should be saying 'this sucks' and yes we should be ' entitled' to a bit of extra help when our bodies are going through a lot.