Heathrow Airport has introduced a new wheeze to make money out of passengers – a Fast Track Arrivals Service.
Is it worth it?
What’s the offer?
Let’s face it – there’s nothing more annoying than getting off an aircraft and standing in a queue to be let into a country for an hour. There are Fast Track Arrival lanes, which are offered in some terminals (to allow premium passengers to flow through). Now it seems that Heathrow Airport wants to monetise this option.
How does it work?
When you reach passport control, follow the signs to the Fast Track Arrivals Passport Control entrance, where you will be greeted by the Fast Track host. Once your booking has been confirmed, you will be permitted access to a separate lane within the passport control hall.
You will need to comply with any entry requirements to enter the United Kingdom
A maximum of six people per booking applies. All persons will need to proceed together through Fast Track Arrivals at the same time.
What are the booking deadlines?
You can make a booking through Heathrow.com. You can pre-book up to 12 months in advance, and no later than 20:00 the day before your scheduled date of arrival into Heathrow Airport. You cannot book and pay on-site at the Airport to use the service.
Will it speed up my luggage delivery?
No. Only the immigration clearance into the United Kingdom.
Do I have to pay to use the eGates instead?
eGates are free to use, provided you meet the requirements to use them. They are:
- Have a biometric symbol on the cover of your passport
- Users are aged 10+ ( 10 to 17-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult)
- Are either:
- a British citizen
- a national of an EU country, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the USA
- a member of the Registered Traveller Service
If you don’t have eGate access, it might be worth it
I’ve been trying to work out “who is this for” – and to be honest, if you don’t have eGate access, or have a very tight deadline to meet after crossing the UK Border, it might be worth it, depending on the time of your arrival.
The border can get busy (especially at peak times). Checking the clearance time at https://www.heathrow.com/arrivals/immigration-and-passports, even then hotspot that terminal 4 was clearing under 10 minutes at the time of writing:
Only one terminal was taking longer. No prizes for guessing which one it was.
Whilst this will get you through the hoop of landing in the United Kingdom, you will still need to collect any luggage (and that’s good 45 minutes sometimes at Heathrow), clear customs, and make onward tracks to your final destination.
I’ve seen queues from both sides – be it arriving in a country where there was an hour-long queue to see an immigration officer, to literally walking through the border with no queue in sight… and everywhere in between.
For some, there’s value to be had, providing you’re travelling light and you can’t use the eGate lanes.
For me, this is a hard pass.
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“You may already be eligible to use Fast Track Arrivals Passport Control with your airline. Please consult your airline before booking.”
Several airlines, like Etihad and Qatar Airways, give a Passport Fast Track invitation to passengers arriving at Heathrow seated in their business & first class cabins.
It’s highly likely that most airline contact centres will not be aware of this and say “no” when someone asks about it.
It’s also worth remembering that the home airline does not.
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