Airport fast track: is it worth paying to speed up security?

When we asked nearly 7,000 passengers how long they waited at airport security, most told us it was less than 20 minutes – making it pointless to pay extra for airport fast track. But there are a few airports where waits are longer. 

Earlier this summer at Birmingham Airport, some passengers missed their flights because of long airport security queues after disruption following the introduction of new security scanners. Our survey found it had the longest average queues of all UK airports: a whopping 29 minutes. Only two other airports in the UK had average waiting times above 20 minutes. 

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What does airport fast track promise?

Fast-track security promises passengers a stress-free experience so they have more time to relax, eat and shop. It operates on our worry that the wait at airport security will be long, and suggests we pay to skip to the front of the queue.

But our research found that at most airports you shouldn't bother. Our survey of passengers revealed the average wait time at Gatwick, Heathrow and Edinburgh was around 15 minutes. Many airports are even faster. 

And according to the airports' own data, queues are very short. Even one of the worst airports for queues in our survey, Manchester, told us that '97% of our passengers queued for less than 15 minutes to get through security, and 90% waited for less than 10 minutes'.

In short, fast track will rarely be worth the money. In fact, when we looked at the terms and conditions of using it, many airports don't even guarantee that fast track queues will be quicker.

Should I book airport security fast track?

Probably not. Passengers told us they waited less than 20 minutes on average at most airports, so it's only worth paying for fast track if you aren't willing to wait that long. Or, perhaps if you are travelling from Birmingham Airport – which had major problems with queues earlier this summer. The figures below are based on the year leading up to April 2024, so they don't include much of the period in late spring, early summer, when Birmingham experienced the worst of its queue problems.

One airport, Leeds Bradford, told us that its fast track security is 52% quicker than the ordinary queue. However, it also said that average security times in July were only 6.5 minutes and that even at early morning peak times queues were 15 minutes on average. 

Why you might want to pay to fast track security queues at Birmingham Airport

Birmingham Airport was already the worst for security queues, according to our passenger estimates, even before it saw huge problems from March to June this year. It paid the price for being one of the few large UK airports to meet the 1 June deadline for new security scanners. There was disruption during the process of rebuilding the security queue hall. 

After it introduced the new system, which should have allowed passengers to leave both electrical items and liquids up to two litres in their hand luggage, the Department for Transport changed the rules. Passengers at airports using the new-generation scanners are now only allowed to have liquids in bottles of up to 100ml in their bag (although they can have up to 10 bottles).

According to the airport, around one in six passengers got the rules wrong earlier this summer, meaning their bags had to be pulled out of the scanners and opened. Huge queues built up outside the airport and some passengers even missed flights.

There have been fewer complaints on social media about long queues in July than earlier in the summer. However, queues are still likely to be longer than at most other airports.

Birmingham Airport did not respond to a request for comment.

When might you want to pay for fast track?

You’re most likely to feel the benefit of fast track when travelling at peak times of the day, during the holidays, at the most overcrowded airports. This is even more likely to be the case if there is strike action or other delays.

Early morning, before 9am, is usually the busiest time. We asked the UK's biggest airports when their queues are longest and those that replied all said queues are longest between 4am and 9am, for the first flights of the day. The quietest times are typically in the afternoons and evening. 

Unfortunately, when you most need fast track it might not be available. At the worst periods for Birmingham Airport earlier this year passengers needed to book well in advance to get fast track security because it sometimes sold out.

Airport fast track security costs compared 

We’ve researched schemes at 11 of the UK's largest airports. 

Fast track: why you should read the small print 

There's one reason for booking fast track – to get through faster – but some airports admit that can't guaranteed. There are other caveats to watch out for before you part with your money.

• Not always guaranteed Birmingham, East Midlands, Manchester and Stansted airports all say they can’t guarantee that the fast track lane will be quicker than the standard lanes.
• No freebies for kids Some airports require all passengers, even babies and infants, to buy a fast track ticket. A family of four could pay £50 to bypass the queues at Heathrow Airport, despite it telling us that there rarely are long queues.
• No buggies If you’re travelling with young children, you might be tempted to pay extra for fast track. But be warned that some schemes, such as those at East Midlands, Manchester and Stansted, won’t let you through with pushchairs, prams or car seats.
• Advance bookings While Gatwick and Glasgow allow only advance bookings, you can buy fast track tickets in the terminal at most other airports, although this may be more expensive. At East Midlands, Manchester and Stansted, the turn-up price is the same, so you could wait to see how long the queues are before shelling out. However, you do have to book at least an hour before your flight departs.