Would You Pay Not To Queue At Airport Security?

Luton airport has announced it will be providing a service to those passengers who wish to pay to beat the queues at security checks. For £3 you can be bumped to the front of the queue while other passengers wait for you to be scanned and cleared. At Liverpool airport there is a similar system but instead you get lead to a dedicated scanner for the £3 charge. This seems to be a more sensible option as passengers who don’t pay will not have to watch others pass through ahead of them, holding up their progress. So are all these additional charges getting out of control? Maybe. On budget airlines you can find yourself paying extra to board the plane first, for a specific seat, or to fly with more than one item of luggage. Some airports have gone as far as charging for clear plastic bags to hold any liquids you may be carrying on board so where will it stop?

I don’t think these extras will put passengers off flying but airlines and airports need to consider if these extras are worth it as the costs add up and may affect people’s choices of where to fly from. It is apparent that Gatwick and Heathrow have no plans to introduce queue jump schemes so it will be interesting to see how customers react to Luton’s new scheme. Watch this space.