I am just curious to others experience with the Star Alliance Gold Track benefit in Australia.Â
I regularly fly out of Melbourne with SQ in Business or depending the hardware First and are given the Star Alliance Gold Track note. In Melbourne as I enter I am instructed to turn left (as every other Gold FF/Gold Track/Status passenger is) only to find 2 perhaps 3 security checks open and then directed into the nearest queue. So Melbourne has no priority queue for Gold Track or any other priority passenger.Â
Assuming that Star Alliance or in my case SQ pays for this service or lack is it only a Melbourne thing or is this how it is in all Australian Airports?
We don't officially have Gold Track in Australia... Star Alliance rebrands our "Express Pass" system as Gold Track. It's up to each airport to set up and manage a separate express pass lane and often the lane will just cut into the front of the queue or sometimes it'll have its own separate facilities.
Unlike some airports which charge a flat fee to the airline per passenger to have access to priority pass lanes (European airports spring to mind), the Australian system is completely free for airlines. All they are required to do is print their own pass that meets the government regulations.
Airlines can print as many express passes as they want and hand them to whoever they wish. The government suggests that they're only handed to "First, Business and Platinum Grade frequent flyer (and equivalent)" however as they're only really paying for the cost of printing airlines really couldn't care about your express pass experience.
Taylor
Taylor
Singapore Airlines - The PPS Club
Member since 19 Mar 2016
Total posts 53
henrus
henrus
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 23 Oct 2013
Total posts 766
We don't officially have Gold Track in Australia... Star Alliance rebrands our "Express Pass" system as Gold Track. It's up to each airport to set up and manage a separate express pass lane and often the lane will just cut into the front of the queue or sometimes it'll have its own separate facilities.
henrus
henrus
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 23 Oct 2013
Total posts 766
Also here are some of the guidelines that surround the system...
https://web.archive.org/web/20120227194823/http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/ExpressPathPrinciplesAndGuidelines.pdf
(note the document was taken offline when the border force merge occured so above is a copy from the way back machine)