Airport Fast Track

What you are actually buying

With Fast Track you pay to skip the queue, not to skip the check. The same officer, the same scanner, the same questions - just without standing behind thirty other people.

So its value depends entirely on the length of the queue. When there is no queue, Fast Track gives you nothing, and we will tell you so before you book if your flight falls at such a time.

Where it applies

On arrival - at passport control. On departure - at security and at passport control. These are the three points where a queue really forms and where a separate lane changes something.

It does not apply at the airline's check-in desk, at the baggage belt or at the Tax Free desk. Those are separate services with their own queues - which is why we allow time for them separately.

How much time it saves

At the night and early-morning peak, when several flights land or leave together, the queue runs to half an hour or more. At those times Fast Track saves 30 to 60 minutes - and that often decides whether you make it.

At midday and late in the evening, when the terminal is almost empty, the difference is a few minutes. Buying Fast Track for a flight like that is simply an unnecessary cost.

In summer the peak is wider and runs into the daytime; in winter it is narrow. When you book we look at your flight time and tell you what to expect.

The part Fast Track cannot speed up

On departure the longest queue is often at the check-in desk, not at security. Fast Track does not apply there, so if you have bags to check in, you still have to allow for that time.

The equivalent on arrival is the baggage belt: you get through the lane quickly and then wait at the belt just like everyone else. For a traveller with only cabin baggage Fast Track saves far more than for one with a suitcase.

It is worth knowing this so that your expectations are realistic. Fast Track cuts one part of the queue, not the whole time from landing to the car.

Online check-in and Fast Track together

The fastest combination on departure is this: online check-in the day before, cabin baggage only, and Fast Track. In that case you do not stop at the check-in desk at all and go straight into the lane.

If you do have a bag to check in, many airlines run a separate desk for passengers who checked in online. It is usually much shorter and works well together with Fast Track.

We can help with online check-in if you ask us the day before. It is a small thing, but on a morning flight it is exactly those ten minutes that tend to be missing.

Business class and priority lanes

Many airlines already give business-class passengers and top-tier loyalty members a priority lane. In that case buying Fast Track separately means paying twice.

It shows on the ticket or the boarding pass, and we check before booking. If you already have priority, we will say so and not offer you Fast Track.

The exception is arrival: at passport control the airline's priority often does not apply, because control does not belong to the airline. Here even a business-class passenger may need Fast Track.

With children

With a child a queue feels twice as long - and that is not just a feeling: forty minutes of standing is a real test for a small child. That is exactly why families buy Fast Track more often than anyone.

The pushchair goes through the lane and is checked separately at security. Baby food and milk are usually an exception to the general liquids rule, as long as the quantity is reasonable for the journey - but they may be checked.

A child goes on the list as a separate passenger, even an infant. We need to know in advance, because the list is not easily changed on the spot.

Reduced mobility: when you do not need it

If you travel with a wheelchair or with reduced mobility, the airline offers assistance free of charge - it can be booked when you buy the ticket or later. A passenger like that is escorted by airport staff and does not queue anyway.

In that case Fast Track is unnecessary, and we will tell you so directly. Our part is something else: the meet, the luggage and a suitable vehicle - the things the airline's assistance no longer covers once you are outside the terminal.

The important thing is to book assistance with the airline in advance, at least two days ahead. Asking on the spot also works, but then the wait is long.

How it works in practice

After booking, your name goes on a list. On arrival a representative meets you at an agreed point and walks you to the lane; on departure, after check-in, at the entrance to security.

At the lane a member of staff checks the list and lets you through against your passport. You need no other document, voucher or printout - only the passport whose details you gave us.

If there is a mix-up at the lane - the name is spelt differently on the list, or the shift has changed - the representative sorts it out on the spot. That is exactly why they are standing next to you and not at the other end of a phone.

At security: what speeds up and what does not

The check itself in the lane is exactly the same as in the ordinary queue: liquids separate, laptop out of the bag, belt and metal in the tray. Nobody can shorten that part.

So preparation is up to you. If the liquids are already in a clear bag, the laptop is on top and your pockets are empty, you do not lose at the scanner the time you saved in the lane.

Extra checks are often triggered by something unexpected: a power bank in the suitcase, a knife in a souvenir set, a bottle of wine in the cabin bag. People often take wine home from Georgia - it belongs in checked baggage.

At passport control: what you may be asked

On arrival the border officer may ask the purpose of your visit, where you are staying and when you are going back. These are routine questions and Fast Track does not change them - they are just asked sooner.

It helps to have the hotel confirmation and the return ticket open on your phone. They are rarely needed, but when they are, searching for them eats up the time the lane saved you.

If the officer wants to talk further, the representative cannot step in and should not. They wait for you on the other side of control - that is the law, and rightly so.

Groups and delegations

For a group we need the list of names and passport details 72 hours ahead. The lane is not closed for a group, so people go through in batches and the representative counts everyone.

In the ordinary queue a group of twenty can need more than an hour before the last person is through. With the lane that time shrinks several times over, and the first ones spend less time waiting for the last at the belt.

Official state delegations are a separate matter. They are served by state protocol, and we do not touch that part - we work with business and private groups.

Three airports, three different formats

In Tbilisi Fast Track is a separate lane that is a regular service of the terminal. It works most consistently here and saves the most time here, because this is also where the flow of passengers is heaviest.

In smaller terminals the format may be different - instead of a separate lane, an escort by a representative and priority where the airport allows it. Before you book we will tell you exactly what it covers at your airport.

In Batumi the queues are rarely long outside summer, so at other times of year we seldom recommend Fast Track there. Kutaisi is a different picture: waves of low-cost flights lengthen the queue in no time.

When it is not worth it

If your flight lands or leaves at midday, you are travelling with cabin baggage and you are in no hurry, Fast Track gives you almost nothing. This is the most common case in which we advise against buying it.

Nor is it worth it when the airline already gives you priority, or when you have already booked assistance. We see no point in buying the same service twice.

And finally: if the main reason is anxiety about making the flight, the cheaper answer is often to get to the airport half an hour earlier. We will tell you so if your flight time allows it.

When Fast Track is decisive

A tight connection on two separate tickets - here forty minutes in a queue can mean a missed flight. This is the one case where we recommend Fast Track without reservation.

The second is a night arrival with children. At three in the morning the passport queue is at its longest and the child at their most tired - and that is when it is clearest what you are paying for.

The third is a business visit with a meeting an hour after landing. Here Fast Track protects not time but the schedule - and that is a different kind of value.

What we need for the booking

Full name exactly as in the passport, nationality, flight number and date. At some airports the passport number is needed too - we will tell you in advance.

Booking needs 48 hours' notice, 72 for a group. Later is often possible, but only if the list for that day has not yet been closed.

If your flight changes, send us the new number and we will rearrange the list. If the flight is delayed, the booking moves to the new time - Fast Track is tied to the flight, after all, not to the clock.

Fast Track, meet and greet or a lounge

These three services are often bought together, but they solve different problems. Fast Track solves the queue. Meet and greet solves finding your way and the luggage. A lounge solves the wait after security.

On departure the most logical pair is Fast Track and a lounge: you get through quickly and wait for boarding in peace. On arrival - Fast Track and meet and greet, because there you no longer need a lounge.

All three together usually only make sense when the family is large or the visit is official. Otherwise two are enough, and we will say so when you book.

A departure timing plan with Fast Track

With bags to check in and Fast Track, arriving at the airport two and a half hours before an international flight is enough. The queue at the check-in desk is still there, and that time belongs to it.

With online check-in and cabin baggage only, two hours is enough as well. We do not advise less: the boarding gate closes twenty to forty minutes before departure depending on the airline, and the walk to the gate takes time too.

We always send this plan in writing, with your flight's exact time. That way there is no debate in the morning about when to leave - the figure has already been agreed.

Why we ask for 48 hours

The Fast Track list is passed to the airport service in advance, and each lane has its own capacity. A last-minute request is sometimes accepted and sometimes not, and that is outside our control.

Besides that, the booking needs a representative to walk you to the lane. At peak hours they are busy, especially in summer and over holidays.

Forty-eight hours is the lead time at which we can guarantee both. Booking earlier is always better - at the start of the summer holidays, for instance, even a week ahead is not excessive.