Lo-Q CEO talks about virtual queues and company growth

Clear lets you do it at airports.

Jason's picture explains why I so badly mis-estimated Diamondback's wait time Saturday night. For what would have been a 45 minute wait last year, I bailed after an hour and twenty minutes because I wanted to get to The Beast before the line closed. There was a steady stream of Fast Lane users the entire time I was in line.

While I don't outright reject the entire idea of these line cutting programs, I do reject the notion that they don't really impact everyone else. It certainly does lower the value of a park visit to the guests who aren't using it, and that's what I don't like about these things.

CP Chris said:

Jason's picture explains why I so badly mis-estimated Diamondback's wait time Saturday night.

It also explains why it's here to stay. :)

Clear lets you do it at airports.

Not just Clear. TSA is implementing Pre-Check, in which "trusted travelers" can fly using effectively pre-9/11 security procedures---keep your belt and shoes on, no liquid/laptop removal, etc. There are several ways to be a "trusted traveler"---one is to be a sufficiently high level of elite flyer in a hub airport. Another is to sign up for one of DHS' programs, including Global Entry. And, Global Entry also allows you to bypass many immigration/customs waits when re-entering the US.

Global Entry costs $100. If you have an AmEx Plat, the card will even reimburse your enrollment fee.

http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/escreening.shtm

Edited to add: it's not DHS, but Customs/Border Patrol that runs Global Entry.

LostKause said:

Before, POP allowed everyone to be on the same level, as far as amount of rides. Now, Lo-Q creates two kinds of people in the park; those who can afford to cut to the front, and those who have to wait for the cutters to finish with their rides so they can get the scraps.

Sounds like we're going from a Communistic system to a Democratic system. Seems ok to me.

CP Chris said:

It certainly does lower the value of a park visit to the guests who aren't using it, and that's what I don't like about these things.

While, true so do a million other things parks do: raising prices, removing rides, cutting hours, reducing staff, etc. Nobody likes them but everyone deals with them as "just part of the game." I'm not saying you are or aren't one, but there are quite a few people who don't see VQing and the reduction in value to regular guests as "just part of the game."