One of the perks that Star Alliance Gold status holders can enjoy is access to Star Alliance Gold Track at a number of airports around the world. While not the most exciting perk of the status (I’d rank lounge access as that), it can still be a valuable thing that shaves some queueing time off your journey.
Continue reading to learn more about the Star Alliance Gold Track – what is it, how does it work, and at what airports can you enjoy it?
What Is Star Alliance Gold Track?
Star Alliance Gold Track is a universal name that the alliance uses for fast track security check and immigration facilities that Star Alliance Gold members can use. As with other Star Alliance Gold perks, it can only be used when flying on a Star Alliance member airline flight.
The Star Alliance Gold Track will generally be a separate queue in the same general area as regular security but at some airports, it can also be a separate area entirely. An example of the latter would be ANA Premium Check-in facilities at airports around Japan.
Currently, Star Alliance Gold Track can be found at 120 airports around the world in one form or another. The vast majority of the airports with the Gold Track only have security check priority lanes. Nine airports also have Gold Track at immigration.
It’s also important to note that while at some airports there are Star Alliance fast tracks in all terminals that the alliance’s airlines use, at others that is not the case. Similarly, while some airports offer fast track at transfer security check points, others do not.
Can a Star Alliance Gold Member’s Companion Use Gold Track?
According to the Star Alliance website, “All Star Alliance Gold Customers … and … on a flight operated by a Star Alliance member airline are eligible for Star Alliance Gold Track access.” Lounge access, on the other hand, clearly states that “You are entitled to bring one guest traveling on any Star Alliance flight departing from the same airport on the same day.”
As such, the Gold Track benefit does not officially apply to the Gold member’s companions. Because of that, in theory, this means the perk is useless for anyone traveling with their partner or someone else without a status. In theory, you as a Star Alliance Gold member would either leave your companion behind and go to the lounge first, wait for your companion just past the security check, or go through the regular lane with them.
In practice, though, whether or not your companion will be let through the fast track will depend on the specific airport you are traveling with and perhaps even on the specific staff on duty that day.
While I read reports of companions not being able to use the fast track, personally I never had a problem with my wife using the fast track together with me when traveling within Japan. On the other hand, I can imagine it would not work at an airport like Vienna where you have to scan your boarding pass at an automated gate.
Airports with Star Alliance Gold Track: A Complete List
Star Alliance Gold Track is currently available, in some way, shape, or form, available at 120 airports around the world. At all of those airports, the Gold Track is available at security check queues. That said, priority lanes for Star Alliance Gold members at immigration are only available at nine of those airports.
It is also important to keep in mind that Star Alliance Gold Track is not available in all of the terminals of each of the airports. At some airports, the Gold Track is also only available to passengers traveling on select Star Alliance airlines.
Airports with Security Check Star Alliance Gold Track
Below is the full list of airports offering security check Star Alliance Gold Track:
| Airport | Terminal | Available For | Gold Track Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Fast Track |
| Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) | Terminals 1 & 2 | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Albuquerque International Airport (ABQ) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) | Halls 1 & 3 | Departures & Transfers | Priority Lane |
| Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC) | South Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (ATH) | Main Terminal | Departures | Fast Lane |
| Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) | International Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Bahrain International Airport (BAH) | Main Terminal | Departures | Fast Track |
| Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) | Main Terminal (Concourse D) | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Barcelona El Prat Airport (BCN) | Terminal 1 | Departures (except Croatia Airlines) | Fast Lane |
| Basel/Mulhouse EuroAirport (BSL) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Birmingham Airport (BHX) | Main Terminal | Departures | Express Lane |
| Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) | Main Terminal | Departures (except Scandinavian Airlines) | Via MBL Lounge |
| Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) | Terminal B | Departures | Priority Security |
| Bremen Airport (BRE) | Terminal 3 | Terminal 3 | Priority Lane |
| Bristol Airport (BRS) | Main Hall | Departure | Fast Lane |
| Brussels Airport (BRU) | Main Terminal | Departures & Transfers | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Budapest Liszt Ferenc International Airport (BUD) | Terminal 2A | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Cairo International Airport (CAI) | Terminal 3 (except gates F4, F9, G6 & G9) | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Calgary International Airport (YYC) | International Terminal | Departures (International & US flights) | Priority Lane |
| Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) | Terminal C | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Cologne/Bonn Airport (CGN) | Terminals 1 & 2 | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Columbus International Airport (CMH) | Main Terminal (Concourse B) | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport (DFW) | Terminal E (Entries E7 & E17) | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Denver International Airport (DEN) | Main Terminal | Departures | First/Business Class & Passengers Lane |
| Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) | North Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Dresden Airport (DRS) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premium Lane |
| Dusseldorf International (DUS) | Concourses A & B | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Edmonton International Airport (YEG) | Main Terminal (Domestic) | Departures | Fast Track |
| Fort Lauderdale International Airport (FLL) | Terminals 1 & 2 | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) | Terminal 1 | Departures & Transfers | Gold Track |
| Fukuoka Airport (FUK) | Domestic Terminal | Domestic Departures | Premium Check-in |
| Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport (GDN) | Main Terminal | Departures | Fast Track |
| Geneva International Airport (GVA) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Guam A.B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM) | Main Terminal | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Gold Track |
| Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) | Main Terminal | Departure | Priority Line |
| Hamburg Airport (HAM) | Main Terminal | Departures | Fast Lane |
| Hannover Airport (HAJ) | Terminal B | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Hartford Bradley International Airport (BDL) | Terminal A | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Helsinki Vantaa Airport (HEL) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Premium Lane |
| Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) | Terminal A | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) | Terminals B & C | Departures | Premier Access/Gold Track |
| Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) | Terminal D | Departures | Fast Track/Gold Track |
| Istanbul Airport (IST) | Main Terminal | Departures & Transfers (Turkish Airlines only) | Turkish Airlines Premium Lane |
| Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) | Main Terminal (Domestic & International) | Departures | CIP & Track |
| Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) | Concourse A | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Kansas City International Airport (MCI) | Terminal C | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Katowice Pyrzowice Airport (KTW) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Kingston Norman Manley Intl Airport (KIN) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Krakow J. Paul II Balice International Airport (KRK) | Passenger Terminal | Departures | Fast Track |
| Larnaca Airport (LCA) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS) | Terminal 3 | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Leipzig Halle Airport (LEJ) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Linz Blue Danube Airport (LNZ) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Lisboa Airport (LIS) | Terminal 1 | Departures (except Aegean Airlines) | Green Way |
| Ljubljana Joze Pucnik Airport (LJU) | South | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| London Gatwick Airport (LGW) | South | Departures | Premium Security |
| London Heathrow Airport (LHR) | Terminal 2 | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) | Terminals 7 & 8 | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Lyon St. Exupery Airport (LYS) | Terminal 2 | Departures | Coupe-file |
| Madeira Airport (FNC) | Main Terminal | Departures | Green Way |
| Madrid Adolfo Suarez-Barajas Airport (MAD) | Terminals 1, 2 & 4 | Departures | Fast Track Acceso VIP |
| Manchester Airport (MAN) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Fast Track, Priority Lane |
| Melbourne Airport (MEL) | Terminal 2 | Departures | Express Path |
| Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Gold Track / Via Milano Fast Track |
| Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Munich International (MUC) | Terminal 1 | Departures | First Class, Business Class |
| Munich International (MUC) | Terminal 2 | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Naples Capodichino Airport (NAP) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Nashville International Airport (BNA) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) | Concourses C & D | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Priority Ticketed Passengers |
| New York La Guardia Airport (LGA) | Terminal B - Concourses A & C | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) | Terminal B | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) | Terminal C | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Nuremberg Airport (NUE) | Terminal B | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Panama Tocumen International Airport (PTY) | Main Terminal | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) | Terminals 1, 2A & 2C | Departures | Access No. 1 |
| Paris Orly Airport (ORY) | West Terminal | Departures | Access No. 1 |
| Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) | Terminal D | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Portland International Airport (PDX) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Porto Airport (OPO) | Main Terminal | Departures | Green Way |
| Poznan Lawica Airport (POZ) | Main Terminal | Departures | Fast Track |
| Prague Ruzyne International Airport (PRG) | Terminal 2 | Departures | Fast Track |
| Providence Theodore Francis Airport (PVD) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Reno/Tahoe International Airport (RNO) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Riga International Airport (RIX) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) | Terminal 3 | Departures (Schengen only) | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Access |
| Salzburg W. A. Mozart Airport (SZG) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Premium Passenger Lane |
| San Antonio International Airport (SAT) | Terminal B | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| San Diego International Airport (SAN) | Terminal 2 | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| San Francisco International Airport (SFO) | International Terminal Checkpoints A & G | Departures | Priority Lane |
| San Francisco International Airport (SFO) | Domestic Terminal 3 | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Sapporo New Chitose Airport (CTS) | Domestic Terminal | Departures | Premium Check-in |
| Savannah/Hilton Head Airport (SAV) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premium Lane |
| Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) | Terminal 2 | Departures (Lufthansa and Swiss only) | Premium Lane |
| Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) | Terminal 3 | Departures (United Airlines only) | Premier Access |
| Stuttgart Airport (STR) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Priority Path |
| Tallinn Lennart Meri Airport (TLL) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Fast Track |
| Tampa International Airport (TPA) | Airside A | Departures | Premier Access |
| Tampa International Airport (TPA) | Airside E | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Thessaloniki Makedonia Airport (SKG) | Main Terminal | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Tirana Rinas Airport (TIA) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Tokyo Narita International (NRT) | Terminal 1 | Departures & Transfers | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Tokyo Narita International (NRT) | Terminal 2 | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) | Terminal 2 Domestic | Departures | Premium Check-in |
| Toronto Lester B. Pearson Intl Airport (YYZ) | Terminal 1 | Departures & Transfers (International to transborder) | Toronto Pearson Priority Lane |
| Toulouse Blagnac Airport (TLS) | Main Terminal | Departures | Fast Lane |
| Turin Caselle Airport (TRN) | Main Terminal | Departures | Fast Track |
| Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Vienna International Airport (VIE) | Terminal 1 - Area B | Departures | Priority Fast Lane |
| Vienna International Airport (VIE) | Terminal 1 - Area D & Terminal 3 | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport (WAW) | Area CD | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) | Main Terminal | Departures | Premium Passengers |
| Washington Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) | Terminal A | Departures | Premier Access and Gold Track |
| Winnipeg J.A. Richardson Intl Airport (YWG) | Main Terminal | Departure | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Wroclaw Strachowice Airport (WRO) | Main Terminal | Departures | Priority Lane |
| Zagreb Pleso Airport (ZAG) | Main Terminal | Departures | Star Alliance Gold Track |
| Zurich Airport (ZRH) | Main Terminal | Departures & Transfers | Priority Lane / Star Gold |
Airports with Immigration Star Alliance Gold Track
Lastly, below is the full list of airports offering immigration Star Alliance Gold Track:
| Airport | Terminal | Available For | Gold Track Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) | Terminals 1 & 2 | Departures & Arrivals | Gold Track Immigration |
| Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS) | Halls 1 & 3 | Departures & Transfers | Priority Lane |
| Cairo International Airport (CAI) | Terminal 3 | Departures & Arrivals | Gold Track Immigration |
| Istanbul Airport (IST) | Main Terminal | Departures (Turkish Airlines only) | Turkish Airlines Premium Lane |
| Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW) | International Departures | Departures | CIP & Fast Track |
| Melbourne Airport (MEL) | Terminal 2 | Departures | Express Path |
| Panama Tocumen International Airport (PTY) | Main Terminal | Departures | Gold Track Immigration |
| Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) | Terminals 2B & 2C | Departures | Access No. 1 |
| Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) | Terminal 1 | Departures | Express Path |
Summary
Unfortunately, Star Alliance Gold Track is not available at all airports where Star Alliance airlines operate. There are even cases where an airport has a priority queue that accepts business class passengers traveling on Star Alliance airlines but where that benefit doesn’t extend to those traveling in economy class on the same airlines.
That said, if you are a Star Alliance Gold member often using an airport with a Gold Track, then the perk can be really valuable and save you a lot of time when adding all the minutes saved per flight together.
