FastTrack at Vienna International Airport (VIE)
FastTrack is Vienna Airport's priority passage through the security check. You keep every other step of your journey exactly the same – check-in, bag drop, passport control, boarding – but you use a separate, shorter lane at the boarding pass control in Terminal 1 or Terminal 3 instead of queuing with everyone else. It is the single service most worth understanding at VIE, because it is cheap to add at the last minute and because the airport does not publish a price for it online – the rate is shown when you buy. Details below are current for August 2026; the official FastTrack page is the binding source.
Where the FastTrack lanes are
The lanes sit at boarding pass control – the checkpoint you pass immediately before the security screening itself – in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. If you are departing from Terminal 1A, you are screened at the Terminal 1 checkpoint, so the Terminal 1 lane is the one that applies to you. Check which terminal your airline uses before you plan around this; our Vienna Airport terminals guide lists who flies from where.
Four ways to get FastTrack
| How | Where | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Airport webshop | Online, before you travel | Issued as a voucher you present at the lane |
| Airport Service counter | Landside, in the terminal | Useful if you decide once you see the queue |
| Payment terminal at the checkpoint | At boarding pass control, Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 | The genuine last-minute option – buy and walk straight in |
| Premium credit card | Show the card at the lane | Free or discounted depending on the card – see below |
Cards that include FastTrack at VIE
Vienna Airport lists a number of premium cards whose holders get FastTrack free of charge, among them American Express Platinum and Centurion, PayLife Black Mastercard and Visa, Erste Bank Platinum Card and Premium Metal, Bank Austria Mastercard World Elite, and card complete Mastercard World Traveller Gold and Black. Several other issuers offer a discounted rate rather than free access. Card programmes change more often than airport infrastructure does, so confirm your own card's current benefit with your issuer before you rely on it.
Is it still worth it in 2026?
Honestly, less often than it used to be. Vienna Airport switched on CT scanners across its departure checkpoints on 3 July 2026, and the practical effect is that the old 100 ml liquid limit is replaced by containers of up to 2,000 ml, and laptops and other electronics stay inside your cabin bag. That removes the two slowest steps of the old procedure, and the standard lanes move considerably faster than they did. Our security and liquid rules page covers what the scanners changed in detail.
FastTrack still earns its keep in three situations: an early-morning departure bank, when most of the day's short-haul flights push through the checkpoint inside the same hour; a tight connection where you have re-cleared security; and school-holiday weekends, when volumes are high and the queue is unpredictable rather than merely long. If none of those apply, arriving on time is usually enough – see how early to arrive at Vienna Airport.
What FastTrack does not do
It is a queue product, not a status product. FastTrack does not speed up passport control, which is a state border function – on a non-Schengen departure you still join the regular border queue after security. It does not include lounge access; the lounges are a separate product, listed on our Vienna Airport lounges page. It does not exempt you from any screening rule: the same limits on prohibited items apply in the FastTrack lane, and you can still be selected for a manual check. And it does not replace your boarding pass – you need both.
Finally, business-class passengers and frequent flyers with an airline status that grants priority security often already have lane access through their airline. Check what your ticket includes before buying a voucher you do not need.