United Airlines made news recently by announcing a new "Premier Access" option that would allow passengers to skip to the front of security lines for as little as $9.
But further analysis of the offering by travel analysts reveal that the optional add-on may not be worth the money.
"With both United’s Premier Access and American’s Five Star Service, travelers receive expedited security as one of many bundled services," Amy Lee, a senior analyst at TravelNerd, explained to HuffPost Travel. "So if you’re flying United and just want expedited security but don’t really care about priority boarding, you still have to pay for the value of both services."
While springing for United's service, which the carrier says includes "designated airport check-in lines" and "exclusive security lanes" starts at $9, Lee says that most fliers will end up paying more.
"Actual prices are significantly higher than $9," Lee tells HuffPost Travel. "When inquiring about Premier Access for SFO to JFK, I was quoted $50-$100 per segment."
Lee also points out that the service is only available at 29 airports across the U.S., limiting its availability.
For fliers that only care about skipping security lines, TravelNerd has an extensive breakdown of three current options, CLEAR, TSA Pre-Check and Global Entry.