Amusement park policies spotlight income gaps

Perhaps nothing so clearly distinguishes the privileged classes as never having to wait in line.

Consider the A-listers waved into busy nightclubs. Platinum-carded frequent flyers for whom airport rope lines magically open. And, increasingly, well-heeled kids riding roller coasters while the rest of us stand in line.

Canada’s amusement parks are falling in line with their U.S. counterparts to leverage a day of family fun into a day of upselling, with special passes to reduce wait times for those with means.

On the face it seems a natural business opportunity. Quality family time is at a premium, especially when people have paid a small fortune to get inside.

At a large park on a busy day, lineups over an hour are not uncommon for popular rides. People are willing to pay dearly to make the most of their visit.

Many parks sell a “flash pass,” which holds riders’ place in line, like an electronic butler. A beeper notifies guests when it’s almost their turn.

For those who can afford it, it’s well worth the extra $35 to spend their time enjoying the park, not shuffling forward in a stifling lineup.

But privilege seldom stops at a single tier. Upgrading to a gold pass will not only hold the rider’s place, but decrease wait times by half — inevitably increasing the wait times for the ungilded hoi polloi.

For the very well heeled, a limited number of platinum passes can reduce wait times by 90 per cent. The cost? A mere $85 over the price of admission.

In a time of ever-greater income inequality, such pay-for-access opportunities have become an unquestioned norm.

At Canada’s Wonderland, pricing fluctuates through the season. A single adult ticket is $64 at the gate; a family of four can get in for just over $200 if they purchase three days in advance. Admission includes unlimited rides — a pretty good deal, when the lines are moving.

When they’re not, a “fast lane” wristband allows paying riders to bypass regular lines on 20 attractions. The added cost starts at $40 early in the season and runs up to $59. However, most who upgrade pay the extra $10 for “fast lane plus,” encompassing the park’s three most popular rides — Soaring Timbers, the Leviathan and Behemoth.

A representative for Canada’s Wonderland says total fast lane sales are limited to a certain number each day, “to ensure a positive guest experience for those who purchase the passes.”

But what about the experience of guests who merely pay the regular park admission? “Unfortunately we can’t offer it to everybody,” she says.

Of course. It’s not a fast lane unless other traffic is moving more slowly. The park does not release the total number of fast lane passes sold each day.

People who visit frequently can take advantage of deals on season’s passes, the representative notes.

New this year, the park is offering season’s pass holders a blanket upgrade to fast lane plus. The added cost — over the season’s pass — is $499 per person.

“If you do come to the park a lot then it’s probably worth it,” the representative says. “This is actually very new for us.”

Nobody complains about a chance to avoid standing in line. And nobody is forced to buy an upgrade. But some guests’ front-of-the-line experience is subsidized by other people’s longer waits.

Lining up may well be our most democratic form of access. Everybody has an equal shot at enjoying the rides. Unlevelling that playing field is one more way we normalize the gap between privileged people of means, and those saving up for a day at the park.