The Lions are offering season-ticket holders "expedited entry into Ford Field for an annual fee of $50," according to Dave Birkett of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. However, the Fast Pass pilot program, which is "open to 1,500 fans, angered some people." Lions Dir of Corporate Communications & Digital Content Ben Manges said that it was "done in response to season-ticket holder surveys." The Lions have also "instituted new point-of-entry security measures at Ford Field that they hope will reduce the wait times for fans who often try to pile into the stadium just before kickoff." The team "spent more than $500,000 to add 88 new walk-through metal detectors at gates throughout the stadium -- there are now 103 metal detectors total -- and has new, theme park-style queue lanes set up outside of Ford Field." A Fast Pass purchase will "give fans access to a private entry lane at Gate E on the stadium's north side." Every patron who "has a ticket must have their own Fast Pass to use the service." Manges said that he "didn't know which other NFL teams currently offer a similar service." Birkett noted the Bears have "offered a Fast Pass entry to select fans in the past, and the NFL offered a Fast Pass for its NFL Experience exhibit at the Super Bowl last year" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 9/11).
