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100 RIDES GET SYSTEM
Ride lines should be a great deal shorter at the 18 U.S. Six Flags parks in 2001, thanks to a corporate-wide line management program.
Guests visiting the parks this summer will be able to avoid lines on nearly 100 different thrill rides.
The chain-wide rollout of several different queue management systems will begin when the parks start opening for the season in March. "We are addressing one of the major challenges all parks are facing today - long lines at the most popular attractions," said Debbie Nauser, Six Flags corporate spokesperson.
Six Flags is the latest park operator to take a hard look at the way they manage ride lines. In light of capacity limitations, some parks have already instituted measures to reduce wait times while liberat- ing riders to enjoy other aspects of the park.
All the Walt Disney parks, worldwide, are now using the inhouse-created Fastpass virtual queue system. The three U.K. parks owned by The Tussaud's Group use Directional Data Systems virtual queuing program.
Other parks use less technical ways to control lines. Cedar Point used a paper reservation system in 2000 for its Millennium Force coaster, and Kennywood Park, West Mifflin, Pa., will be using a paper system on its new Phantom's Revenge coaster in 2001.
Universal Studios Orlando has early opening hours for its two-day pass holders that will give the guests early access to the rides that effectively lowers the line length for all later in the day Universal also has a "no-line, no-wait" policy for its resort guests. Anyone showing a room key to a Universal resort hotel gets to go to the front of the line at both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure theme parks.
All Six Flags parks will be calling the system Fast Lane. Seventeen...