quote:Originally posted by declansmith
But when you get to the airport you will need to have some itinearay or something with you or elseyou wont be able to get pass the security agent who has to give you a sticker on your passport before you can get to the DIY check in desks!
So if you have nothing with you then you will need to get a print out from the ticket desk.
This is an interesting point, and one I've pondered over for some time. For example on Sunday on my way back from IAD, I checked in online about 8 hours before the flight and the a/c was showing as an A346 UCS. Pretty much all I could do was select my seat, but then I could do this by updating my booking if more than 24 hours in advance.
I had no baggage to check, but I still had to go to the check-in desk to get a boarding card to clear security.
In the end it was a waste of time even selecting a seat: the a/c switched from a UCS A346 to a j2000 A343. Frustratingly the check in agent at first said nothing about changing my seat (from the nice tucked away A346 UCS 2K to the A343 J2000 5K wihin whispering distance of the bar and massage areas). It was only when I asked why it had been changed that I discovered the a/c change! Still, I shouldn't complain - it was a freebie FF ticket after all
So what is the point of checking in on line?
In comparison, BA have had the ability to check in online for some time, but it is only quite recently you've been able to print your own boarding pass when departing from some airports - for example
http://www.howardlong.com/BABoardingPass.pdf, where you present the security agent with the pass and your photo id, and s/he has a handheld scanner device.
Cheers, Howard
