API - Advance Passenger Information

[mitchja]

Dont forget, from tomorrow, you will need to make sure you have the full address of where you will be staying in the US, including a ZIP code, when checking in for all flights to the US.

I would think this will cause longer check-in lines, especially tomorrow [:(]

I wonder if VS will add an API step onto their OLCI [?]

The only sensible thing I've heard BMI doing recently - they do allow PAX to add this API info onto their PNR before you get to the airport (by calling them or getting a travel agent to add the info to your booking).

VS cannot do this yet as I've already asked.

Regards

[Nottingham Nick]

Thanks for that, James. I was wondering exactly the same thing about being able to provide the info ahead of time, to cut down time spent queueing

Nick

[RichardMannion]

VS, along with quite a few other airlines are still trying to work out the best way of capturing this information. The requirement has obviously come from the data hungry US government, who obviously has no regard for the way that airlines operate or how complicated booking systems can be. It will take time for VS to have a streamlined solution, I know that they were planning to collect this information upfront when telephone bookings were being made, adding fields to the backend database and the Internet booking system is a completely different matter. They were looking at contacting customers that had already booked to try and collect this information.

The irony is that collecting this data will ultimately not achieve that much - are they going to go and check the information you supply whilst you are in the air (as the data is sent when the flight departs) - Hello Hilton New York, can you confirm that Mr Smith is stopping there for 4 nights? I can't really see how having the data even further in advance is going to help, as the data is collected as it is today on your green I94W which is then processed at immigration.

Again the US carriers will probably go cap in hand to the US government for money to help make the required infrastructure changes to collect this data, whilst the non-US carriers ahve to find the money on their own.

Thanks,
Richard

[mitchja]

From VS's Kiosk Check-in FAQ section:

Once all customers have been identified the customer can move on to the next step. Please note, if customers are travelling on a flight that requires Advance Passenger Information (API) they are asked to complete or confirm their details at this point.

So it looks like VS self-service check-in machines are ready for API but no mention for OLCI yet.

Regards

How does this work if you are on a fly-drive holiday? Several years ago I went on a trip, and had no idea where I would be staying the first night as we were just going to pick up the car and drive.

[preiffer]

Originally posted by Dave Adkins
How does this work if you are on a fly-drive holiday? Several years ago I went on a trip, and had no idea where I would be staying the first night as we were just going to pick up the car and drive.

You can't just do that anymore - you need to provide a little more info in future.

Check out the VS API FAQ's here:

If you are taking a fly-drive holiday

You should provide the name and location of the car hire company and your first intended stopping point.

The only sensible thing I've heard BMI doing recently - they do allow PAX to add this API info onto their PNR before you get to the airport (by calling them or getting a travel agent to add the info to your booking).

VS cannot do this yet as I've already asked.

You can provide your APIS information on BA PNRs as well, we received the details of the entries for our GDS last week. I would have thought the entries should be standardised as the info required should be the same for all carriers to the US.

That's crazy! The whole point of a fly-drive trip is just that! This whole business is really starting to get stupid! In the past 25 yrs I have taken fly-drive trips 5-6 times where I have no idea where I am going to go until I get off of the plane!

Originally posted by Dave Adkins
That's crazy! The whole point of a fly-drive trip is just that! This whole business is really starting to get stupid! In the past 25 yrs I have taken fly-drive trips 5-6 times where I have no idea where I am going to go until I get off of the plane!

This is why for many years, they have recommended that you book your first nights accommodation in advance.

Simple.

Book an airport-local hotel for the first night and cancel before 6 pm so that your card is not charged.

You have provided an address for your first night and then changed your mind;)