New Trend? or Old News? ~~Mandatory~~ self check-in

And don't forget telephone check-in.

I wonder just what "check-in" means. Southwest, which I fly a lot,
allows you to "check in" and print your boarding pass as much as 24
hours in advance, over the Internet.

Which, obviously, is completely divorced from any implication that
you are not stuck in traffic or checking one last e-mail at the hotel
or lingering over coffee with your hosts; you have made it to the
airport and they can take a good guess whether you can get to your
plane on time. That's what I always assumed check-in meant: here I
am.

Getting back more to the original question, one thing I will say about
Southwest -- if it's reasonably close to their flying hours at that
airport, they always give you an option for doing things in person at
the ticket counter (and in my experience, the person is usually
friendly and knows something). Computerized check-in either over
the Internet or at a kiosk is something I often find convenient, but
I've never seen them *make* anyone do it that way.

I wonder if that was a factor in the original poster's situation --
perhaps it speeds things up for some airlines (at least if the
traveler isn't ill at ease with computers and/or vision disabled) to
do it that way. That's just a guess. Pulling you out of the line and
making you poke at a computer is not something for which I have a
definite explanation.

--Joe

On Oct 24, 2:13 pm, Ad absurdum per aspera
wrote:
And don't forget telephone check-in.

I wonder just what "check-in" means. Southwest, which I fly a lot,
allows you to "check in" and print your boarding pass as much as 24
hours in advance, over the Internet.

Which, obviously, is completely divorced from any implication that
you are not stuck in traffic or checking one last e-mail at the hotel
or lingering over coffee with your hosts; you have made it to the
airport and they can take a good guess whether you can get to your
plane on time. That's what I always assumed check-in meant: here I
am.

I've wondered much the same thing. Although if one wants to go
back a bajillion years, international flights often requested/required
one to call about 48 hours prior, one still "checked in" upon arrival,
giving them some idea of how many passengers were going to be
flying that day. With the new system, although they get some
early idea of how many folks are actually intending upon
showing up, there still must be a fairly good "no show" rate
for last minute problems.

[snip]
I wonder if that was a factor in the original poster's situation --
perhaps it speeds things up for some airlines (at least if the
traveler isn't ill at ease with computers and/or vision disabled) to
do it that way. That's just a guess. Pulling you out of the line and
making you poke at a computer is not something for which I have a
definite explanation.

There is no doubt that the number of people capable of
using the kiosk rises to a level where they can process significantly
more people in the same amount of time with fewer actual gate
agents. When you realize that in some "groups" at least one of
the people traveling can do the process for everyone, I'd guess that
the number of folks who flat out can't use a kiosk is lower than
10% and it is to the advantage of an airline to identify them and
apply resources to them exclusively. Any process of coercing/
cajoling/
redirecting customers at this stage is almost assuredly an attempt
to get folks who can, but choose not to, to at least "give it a go".

Ad absurdum per aspera wrote:

And don't forget telephone check-in.


I wonder just what "check-in" means. Southwest, which I fly a lot,
allows you to "check in" and print your boarding pass as much as 24
hours in advance, over the Internet.

Which, obviously, is completely divorced from any implication that
you are not stuck in traffic or checking one last e-mail at the hotel
or lingering over coffee with your hosts; you have made it to the
airport and they can take a good guess whether you can get to your
plane on time.

It is interesting when standing by for a flight or upgrade on AA, and
they tell you they can't add you to the list, because "first class has
checked in full"..

On Oct 25, 12:36 am, mrtravel wrote:
[snip]
It is interesting when standing by for a flight or upgrade on AA, and
they tell you they can't add you to the list, because "first class has
checked in full"..

I was flying out of Washington National one time, near a weekend,
and some guy in front of me was trying to upgrade to FC. The
agent told him she'd put him on "the list". He authoritatively
informed
her that he was "platinum medallion" or some such designation.
He seemed quite proud of his status. She drolly informed him that
that is why he was on the list at all. About that time some
congressman that I recognized at the time strolled out of the
elevator. The guy ultimately ended up in coach with me. I
strongly suspect the agent wanted to tell the guy he didn't have
a prayer.

mrtravel blabbled:

irwell wrote:

On Wed, 17 Oct 2007 20:44:48 -0600, DevilsPGD
wrote:


In message Craig Welch
wrote:


Tom Peel said:


SBC News schrieb:

I travel internationally (live in the US) quite often but not exactly
every
week.

What's the problem. You can just walk up to a wall to wall row of
checkin machines and be done in 10 seconds, or stand in line for hours
with 2000 other punters snaking round the tape barriers and check in
the
old fashioned way. Your choice.

The OP made the point that for some people, using the self check
terminal is very difficult.

Perhaps. A lot of people don't even try, or otherwise get distracted
with "I can't do this" rather then looking at the screen.


You are also assuming everybody travelling is able to
understand English, which is what most of these machines
use.

Most of the machhines in the US use English.
I don't most machines in non-English speaking countries to be in English.

That said, it is interesting that sometime in the past yeara, WAMU
(Washington Mutual) in this area has added Russian to their ATMs


Oh, that's for the convenience of all those mail - order Russian brides and
their nubile daughters you are wont to cart over...

:-)

--
Best
Greg

"I am smarter than you think I am"
- Maryanne "Loafhead" Kehoe to me
in alt.gossip.celebrities

On 25 Oct, 13:16, me wrote:
On Oct 25, 12:36 am, mrtravel wrote:
[snip]

It is interesting when standing by for a flight or upgrade on AA, and
they tell you they can't add you to the list, because "first class has
checked in full"..

I was flying out of Washington National one time, near a weekend,
and some guy in front of me was trying to upgrade to FC. The
agent told him she'd put him on "the list". He authoritatively
informed
her that he was "platinum medallion" or some such designation.
He seemed quite proud of his status. She drolly informed him that
that is why he was on the list at all. About that time some
congressman that I recognized at the time strolled out of the
elevator. The guy ultimately ended up in coach with me. I
strongly suspect the agent wanted to tell the guy he didn't have
a prayer.

Sometimes you can get bumped (downgraded) even though you booked the
higher class. This can happen on the
more popular routes.

Someone I know got a free upgrade from econ to FC transatlantic, which
is as rare as hens teeth. But of course
if you do get upgraded they can sometimes change their mind before
departure ... the Lord Give'th and the Lord Take'th Away...

On 24 Oct, 19:13, Ad absurdum per aspera
wrote:
And don't forget telephone check-in.

I wonder just what "check-in" means.

Yes... after you have gone through all the intrigue of on-line check-
in and the 'next step' is to take you bag to the airport and drop it
of at, erm, 'check-in'...

Basically I think it is a way to re-confirm your flight, reduce
queuing at the airport, and choose your seat. Downside is small extra
admin burden on the passenger, seat choice is never 'guaranteed' and
some more things to go wrong...

I suppose for the airline you are re-confirming you will turn up, but
that is not guaranteed when you 'check-in' 24hours before departure..

On Fri, 26 Oct 2007 08:54:00 -0700, wrote:


Someone I know got a free upgrade from econ to FC transatlantic, which
is as rare as hens teeth. But of course
if you do get upgraded they can sometimes change their mind before
departure ... the Lord Give'th and the Lord Take'th Away...

Have it happen twice, once from San Francisco to London on Northwest
via Minneapolis, the Air Traffic guys in London were threatening
strike action and they hurried us aboard in Minneapolis, we finished
up in First with all the trimmings etc,
Second time in Rome to New York on TWA, the counter agent said
we look tired and we would be more comfortable in First.

Someone I know got a free upgrade from econ to FC transatlantic, which
is as rare as hens teeth.

Never lucked into anything that nice, but one time the Air France gate
lady at Charles de Gaulle frowned at the computer screen and took my
ticket to the office. This filled my soul with nameless dread for a
few moments, of course, but what she came back with was an
unwarranted, unexplained, and you'd better believe uncomplained-about
upgrade to business class. Maybe not first class but pretty cush
all the same.

I think that was also the trip where we were delayed on the taxiway
and they washed down the explanation with champagne for all passengers
in the admittedly not very full 747. Certain US airlines could learn
a thing or two from such incidents about how you don't always have
much control over travel glitches but you have a fair bit of control
over how the customers feel about it all...

--Joe