Why does it take so long to check-in at the airport

[Stephy1886]

Most of the time the self checkin isn’t working so everyone has to wait in line to check on hold luggage

I’m always surprised how long it takes groups / individuals to checkin

when it’s finally my turn it’s hand over the passports then put each suitcase on to check the weight,
get the boarding passes & see you later.

the amount of times you see folk giving staff long winded stories, standing up there for ages. Why do some folk take so long to hand over a passport & weigh a case?

It shouldn't be that difficult to be organised for check in. Weigh your luggage at home, keep essential documents in your hand luggage. If you want to sit together pay for the seats in advance.

Another person who spins the long winded story of why everyone has to sit together to the check in staff

What a weird reply

It seems to some on here, doing the above makes you a bit smug, perfect and better then everyone else. It's a strange thing where being a tiny bit organised opens you up for mockery.

My guess is often disorganisation, poor planning, not actually reading the emails that are sent beforehand, not making sure they gave themselves enough time to actually get to the airport and all that entails to get from drop-off to the plane, first time travellers and sometimes there are issues with the systems at the airport beyond control because not everyone has a printer at home and can just print their boarding passes.

Exactly. And the airports could have a separate desk for those needing special assistance for example because they have medical equipment. I thought they did already but maybe it depends on the airport.

It seems to some on here, doing the above makes you a bit smug, perfect and better then everyone else. It's a strange thing where being a tiny bit organised opens you up for mockery.

They'd love me then! I'm addicted to packing cubes, have everything in reusable air bags for liquids before I even leave home (of which I carry spares), put all metal jewellery and electronics in organisers ready to tip onto the trays, and take luggage scales away with me so we can't be copped on the way home.

I'll get me coat ....

It's not being organised as such that people are mocking. More the need to boast about it on the internet.

Although this thread has taken an interesting turn now that we know OP is not only organised but also violent.

People with children just take a long time doing anything, as their brains are deadened.

It's like twits getting off trains, walking all the way to the exit and then standing in front of the gates to look for their ticket then blocking everyone else!! Arrgh!!

Yes, what is it about the people who just stop, when they need to look for their ticket, check their phone for directions etc?

Has it never occurred to them to stand to the side so they're not blocking everyone else's way?

Queues are never long at my local airport at the Jet2 desks. They always have loads open and now you can do self service check in it's even quicker. Security also has new scanners so you don't have to take stuff out of your bag so that's a breeze to get through too.

Making the point on a thread specifically about airport faffing that a small bit of organisation in advance of your journey can alleviate much of the faffing concerned is hardly 'boasting on the internet'.

Let's be honest air travel is a bit of a ballache already without the additional layer of people just being crap and disorganised and causing further hassle and delays to others. Yeah, there is not a lot I can do about it on the grand scheme of things (although I have stepped in on a few occasions when the individuals concerned have been showing a staggering level of inconsideration) and I am left wondering if these people are just as crap at other aspects of their lives.

Not smug, sometimes muddled BUT.... I will not check a bag in unless there are self check in kiosks each way. Machines don't engage in conversation so the process is so much quicker. If I'm waiting for a kiosk to be free, and an adjacent machine becomes available I can hop over to that one. Can't do that in a queue for the desk check in.

Passengers cannot plead with a machine about this or that. It is one of the occasions where I think technology and using a machine is absolutely brilliant.

Having said that, I've noticed that the check in desks for many of the budget airlines don't have the queues they used to have due to self check in and carry on only, so there is an option. And I suppose they'd have to have a desk check in for certain categories of passengers and luggage, and in case the computers go down at the kiosks.

😂😂

Passengers cannot plead with a machine about this or that. It is one of the occasions where I think technology and using a machine is absolutely brilliant.

I agree with you in 90% of cases. However I get really frustrated when a machine refuses to print my boarding pass because I “do not have the appropriate visa” - when I’ve uploaded copies of my passport, visas, and provided evidence I’ve already flown with that airline into the same country before, and my travel authorisation for it has not even expired yet.

Even when the app shows all is OK and tells you to print your boarding pass at the airport, sometimes the machine won’t budge. Then I have to queue for another human to verify that everything is indeed in order.

I was one stood behind a family checking in. Three families together and basically they had only paid for about half the baggage they were planning on taking. I was about ten people behind them and by the time I had checked in (on the only other open desk) they where no closer to being sorted, was almost funny

We flew back from Spain yesterday. Had all our passports open, boarding passes ready, luggage weighed and within limit. Also had a car seat, which we had checked we were able to take.
Got to the desk, all sorted, then the bloke checking us in couldn’t figure out what to do with the car seat. Said we needed to take it to the plane door, then said it could be checked in with the rest of the luggage, then said it needed to go in ‘oversized’ baggage, waited for a manager to be free to check, then said we had to wait for someone to take us to oversized baggage. All this took 10-15 mins, while my autistic son was melting down.
Not always the fault of the passenger 🤷🏻‍♀️.
Anyway, got back and the car seat is smashed to pieces. So how have to deal with the insurance!

Passengers cannot plead with a machine about this or that. It is one of the occasions where I think technology and using a machine is absolutely brilliant.

You think technology and using a machine is absolutely brilliant because of 'computer says no'? The computer doesn't always know best; it hasn't always been programmed to achieve the correct response to the correct situation. Have you really never had a machine fail to give you something it should be giving you or not giving you an option that you know (and the human you eventually find) knows exists?

@RobinHood19 Yes, I can see the frustration of that scenario! I was just wondering if there is an option of printing the boarding card at home after online check in then it's just the bag drop at the kiosk?

In cases like yours with visa requirements,or depending on the airline that may not be possible, but I'm just curious.

The app / website doesn’t actually issue the boarding pass in this case, despite saying all information has been provided correctly. They tell you to “proceed to the check-in kiosks at the airport” to get your boarding. The kiosks again refuse to print it. Thankfully it doesn’t happen too often, but it’s still a pain when you know (and the staff later confirms) everything is fine.

Machines are not infallible but I have had no issues with the self service airport ones where I have been able to print a tag for my bag and drop it off before heading on my way with minimum fuss. I think the above posters point anyway was that said machines do not cater for the nonsense requests and time wasting that comes with a human interface when passengers want to swap seats, free upgrades because its their wedding anniversary, asking about the in-flight menu or generally talking bollocks that is in no way facilitating a speedy check in.

@RobinHood19

FWIW you are not alone, I’ve had what you’ve described two or three times even when traveling HBO….One instance was down to confusion at the airline over a post Brexit admin requirement, the other two ended up as being “don’t know why that happened..”

@TheCadoganArms

Document wise you only need to hand your boarding pass and passport.

It depends where you are flying. I have had to hand in visas and vaccination documents on my recent flights.
Checking those does take time.

Then I had the problem that the airline decided that I needed an onward ticket even though the visa application only mentions they may want to see departure documents.