What's the point of online check in?

[lastminpanic23]

It's been a while since dh and I have been abroad so we are bickering over this. He says we should check in online. I said it's pointless when we have bags to drop off for the hold as you still need to queue up to check those in and might as well do it all at once. We also don't have a printer so wouldn't be able to print off our own boarding passes anyway.

I understand it makes it quicker for people who just have hand luggage and can therefore bypass the check in desk but what's the point in doing it if you have suitcases?

I check in online, print boarding pass and send an electronic copy to my dh on WhatsApp and on 2 email addresses in the event someone loses their phone or battery dies.

I did online check in for the first time recently with British Airways.

On the day of my flight I walked in to the airport with my boarding card in my apple wallet, scanned it at one of the bag check machines, which printed a bag sticker, then I put my suitcase on the conveyor belt. No queue.

Then I walked into the security bit, scanned my boarding card and went through the scanner.

That was that. I went from the entrance to being in the terminal looking for something to do within about 5 minutes and the only human interaction was the person at security who pointed me to put my handbag in the tray and walk through the scanner.

I haven't flown for about 12 years. We go on Friday and I'm suddenly feeling clueless.

I have checked in online.

Is bag drop off really obvious at Bham airport? Do you go to a desk? I'm assuming the one you are flying with? So a bit like old style check in?

My phone once decided to do a massive battery dump and die at Gatwick.

That was fun.

I wish more people would, having been held up innumerable times by people in front frantically swiping up and down looking for them on their phones or, as mentioned above, discovering their phone is dead at the boarding gate.

It’s a different queue for bag check once you’ve checked in online. You also don’t need to print your boarding pass.

You can check k in the airport, a phone could be lost.
Never checked in online and not had a problem.

This. With Jet2 we checked in online, walked straight into bag drop no queue.

It may depend on who you are flying with but in my experience there you just check in normally just the same as before online check in existed.

Flying with Jet2 and have already booked and paid for seats.

Checking in online literally takes 30 seconds and could save you joining a massive queue at the airport. Why wouldn’t you do it?!?

Then you just join the queue, if there is one, and wait your turn to drop your bags off. There really is no difference to before online check in. Maybe a couple of minutes saved. I suppose it does add up though.

Which airline?

If you don't checkin online at least 2hrs before:

Ryanair charge £55
Jet2 charge £40

If you're flying with Jet2 they will charge you extra to check in and print out passes at the airport - we got caught out that way once before when we forgot to check in online for some reason. I think it was about £30 each.

Just seen Jet2 - I believe without luggage, they charge £9 per person each way to check in at airport. So save yourself £36 and a whole load of hassle by checking in online!

I will absolutely be checking in online now. Just seen that you need passport numbers to do it online and I'm at work currently but will do it tonight.
As I said it's been years since I travelled abroad and I had no idea this was a thing now. I thought it was an option but by no means a necessity to save money! Very glad I started this thread!

Indeed! Passes need to go in the Wallet app, so loss of internet doesn’t cause hassle either.

This is wrong information. If you don’t check in online with Jet2 and several other low cost airlines you will be charged to check in at the airport.

@lastminpanic23 you could also experience the joy of the twilight bag drop

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5mZmbg2jGRNr5LrtM2tvf7x/a-breakdown-of-the-airports-that-offer-twilight-check-in#

The tricky bit will be admitting to your DH that he was right😬

Have a great trip!

I love Twilight check in. Had a really early flight earlier ths year. So booked a cheap airport hotel, dumped my bag and went to explore Resorts World at Birmingham.

Up at 0330, trundlered over and joined the short security queue and was through in minutes. No taking out liquids or electronics either.

i always check in online, add passes to my wallet and carry a battery pack.

With our holiday last week, Jet 2 offered resort check in for our late night flight home. We checked in online and they took our luggage from the hotel to the airport so we went straight through security when we arrived

Me, because I am generally travelling with other people and it's easier to give DH or DS a paper version than hand over my phone to him once I've gone through the gate so he can use it to get through. If I am on my own I stick with the phone version.

And you can't always check in online! It happens more often than you think for all sorts of reasons, eg if the plane if overbooked or it's just full and they want to make sure you check in big bags etc. So if you check in at the airport they give you a paper boarding pass.

I agree it seems a bit pointless to check in online if they effectively make you go through the process again to check larger cases in.

Not all airlines overbook. Neither Jet2 or Ryanair do. Easyjet might, BA and other flag carriers do, but budget airlines that typically do one flight a day to the destination don't overbook as a rule.

Check in online gives you a better chance of sitting with your travelling companions too, as the later you leave this, the more likely there won't be any seats left together. Plus many airlines charge to check in at the airport like PPs have said.

I always print my boarding pass too as I don't want to be one of those people faffing around with their phone at the gate or have the hassle if it's lost, stolen, breaks or the battery goes flat.

Just easier, why else?