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?

Not all airlines overbook. Neither Jet2 or Ryanair do.

I think Ryanair do. Earlier this year when I was waiting to check-in my bag, a family a couple of people ahead of me in the queue hadn't checked in online and were being told that there now weren't enough seats for them. This suggested overbooking.

I've just been away with Wizz Air, I'm pretty sure it was another £30ish to check in at the airport.

On the way out I selected random allocated seats as opposed to choosing our own for £18/each. We were given 2 aisle seats, one in front of the other which we thought was OK, but once on the flight a man offered to swap so we could sit together.

On the way back, went for random allocated seats and they were quite far away from each other, but it said you could change seats up to an hour before flight.

Accepted them, and then immediately went back to change only 1 seat to be next to the other so only paid to choose 1 seat. (Opposed to the option of choosing both seats)

My teen printed theirs when they recently went away with friends for the first time, I think they had on their phone as well but wanted a back up.

As you walk through the entrance doors to departures there is a board which will list all flights and tell you the number of your check in desk. Unless it has changed in recent months with the work they are doing, it's turn left for Jet2 and turn right for the other airlines . For most airlines there will be a few desks which will handle all flights for that airline . There will be a member of staff from the airline who will ask if you have your boarding pass and will then advise you accordingly .

Last few times I’ve flown BA from Heathrow they’ve insisted on printing boarding passes at the airport even if you’ve already checked in and have it on your phone. No idea why.

I do for Eurostar because at the Paris end they often have a problem with scanning in by phone whereas it always works with the paper

At Manchester a lot of the bag drop is now automated and you can cut down your wait if you have a boarding pass to them use the machines.

@parkrun500club you don't need to hand over your phone. You just share the others boarding passes to their phone ( unless your son doesn't have one )

How is it wrong? I described what you do after you have checked in online.

I did online check in tonight and now have all of our boarding passes saved to my phone. If I get chance I'll print copies too.

Still confused about what happens with our cases though 🙈

Wouldn't it be easier to have bag drop and check in machines combined so they are all the same then passengers with carry on buy already checked in go straight through people who check in online can still do baggage drops then other people can check in there in person

Bag drop takes as long as check in it seems

I always print as well. My phone once decided to restart and do a huge update at the boarding gate. If I hadn't printed out the BP then I'd have been ultra stressed

Same as if u get delayed a couple of hours Sods law phone will die just as you finally get to the gate ( iPhone I'm looking at you here)

For the sake of printing it I wouldn't want the stress

Edited to add that I don't really bother with online check in if I'm flying BA or Qatar and have hold luggage. I have one world status so get to biz class check in, hand over passport and within 2 or 3 mins my bag has gone down conveyor and I'm handed boarding passes. I choose seats when I book

Where are you flying from?

If you've checked in with Jet2, you go straight to one of the many 'self service' machines where you weigh your case, scan boarding pass, print and attach label to case and then dump cases on designated conveyor.

When I flew Jet2 from Birmingham last month you had to queue up to drop your bags off at the check in desks.

I was flying with Easyjet once and couldn't check in online due to a computer error. Customer service assured me it would be fine to just check in at the airport. I turned up at the check in desk and they said the flight was full! Had to go to the gate to see if anyone else was a no show (they weren't), then go back to the front desk and they got us on a flight to Gatwick, then another flight to final destination. Such a pain. Always check in online if you can!

If you check in online you can also do a bag drop the night before - hence the reduced queues.

We flew from Manchester with Jet 2 and just kept our overnight stuff.

So much easier.

If you check in online you can also do a bag drop the night before - hence the reduced queues

I think that is only available for morning flights with Jet2.

Have you considered asking the airline? They might have some answers.

My phone once decided to restart and do a huge update at the boarding gate. If I hadn't printed out the BP then I'd have been ultra stressed

When I wasn't able to print last time (because Ryanair only lets you check in 24h before if you don't book priority) and had to use my phone, I was able to get into security with the QR code, but it wouldn't scan at the gate. They just had to type in the number and look me up on the passenger list.

Printed passes are much easier. I had to try a few times to get it to scan off the phone at security, while at the gate it wasn't bleeping it at all.

I flew from Manchester last month and it was as I described. Same when I flew with them in October and June last year 🤷‍♀️

And you don’t have to print your boarding pass as you can have it on your phone.

I have a printer, And always print out airline tickets, hotel stays because my mobile might disappear, not be charged etc, anyway, want to relax at the airport, not look for a place to charge my phone.

Israel and Germany have charging points on your train seats. 😊

Which is why I asked which airport the OP was flying from.

If there are automated machines operational that's what happens - member of airline staff asks if you have boarding passes and if yes, you are guided to the machines, if not you will need to go to the counter .

But - all airports and all airlines are not the same . Some handle far more passengers than others and these will be the ones with the dual system / automated processes .

@missshilling
Is that because of the work they are doing at the airport ? As Jet2 certainly has the auto machines there .