printing out boarding passes before flight
 

Does anyone think that printing out your boarding pass the night before a flight is a waste of time, if you are checking luggage onto the plane? I mean you still have to put your credit card into the kiosk and go through all that and then hand your bags over to the clerk. So would it stand to reason that the only time that printing out your boarding pass the night before would be beneficial would be if you’re NOT checking bags and only have a carry on?

Only if you don't care if you are bumped on an overbooked flight. Last on the boarding pass list, first on the bump list.

<i>Only if you don't care if you are bumped on an overbooked flight. Last on the boarding pass list, first on the bump list.</i>

I'm sure you have evidence of this that you can cite?

Does this mean that even though I have booked an Oct. flight to Scotland weeks ago, I could get bumped if I don't print out my boarding pass at home? Maybe I misunderstood basingstoke2's post.

From iFly.com

Involuntary Bumping and your Rights
To the person who is being involuntarily bumped, this could be a disaster: A missed important business meeting, a missed reunion, a missed wedding.... It is important that you state your special circumstances for the airline's consideration. However, also note that airlines are reluctant to bump their best customers, be it the ones who paid full fare for first- and business class, or even the frequent flyer class. Those economy-class travelers with last-minute reservations and/or late arrivals are usually the most likely to be targeted for bumping.

Note the last sentence which is an and/or sentence. How does the airline know who is the last to arrive - usually they go by the time on the boarding pass as the official time.

Also there is a reality show called "Airline" about Southwest Airlines. Watch a few episodes and see how many people are bumped because they had the most recent time on their boarding pass. It has happened to me.

Checking in and pre-printing your BP are two entirely different things. Airlines set their own IDB policies, and "last in first out" is not always the case, otherwise it would be late-connecting pax that inevitably get bumped. Checking in early is always a good idea, printing out your BP the night before, not so much.

The levels of compensation payable to bumped pax have gone up, so it's always good to know your rights. airconsumer.dot.gov/publications/flyrights.htm

gardyloo,
i agree with your last sentence on your last post. I always printed out my boarding pass at home since i saw everyone doing it and thought is the masses are doing it, it must be good. i am too seasoned of a traveler to have that mentality, shame on me!! And as for checking in early, i am all about that. I usually check in way more early than i have too. I would much rather be sitting and waiting than rushing like crazy.

Spme airlines have separate lines if you have your boarding pass and just need to check luggage. We don't use our credit card--just scan the boarding pass. I think it's a bit quicker than if we had to print the boarding pass at the airport.

If the plane is overbooked, would the airline take a boarding pass away from someone who already had one or not be willing to print ant more boarding passes for the last passengers to need them once a boarding pass had been given out for every seat?

dont you have to use your credit card if the airline charges for check baggages? how can they charge you by just scanning your B-pass?

If you are checking a bag, then I don't think it really matters if you print out your boarding pass online at home the night before. I sometimes do and sometimes don't. And it does depend on the airline. And I suppose if you are checking your bags curbside, then it's more convenient to have the boarding pass already in hand.

<<<Checking in and pre-printing your BP are two entirely different things>>>

They work hand in hand. When you go to print out your boarding pass at home look at what it says on your airline site. Is says "check in." You go online, check in and print your boarding pass. At that moment you created your check in time. If you wait until you get to the airport to check in, your check in time will be later.

In these days when a significant number of people on each flight do not check luggage, they go straight to the boarding gate. There is no way to know if they are a later arrival than someone else unless they show up after they should have boarded which is a different matter.

Really not trying to be argumentative here, but you have the option when doing OLCI to print your BP or not. With the airlines I use, the act of checking in is what triggers the timestamp, not printing the BP.

But each airline has its own rules on IDBs, so not something one can generalize.

I do believe we are saying the same thing.

travel4425, we pay the baggage charges when we check-in/print boarding passes at home.

It's not a matter of paying fees or charges. Gardyloo is absolutely correct that one should avail oneself of online check-in when it's available for a flight to better ensure seating, etc. Whether you print the boarding pass out or not is a wash and really irrelevant.

Always check in early; print boarding passes if you want or not.

I always check in on line if it's an option and usually go ahead and print my boarding pass if I've got access to a printer (though I don't always, as I often check in via my smart phone). I almost never check a bag, so having the boarding pass in hand means that I can walk directly to security and skip the kiosks entirely. At my home airport (ATL) I can have my boarding pass directly on my smart phone (either via the airline's app or via text), but I like the security of having a paper back up, just in case. On domestic flights on Delta for which I've not yet upgraded I also make a point of printing my boarding pass because it usually includes a coupon for a free drink or snack.

So for me definitely not a waste of time, but YMMV.

I don't have a printer at home. I do check-in online ahead of time, but then have to do it again at the airport to get the boarding pass. Doesn't matter if I have checked luggage or not, same drill.

In the old days of using the phone they asked that you call and reconfirm your overseas flight a day or two in advance. These days I see printing my boarding pass as a substitute for that reconfirmation. If I print it (or check in on line w/o printing) that's my way of letting the airline know that I still intend to be on that flight the next day. I don't know if this has ever saved me from being bumped or not, but it's such an easy process I do it anyway, just in case.

Okay, can we separate the issues?

I don't think anybody is objecting to do online check-in right? So, let's stop talking about that.

Second, if one's NOT checking luggage, then there's no argument too, right? Of course, print it out and head straight to security upon arriving at airport. So, let's stop talking about that too.

So, the ONLY discussion is, if one's checking luggage and already done OLCI, then is there any benefit to print out the boarding pass at home. Two issues:

1. Environment and cost. You use your own paper and ink. So, it costs you more. And depends on the airport and airline and agent and circumstance, they may just tear up your printed BP and give you a new one anyways. So, there's only downside and no upside by printing your own.

2. Convenience and time. For some airline at some airport, having a printed BP may simply means scanning the barcode off it, and then drop off your bags. No need to show ID or itinerary, no need to type in PNR. So, that can be an actual time saver. But at other times, there may be little or no difference you spend at the baggage drop, with the agent double checking everything anyways. So, there MAY be some benefit, may be not.

So, print it out MAY cost you and the environment more, but also MAY save you a little time at the counter. You decide. OR BETTER YET, use <b>mobile BP</b> if it's available. The BP with barcode and everything is on your smartphone, so it won't cost you or the environment; yet, it may still save you a little time.

"On domestic flights on Delta for which I've not yet upgraded I also make a point of printing my boarding pass because it usually includes a coupon for a free drink or snack."

I would be so lucky... :(

rkkwan,
So do you think that there is any truth to what people were saying earlier in this p\ost that, even if i bought my tickets 6 months ago, i could get bumped when i get to the airport since i didnt on-line check in at home and the people that did get first dibs on a seat, that seems weird to me.

travel4425-I agree. I booked our flight to Scotland months ago for departure in Oct. I've chosen seats and everything. Can't believe we could get bumped just because I'm not going to do online checkin and print passes at home. If someone must get bumped, it seems last booked, first bumped would make more sense.

Travel4425 - When you bought your tickets plays no part whether you get bumped or not. Many factors do, like getting seat assignments and/or check-in time. But buying months in advance means nothing if you don't have an assigned seat, or if you don't check once in a while that you still have that assignments.

I have yet to check in on line before a flight. I've never been denied my seat (knock on wood). I'm usually early, if travelling solo, but if travelling with family members, we always have a rush to get there and then end up hoping we don't miss the flight (they hate waiting around the airport!). And we always have bags to check. I still get last-minute upgrades so I'm not so sure that early check-in is all that necessary (IMO anyway).

simpsonc - I don't know the UA system that well, and I don't know how things may change after the UA/CO merger is completed, but there are too many times to count during the past decade that I grabbed better seats for myself and/or my parents (CO gold elites) on both domestic (when not upgraded) and int'l flights (not upgrade eligible) during OLCI flying CO. Plus other occasions on other carriers.

I always pick my seat on UA when I book my ticket. Then I watch that seat like a hawk, just to make sure I keep it!!! I'm not one who changes seats at check-in. I get what I want when I buy the ticket instead. Maybe others do what you do.... I don't know.

Carol, I always check in on line. Often, if there wasn't a great seat when I purchased, or even a week or two before, there is a great seat available at the last minute and I change my seats as needed to get the best seat.

I usually don’t worry about seats on domestic flights. Who cares about what seat you get on a 2 hour flight. . I can suck up a bad seat for a couple of hours. Now a 16 hour flight to Australia is a totally different story.

I care about which seat I get on a bus for a 20-minute ride, and therefore care about my seat on a 2-hr flight. If you look at my pictures on my Zenfolio site, many are from bulkhead or exit rows. Many of them come from OLCI. Some aren't released by airline prior, some opens up when higher elites get upgraded.

In the grand scheme of a huge trip, the last thing in my thought process is seat placement; there are so many other more important things to be concerned about when traveling. I don’t sweat the very small stuff.

For us seats are pretty important. On a long transAtlantic flight, I want to sit by my husband, and he beside me. We lean on each other when sleeping. We share pillows, blankets, the carryon with the books, puzzles, snacks, meds.

I'm claustrophobic, so I pay a lot of attention to my seats. It's one of the reasons that I'm so loyal to Delta, as having status with an airline usually means that you've got a better choice of seats. A middle seat in the back of packed plane is a non-starter for me. I do watch my seat assignment on line (I travel a fair amount for work, so am on the Delta web site pretty frequently anyway), as seat assignments can "disappear" if there's an equipment change or occasionally even if there's a schedule change, even one as small as five minutes earlier or later.

Different strokes i guess.

I agree about "different strokes," but for me the seating on long hauls is very important. Due to some medical issues I need the ability to get up and walk around frequently, therefore I always get an aisle seat for long hauls. For short hops it's not so important.

I always print out our boarding passes the night before and frequently change our seats to better seats (even if we have to pay more) at that time. Works great for us.

Years ago, I heard that when you check in, they will consider you to have taken the flight, even if you have a last minute emergency and miss the flight. The reason I remembered it was because if you have a non-refundable ticket, you can always cancel it at the last moment and get a credit for much of what you paid for future use on that airline. You can't do that if you have already checked in. If that was and remains true, it would be a reason to avoid online check in.

On the other hand, checking in at the earliest opportunity is often a good opportunity to get better seats, as the good seats typically reserved for frequent flyers, and those vacated by people who have been upgraded, are usually made available when OLCI starts.

Having checked-in definitely isn't the same as taking the flight - otherwise too many ways to get lower fare by using unflown tagged on segments. And in cases where one needs to change itinerary after checked-in, an airline agent can always uncheck you.

Ok, lets put this to rest. Besides seat choices, what is the advantage to chekcing in on-line?

If you are simply talking about check-in and not about printing.

1. Seat choice
2. Less likely to get bumped if oversold
3. When applicable, free upgrade priority

By seat choice, not only do I mean choosing a new seat, but also mean less likely to get reassigned.