Printing boarding passes at home?

[Guest]

Whenever I go on a flight, the airline always tries to get me to print my boarding passes at home. If one is checking in luggage, is there any point to that? I understand if there's just carry-on, but is there any advantage if one has to check in luggage? I'm usually in the priority line anyways. Just a chance to lose something on the way to the airport, I might think...

[maninsoma]

The advantage is that even if you're checking luggage, if you both check in online, print your boarding pass, and prepay to check your bag, then there is typically a separate (much shorter) line where you can simply drop off your bag.

[+ WmClarke]

Curbside check-in at some airports is nce.

 

And if you lose the boarding pass, they can just print you another one.

[mike carey]

The advantage is that even if you're checking luggage, if you both check in online, print your boarding pass, and prepay to check your bag,

This was interesting, when I read this comment it came with something of a jolt. Our main airlines have budget affiliates where you pay extra for everything (and they have consumer affairs reputations to match) but the carriers themselves include luggage, meals, alcoholic beverages and headsets in their standard economy fares. I need to fly more often to offer a better commentary on their service (and in the US to compare and contrast).

[geminibear]

This was interesting, when I read this comment it came with something of a jolt. Our main airlines have budget affiliates where you pay extra for everything (and they have consumer affairs reputations to match) but the carriers themselves include luggage, meals, alcoholic beverages and headsets in their standard economy fares. I need to fly more often to offer a better commentary on their service (and in the US to compare and contrast).

 

Oh boy are you in for a rude awakening when you fly in the US.

[mike carey]

Oh boy are you in for a rude awakening when you fly in the US.

I am seriously not looking forward to it! We are spoilt here, but still we complain about our airlines!

[+ poolboy48220]

I'm with unicorn, if I'm checking bags I have to stand in line anyway, so I don't see a lot of advantage.

 

Tangentially related - I was flying back home out of JFK a few weeks ago, and got to the airport a bit late, less than an hour before flight time. Delta would not let me check in at the automated kiosk because I was checking a bag, apparently there's a cutoff of an hour for checked luggage. I was able to check in with the clerk, but she told me they couldn't guarantee my bag would make it on the plane. I barely made it to the plan (after a half-hour wait in the TSA line), and sure enough, my bag went on the NEXT plane to Detroit, arriving 7 hours later.

[Rudynate]

Flying in the US has become such an obnoxious experience that I avoid it at all costs. I flew to LA early this summer. Even a flight of less than an hour was so awful that I haven't done it again. I am steeling myself for a trip to Vancouver before year's end. Business/First class help a little, but in actual fact, the ordeal starts as soon as you leave your house.

 

I discovered that hiring a private car cost only a little more than a taxi, so for a long time I did that for going to and from the airport. Believe me, that's nice having a driver waiting for you at the gate. But then, suddenly the rates for privates cars more than doubled, so it was back to taxis.

 

Before I had my last spine surgery, I needed a wheelchair for anything that required being on my feet for more than a couple of minutes. When you're in a wheelchair, you go to the front of the line, you board first before anyone else. It's really easy. One of the perks of being handicapped.

[gallahadesquire]

... When you're in a wheelchair, you go to the front of the line, you board first before anyone else. It's really easy. One of the perks of being handicapped.

 

But you can get some awful mean looks for being wheeled around.

Tangential question: How much did you tip the wheelchair attendant?

[geoffk]

to answer your question , i don't really see any need to print a boarding pass at home when checking luggage. You have to see a person to collect your bag and they always give you a new boarding pass. However, if you are carrying your bag on the plane and want to go directly to the security line you should print it before you go to the airport. Recently i was on a flight from Key West on Silver their site wouldn't even allow me to check into the flight nor would United the 2nd leg of my flight. Had to wait til i got the airport in Key West, no problem there though.

[Rudynate]

But you can get some awful mean looks for being wheeled around.

Tangential question: How much did you tip the wheelchair attendant?

 

 

Twenty bucks.

 

I guess I didn't notice any mean looks. The whole experience taught me something. I used to look at people in wheelchairs who didn't look like they had anything wrong with them and think, "What is (s)he doing in a wheelchair?"

There I was in the same predicament - not looking a bit like I "needed" a wheelchair - in a wheelchair. It was a good reminder to mind my own business and not judge.

[+ Charlie]

Once you have printed your boarding pass at home, you are checked-in for your flight, so I assume you would have a better argument against getting bumped if the flight turns out to be overbooked.

[Frequentflier]

We probably won't get this but I'd like to see the government allow foreign based carriers to operate on routs within the US. The US airlines need the competition. I fly business or first and on US carriers it's not nearly as nice as when flying Lufthansa as an example. The US carriers are making profits but they are horrible and most of their customers think so.

[+ Truereview]

I print at home. Twice in the last year I've seen infrequent travelers get pissed, confused, and inconvenienced b/c the ticketing system for an airline went down...those with pre-printed boarding passes (at home)were given priority thru TSA while those waiting to print theirs at the airport went thru unnecessary aggravation. I say it is worth it and I have a feeling it will become more de riguer.

 

I never pack more than I can carry-on. If I must, I FedEx/UPS it in advance to avoid the hassle of baggage. Most hotels are happy to hold your deliveries at their security desk.

[bobchitown]

What is this printing of which you speak? I just download it to my iPhone wallet and I'm good to go.

[+ Truereview]

What is this printing of which you speak? I just download it to my iPhone wallet and I'm good to go.

Do all airlines accept mobile boarding passes? I do use it on usairways, British airways, delta, and VA. To your point, It is a snap!

[+ Gar1eth]

In general I don't print my boarding passes. I figure why should I save the airlines money and waste my ink and paper.

 

Gman

[samandtham]

If the airline has an app where I can get my boarding pass sent to, I do that. Otherwise, I don't print. The person at the check-in counter typically prints it anyway, even if all I am there to do is drop off my luggage.

[oz_carter]

I never print them at home. I will always get one at the airport. Unless if you were flying one of those European budget airlines. I read sometime ago a passenger had to pay a fee to reprint their boarding pass at the airport because the passenger forgot to bring their hard copy which they printed at home.

[+ deej]

I'll generally print them (as someone else said, in case something is wrong with my phone). As recently as a few years ago, if you were flying American and got to the airport early enough checking in at the airport frequently offered an upgrade to first class if it wasn't full. When those offers stopped, I made the switch.

 

I never worry about checked bags because I travel really light and have no bags to check. If I know I'll need something I can't carry on I'll UPS it to my hotel marked HOLD FOR ARRIVAL.

[bakopanda]

When I print my boarding passes at home, my TSA PreCheck status is printed there and I can get through security quickly. If I wait to print at the airport or if I print at a hotel, my TSA PreCheck status does NOT appear on the boarding pass and I have to go through the regular security line. (I don't have a smart phone)

[LookingAround]

Who prints boarding passes anymore? I just take a screen shot in my phone and that's that.

[JC954]

Recently i was on a flight from Key West on Silver their site wouldn't even allow me to check into the flight nor would United the 2nd leg of my flight. Had to wait til i got the airport in Key West, no problem there though.

 

If you're expecting anything other than just arriving (and not necessarily on-time either) from Silver Airways then you're better off just driving to FLL if you have the time.

[wklucas]

I've always had the habit of ripping up & discarding my own boarding passes after use......probably just as good / the same as actual shredding.....anyway, (if one cares) boarding passes & personal info security -

 

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/warning-travelers-not-toss-airplane-161534175.html

[+ purplekow]

I was scheduled for a trip to Belize. i got to the airport in plenty of time but as it turns out, the long term parking lot was closed and by the time I found a place to park, time was running short. I grabbed a bus from the parking lot and that broke down causing a big delay when the next bus came. I arrived at curbside and was told I arrived just in the nick of time, 30 minutes prior to boarding. When the employee went to put my info into the computer, the boarding pass would not print out as it was now only 29 minutes before the flight. I was not able to get a boarding pass and in the end I did not get on my flight to my connecting flight to Belize. The next flight to my connecting city got me there too late to make Belize and the Belize flight only went twice a week. In the end, I never made it to Belize and lost my prepayment at the resort there.

I had not printed out a boarding pass because my printer had jammed and I was too impatient to figure it out.

Now I print it out the night before, take it with me and as god is my witness, I will never go flightless again.