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What is the purpose of check-in before flying? (2014)

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Re: What is the purpose of check-in before flying? (2014)

#11

Post by mark-r »

jakswa wrote: post #6
thomasahle wrote: post #3

> Some airlines (particularly non-U.S. ones) will completely void your ticket (meaning that it loses all value) if you miss a flight after checking in. (Most U.S. airlines do not do this.) Does this mean that in the US, if I miss my flight, my ticket is still somehow valid? I have never heard of this.

Personal anecdote: I've found the tickets can be refunded/transferred. The airline recommended a 45min layover, and the airport's immigration machines broke and we were stuck in line for hours, missing our domestic flight in a separate area of the airport. In this case, I found out that the airline would've worked with me to reschedule another flight, if I could get ahold of them on the phone. Maybe not all airlines…

This is exactly why overbooking exists. Airlines expect that a certain percentage of their passengers won't make the flight, for whatever reason, so they sell a few extra tickets so the seats won't be empty.

Re: What is the purpose of check-in before flying? (2014)

#12

Post by Gibbon1 »

thomasahle wrote: post #3

> Some airlines (particularly non-U.S. ones) will completely void your ticket (meaning that it loses all value) if you miss a flight after checking in. (Most U.S. airlines do not do this.) Does this mean that in the US, if I miss my flight, my ticket is still somehow valid? I have never heard of this.

Typically they'll rebook you on a later flight. Especially if you call them beforehand because then they can resell your seat. Depending on the ticket and the airline you may be charged a fee. You may end up having to wait standby.

Re: What is the purpose of check-in before flying? (2014)

#13

Post by jaywalk »

thomasahle wrote: post #3

> Some airlines (particularly non-U.S. ones) will completely void your ticket (meaning that it loses all value) if you miss a flight after checking in. (Most U.S. airlines do not do this.) Does this mean that in the US, if I miss my flight, my ticket is still somehow valid? I have never heard of this.

The ticket itself is not valid, because you obviously can't get on a flight that has already left. But the ticket still has value (what you paid for it) because you didn't use it. I have never missed a flight before, but I've also never heard of anyone in the US losing the value of their ticket because they missed their flight.

I saw a video recently of a person who was denied boarding due to being visibly intoxicated. The process started with the gate agent offering to book them on another flight, and devolved into the person being banned from the airline. But they still received a full refund for their unused ticket.

Re: What is the purpose of check-in before flying? (2014)

#14

Post by dstick »

techsupporter wrote: post #10

> When you buy a flight or a journey, you are actually buying a ticket. This used to be a paper ticket, but now it's electronic. But the actual process is the same as before, it's just an electronic implementation of the paper. The ticket is your proof to the airline that you paid an organisation it trusts for the flight. The airline will only distribute its unique ticket paper to travel agents it trusts. Back a very…

Yeah I can see why this workflow went digital the second it was possible :D Thanks for sharing!

Re: What is the purpose of check-in before flying? (2014)

#15

Post by blessedwhiskers »

There is also quite a bit of reliance on the check-in process for Z/employee fares, etc. It's typical that FAs/pilots/etc will commute on other airlines, and often will "spray" fares around depending on flight loads. IE, you need a connecting flight to your home base, the one you booked is oversold by two seats and almost everyone has checked in, so you book another flight that leaves an hour later, but show up at the airport for the first flight in case there's a seat available, etc.

Ultimately your employer only gets billed for the flight you actually board, so there's low risk in spraying out and checking in for several flights. Also when flying standby, prioritization for many airlines involves check-in order (and also they'll often prioritize paying customers, friends/family, then their own employees over other carriers' employees, or similar).

Re: What is the purpose of check-in before flying? (2014)

#16

Post by Gibbon1 »

tschwimmer wrote: post #7
thomasahle wrote: post #3

> Some airlines (particularly non-U.S. ones) will completely void your ticket (meaning that it loses all value) if you miss a flight after checking in. (Most U.S. airlines do not do this.) Does this mean that in the US, if I miss my flight, my ticket is still somehow valid? I have never heard of this.

I have missed a few flights and if the ticket agent is feeling nice that day, they will traditionally rebook you on a flight later that day or the next day.

Missing your flight is one of those things where while it's a rare event for you it's a common event for the airline. For them people missing their flight for a lame reason is just noise compared to people missing flights for other reasons.

Think about it. A flight to Atlanta is delayed due to weather or a mechanical issue? That's 100 people that just missed their connection. Vs random people missing flights is very predictable.

Re: What is the purpose of check-in before flying? (2014)

#17

Post by Eric_WVGG »

I’m still confused.

> You probably have noticed that you often buy your flight from a different company than the airline itself.

What? No, never. I figured out long ago that one carrier always has the best rates for my city, middlemen rarely/never cost less, and I've got the frequent flier card and the points. I thought everyone who flew domestically more than twice a year did that.

I thought the check-in was just to confirm "yes I'm really really going to fly tomorrow" so they can try to fill any unclaimed seats.

Re: What is the purpose of check-in before flying? (2014)

#18

Post by paxys »

thomasahle wrote: post #3

> Some airlines (particularly non-U.S. ones) will completely void your ticket (meaning that it loses all value) if you miss a flight after checking in. (Most U.S. airlines do not do this.) Does this mean that in the US, if I miss my flight, my ticket is still somehow valid? I have never heard of this.

Yes missing flights is surprisingly not too big a deal, even if it is your own fault. Most airlines will do their best to rebook you.

The main reason for that is that there was never really a seat booked with your name on it. If you don't make it, it simply goes to someone else who was on standby.

Of course the flip side of it is that in rare cases you won't get your seat even if you do make it in time, as was the subject of some famous incidents.

Re: What is the purpose of check-in before flying? (2014)

#20

Post by iams »

Eric_WVGG wrote: post #17

I’m still confused. > You probably have noticed that you often buy your flight from a different company than the airline itself. What? No, never. I figured out long ago that one carrier always has the best rates for my city, middlemen rarely/never cost less, and I've got the frequent flier card and the points. I thought everyone who flew domestically more than twice a year did that. I thought the check-in was just to…

> I thought everyone who flew domestically more than twice a year did that.

Not at all, I've never seen a flight cheaper direct with the airline than going through an agent.

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