Checking vaccine paperwork before flyinv
In the last 3 months, I have noticed some different approaches by airlines over checking vaccine paoerwork before flying to the UK
The likes of Easyjet and Ryanair are very happy to let you checkin online and issue a boarding pass. The gate agent then has to do a visual inspection of vaccine paperwork - if you fail, then flying is refused
Other airlines (Icelandair and Tarom) all insist those flying MUST be validated at checkin before they can be issued a boarding pass to go through security.
KLM allows you to checkin and clear security, but wants you to spend time at an intermediate airside gate for validation before they disclose the true aircraft gate.
If most pax fly with checked in luggage, I can understand airlines prefer validation before issuing a boarding pass. However, for those without checked in luggage, it's infuriating that the whole online checkin process is rendered largely useless and we all have to go back to arriving at an airport 2 hours in advance as part of a departing bank of flights when checkin gets really busy and queues are long
What's stopping network carriers from doing vaccine paperwork checks at the gate if flying light and allowing online checkin again ? Maybe have a policy that hold luggage requires validation at checkin prior to printing a traditional airport-issued boarding pass, but validation at gate otherwise. If LCCs can manage it, why not network carriers ? Vaccine paperwork before travelling isn't going to go away in a hurry. The wait-in-queue-for-ages experience is a strong incentive to avoid certain network carriers