Identifying Passengers - Requirements in Aus?

[TrafficTraffic]

Imagine my surprise when I found my seat occupied upon boarding my flight on Friday.

Susbsequent investigation found that Mr X sitting in my seat had lost his home printed boarding pass on the way to the airport, approached check in and said " Hi I am Mr X and I am on the 1305 flight - can I check in some luggage and get a boarding pass"

It just so happened that my surname (spelt with an X as well!) is the same, so he was issued with my boarding pass, and luggage checked in under my booking (complete with QF Club number!), The other Mr X didn't check his boarding pass overly thouroughly and took his(my) seat. We both had the same boarding pass (mine had even triggered upon at the bridge that I had already boarded!).

Suffice to say somebody on staff travel was kicked and I got there seat and to destination...

My question is how did this happen?

What are the implications for me (what if the other Mr X had contraband in his check in luggage under my name ...(my name isn't Corby!!!))

Had the flight not been %100 full it is possible that somebody without a ticket could have been on board without being noticed (how many times have you turned up found somebody in your seat and either just taken another spare one or taken their (supposed) one.

TT

[Water Wings]

Seems like a rather simple case of human error to me. It does happen....Forrest Gump was right...S^*t Happens.

When I used to be ground crew, once I was busy with other tasks but checking in the odd passenger as well. Gave one guy a boarding pass and carried on with my work. Tried to check in another passenger a short time later for the same flight to discover he wasn't listed on the flight. Showed me his Electronic ticket....I scratched my head then realised I was singed into the wrong flight. I was signed into the right flight number but with the wrong date. By some fluke a DIFFERENT passenger, with the exact same name as passenger number one was booked on the exact same flight but a day later. Paged back passenger one and fixed everything up.

Just an old example that came to mind. When your in a rush (and most of the time, ground staff are in a rush), it's very easy to checkin/edit/reprint the wrong name.

[Icarus2001]

Given on line payment, check in at home and self check in at airport then print your own boarding pass. There is ZERO to guarantee that the name on the ticket is the person in the seat. Then again there never has been. A boarding pass can easily be passed to another person of same sex any time before boarding.

[VBA Engineer]

Now that baggage is screened, and passengers also, what does it matter who you are?

[TrafficTraffic]

VBA Engineer


In my case above the other Mr X had checked bags in under my booking so what would have happened if he had been offloaded? Do the bags still travel on my booking? Or If I had been offloaded would his bags have been offloaded with me (because they were loaded on my booking?).

So I guess if I ever want to give my booking on my non-refundable non-changeable non-transferable ticket to somebody else I will not be contacting the airline to pay the non-negotiable change fee.....(or lose the booking altogether)how will they know that the person that isn't me isn't me?

I felt a little sorry for the staff member that missed the flight, but then if QF had put me on the earlier flight (that had free seats when I asked and was still open) rather than saying 'you can't change on that fare' - everybody would have been happy....thats the rules I suppose

TT

[topend3]

When it comes down to it, it doesn't matter a rats arse who is flying on a given ticket, that is why ID is rarely sighted at check-in. Everyone gets screened and 100% of baggage gets screened, so the identity of someone is quite irrelevant. That's the position of the airlines and is backed up by the regulator.

Exactly why FTB baggage should be left on the aircraft and taken to it's destination. Might help with airline's OTP and make people think twice before they get smashed or fall asleep.

Although, the security regulator won't allow the airlines to depart with an FTB pax's baggage, does this mean they have no confidence in the system they determined every airport had to implement?

[PAXboy]

topend3When it comes down to it, it doesn't matter a rats arse who is flying on a given ticket, that is why ID is rarely sighted at check-in. Everyone gets screened and 100% of baggage gets screened, so the identity of someone is quite irrelevant. That's the position of the airlines and is backed up by the regulator.
It would matter more than a rats arse - to the pax that was denied boarding! With internal flights in the UK they are getting much stronger on positive ID checks, although some are still a cursory glance.

[mingalababya]

I thought photo ID on domestic flights in Australia was essential at one point in time .. until they brought in the self-service check-in kiosks? In China, they're very strict with this; no ID, no boarding pass. And even their self-service check-in kiosks have the ability to scan their national ID cards.

[cavemanzk]

Every time I been domestic on NZ/JQ this year, not once have a been asked for ID at the gate.

JQ: I web check, they just rip the bottom of the ticket off at the gate & tick it off on there list.

NZ: I check-in on boarding using my M-Pass or E-Ticket, All the agents does is make sure the light goes green when I swipe my bar code. Sometimes I'll get a boarding pass from the machine once I'm airside if I want to see if I can get a better seat. But still I only have to enter my name

[tasdevil.f27]

I know of a case at OOL last year year where 4 guys decided to head to MEL with only 3 tickets. Got to the gate, handed the girl the 3 tickets all together and as she was scanning them 1 guy slipped past. Did the same when they boarded, flight wasn't full and this guy found an empty seat.

He only got caught as they were using bay 7 and the crew did a head count. After 3 head counts the guy owned up, the poor girl at the boarding gate got her fingers smacked.

[zanzibar]

Some one may be able to add some substance to this, but doesn't buying a ticket form a contract with the airline and, as such, give you rights to compensation under the various conventions? If it is not the person travelling whose name is on the ticket/boarding pass then you may find you (or your family) don't get a cent should the worst happen.
A travel agent may be able to shed light on this.

[Worrals in the wilds]

V Aus conditions of carriage
6.4 Rules about Tickets. Tickets are not transferable, and you must not sell or transfer them to anyone else. V Australia will not honour a Ticket which has been transferred or sold, or Tickets which are used by a person other than the person to whom the ticket was issued. You will not be entitled to be carried if your Ticket is mutilated or if it has been altered otherwise than by V Australia or an Authorised Agent. If you have been issued with an Electronic Ticket, you will not be entitled to be carried on a flight unless you provide positive identification and a valid Electronic Ticket has been duly issued in your name.

Qantas Conditions of Carriage
6.5 Ticket Not Transferable
Except to the extent required by law or provided under the applicable fare rules, a Ticket is not transferable to another person. If someone else presents Your Ticket for travel and We discover that that person is not You, We will refuse to carry that person. However, if We, acting reasonably, do not discover that the person is not You and as a result either carry the person or give them a refund, We:

are not obliged to replace Your Ticket or give You a refund, and
are discharged from all and any liability to provide You a refundIt looks like the rules are there, just not always enforced very thoroughly. Interestingly, the actual ticket remains the property of the airline. I never realised that.

[*Lancer*]

WRT baggage offload, if 'Mr X' in seat 22A get's offloaded, the bags are still attached to that person/seat/boarding pass, regardless of whether they really are Mr X or not...

[topend3]

My point is that if everything has been x-rayed, then let it fly, close the gate and depart the aircraft. the reason ftb pax make it on board is that the pax often turns up prior to the bag being located and removed...

[FlexibleResponse]

Do you need ID to buy a bus or train ticket?

What's the difference..? And who really gives a damn..?