Internet Check-in is *****
Paxing All Over The World
If I print the boarding card - I use the laser and take care not to fold the paper in the sensible way.
That is, the problem is with the layout of information on home printed passes prevents you from folding it in the sensible way. The information is so badly laid out that you cannot fold the A4 page twice (presenting a neat size not much bigger than an ATB ticket) that fits into a pocket or bag. IF you do fold it twice - you fold it across the large square bar code.
If you fold it where they print dotted lines, the page is then too large to fit neatly into a pocket. Accordingly, I tend to get the pass from the machine at the slow bag drop.
How the airlines could manage to layout the information (text and images) in such a poor way is a mystery ... actually, No. I can well imagine that a committee could louse up this important document and make it more difficult to use.
That is, the problem is with the layout of information on home printed passes prevents you from folding it in the sensible way. The information is so badly laid out that you cannot fold the A4 page twice (presenting a neat size not much bigger than an ATB ticket) that fits into a pocket or bag. IF you do fold it twice - you fold it across the large square bar code.
If you fold it where they print dotted lines, the page is then too large to fit neatly into a pocket. Accordingly, I tend to get the pass from the machine at the slow bag drop.
How the airlines could manage to layout the information (text and images) in such a poor way is a mystery ... actually, No. I can well imagine that a committee could louse up this important document and make it more difficult to use.
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KLM online is a disgrace.
To come at it slightly grandfatherly…. The original website was a shonky piece of work that barely functioned. Then they ‘merged’ with Airfrance, there was a brief attempt to get the two websites to work in tandem but that clearly failed, during which time the KLM website didn’t function for a few weeks.
Last week the website worked for me at work. Today, it doesn’t. This will be because some KLM genius tweaked some software and the new version doesn’t work with the office activeX filters. Or possibly because the site isn’t working or possibly because my IT colleagues at work have done something to stop it working by raising the security levels. I noticed that Opodo doesn’t work today either.
It should be a pre-requisite that a companies front end channel should work with the majority of modern corporate firewall standards. The constant effort by some stupid IT geek in a backroom of the company trying to get his HTML to be sexier than his mates by putting in flying 747's across the screen might satisfy him and look great at home but if folk can't buy 'in their lunch hours' from work then....
The KLM website it appalling, and if the CEO understood exactly how much money he was losing via his site’s downtime, he’d hire me to fix it. In the meantime, anyone moving money in NL or BE through a certain large bank can thank me for it getting through on time with the minimum of charges
To come at it slightly grandfatherly…. The original website was a shonky piece of work that barely functioned. Then they ‘merged’ with Airfrance, there was a brief attempt to get the two websites to work in tandem but that clearly failed, during which time the KLM website didn’t function for a few weeks.
Last week the website worked for me at work. Today, it doesn’t. This will be because some KLM genius tweaked some software and the new version doesn’t work with the office activeX filters. Or possibly because the site isn’t working or possibly because my IT colleagues at work have done something to stop it working by raising the security levels. I noticed that Opodo doesn’t work today either.
It should be a pre-requisite that a companies front end channel should work with the majority of modern corporate firewall standards. The constant effort by some stupid IT geek in a backroom of the company trying to get his HTML to be sexier than his mates by putting in flying 747's across the screen might satisfy him and look great at home but if folk can't buy 'in their lunch hours' from work then....
The KLM website it appalling, and if the CEO understood exactly how much money he was losing via his site’s downtime, he’d hire me to fix it. In the meantime, anyone moving money in NL or BE through a certain large bank can thank me for it getting through on time with the minimum of charges
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I've never had a problem with folding my A4 sheet either... Sorry Paxboy, but seriously, if you fold it along the dotted lines, you get a 'classic' boarding card size, which generally is a problem anyway. But - If you fold it right, you won't have problems.
I certainly don't.
S.
I certainly don't.
S.
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Have to agree, the KLM website is utter pants.
Mind you, I never cease to be amazed at how bad some airlines websites are. There is no excuse in 2001 to have a Global website for booking, information and check-in, that is not internet standards compliant, won't function with anything other than Internet Explorer, and has been designed by a four year old.
Airline websites which are just p*ss poor;
KLM (doesn't work half the time, reservation fields won't accept certain words in the address etc...). It has actually got better, as previously it just didn't work at all.
SAS Just poor
Flybe - oh my god! What a piggin mess. Do flybe think people will not notice the total cost of their flight if they make the website extremely confusing.
USairways (uk) This website achieves nothing. Why did they even bother, as it is virtually impossible to reliably make a booking.
Lufthansa isn't too hot either, but useable (just)
Among the better ones;
BA
Virgin Atlantic
JetBlue
To the airlines with bad websites: you need to realise, people like myself often have a free choice of airlines to use on business, and if your website is a mess, I just give up, and use BA or one of the other ones that actually work. I haven't got time to p*ss about with crappy websites that just don't work.
Mind you, I never cease to be amazed at how bad some airlines websites are. There is no excuse in 2001 to have a Global website for booking, information and check-in, that is not internet standards compliant, won't function with anything other than Internet Explorer, and has been designed by a four year old.
Airline websites which are just p*ss poor;
KLM (doesn't work half the time, reservation fields won't accept certain words in the address etc...). It has actually got better, as previously it just didn't work at all.
SAS Just poor
Flybe - oh my god! What a piggin mess. Do flybe think people will not notice the total cost of their flight if they make the website extremely confusing.
USairways (uk) This website achieves nothing. Why did they even bother, as it is virtually impossible to reliably make a booking.
Lufthansa isn't too hot either, but useable (just)
Among the better ones;
BA
Virgin Atlantic
JetBlue
To the airlines with bad websites: you need to realise, people like myself often have a free choice of airlines to use on business, and if your website is a mess, I just give up, and use BA or one of the other ones that actually work. I haven't got time to p*ss about with crappy websites that just don't work.
!
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Paxboy, I don't fly with FlyBE, so no.
I've flown SAS and both check-ins (there and back) were ok. I just had to print my boarding pass at the airport on the way back because I had no printer accessible.
S.
I've flown SAS and both check-ins (there and back) were ok. I just had to print my boarding pass at the airport on the way back because I had no printer accessible.
S.
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Not just the airlines...
Earlier this year I wanted to go from Girona to Madrid and back. As the locals are all raving about how good the AVE is - that's the new high-speed TGV train from Barcelona to Madrid - I tried using RENFE's website to book the tickets, RENFE being the Spanish national rail system.
After two eight-hour days of crashes, lockouts, BSOD's etc., I gave up on the RENFE website and booked our seats on Ryanair. As usual, Ryanair's website worked perfectly and as an added bonus our seats were cheaper than the AVE would have cost.
There are some really lousy booking sites out there and a few good ones. Uh-uh, this isn't anything new is it ! But the Spanish RENFE railway website is about as crap as the French SNCF site is*.....so as comfortable as TGV train travel is, if I can't book the ticket I go elsewhere.
* Showing "Trains Unavailable" for the past week.
RaF
After two eight-hour days of crashes, lockouts, BSOD's etc., I gave up on the RENFE website and booked our seats on Ryanair. As usual, Ryanair's website worked perfectly and as an added bonus our seats were cheaper than the AVE would have cost.
There are some really lousy booking sites out there and a few good ones. Uh-uh, this isn't anything new is it ! But the Spanish RENFE railway website is about as crap as the French SNCF site is*.....so as comfortable as TGV train travel is, if I can't book the ticket I go elsewhere.
* Showing "Trains Unavailable" for the past week.
RaF
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I have to say the bmi OLCI is very good and the new text barcode to phone service is brilliant! Added with the fact that bmi have now installed OLCI fast bag drop makes it a very easy experience with less time waiting in lines!
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The Aer Lingus web site is one that works very well from my experience.
I've had no problems with the web sites of - Ryanair, US Airways, BA, Continental, Gulf.
In fact I've had no real problem with web sites of any airline.
Perhaps I've been lucky?
I've had no problems with the web sites of - Ryanair, US Airways, BA, Continental, Gulf.
In fact I've had no real problem with web sites of any airline.
Perhaps I've been lucky?
Paxing All Over The World
Talking of Ryan Air ... 
This is not an OLCI question but a booking one and I thought that I'd ask in here, rather than start yet another thread. Besides, in a few weeks time it will be OLCI!
Booking today from GTO (Gothenburg in Sweden) to dear old STN. One of the check boxes was: Do you have a valid EU/EEA passport? with a Yes/No. My companion is on a non-EU passport (with more than six months validity) and has her Schengen Visa issued by Sweden. So I said: No. The site would not let the booking continue. There was no other option and no explanation about this. The last time we used FR was from Denmark to STN (2.5 yrs ago) and this question was certainly not asked then.
So, I said: YES and completed the booking. Now ... what next? Any suggestions and has anyone encountered this EU/EEA question before??
Lastly, I was almost caught out by the following statement at the end of the booking (and all in bright red):
Which does not apply - although with the usual FR subtlety of web page layout - it looks as if it applies to all.
Thanks folks.
This is not an OLCI question but a booking one and I thought that I'd ask in here, rather than start yet another thread. Besides, in a few weeks time it will be OLCI!
Booking today from GTO (Gothenburg in Sweden) to dear old STN. One of the check boxes was: Do you have a valid EU/EEA passport? with a Yes/No. My companion is on a non-EU passport (with more than six months validity) and has her Schengen Visa issued by Sweden. So I said: No. The site would not let the booking continue. There was no other option and no explanation about this. The last time we used FR was from Denmark to STN (2.5 yrs ago) and this question was certainly not asked then.
So, I said: YES and completed the booking. Now ... what next? Any suggestions and has anyone encountered this EU/EEA question before??
Lastly, I was almost caught out by the following statement at the end of the booking (and all in bright red):
Important! Compulsory Advance Passenger Information (API)
Ryanair are required to collect the passport or EEA issued National Identity Card details of all passengers departing from the UK, IRELAND, MOROCCO AND SWITZERLAND to Spain or the Canary Islands/Balearic Islands. FAILURE TO PROVIDE THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION PRIOR TO ARRIVAL AT THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT WILL RESULT IN YOU BEING DENIED BOARDING WITHOUT REFUND
Ryanair are required to collect the passport or EEA issued National Identity Card details of all passengers departing from the UK, IRELAND, MOROCCO AND SWITZERLAND to Spain or the Canary Islands/Balearic Islands. FAILURE TO PROVIDE THIS IMPORTANT INFORMATION PRIOR TO ARRIVAL AT THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT WILL RESULT IN YOU BEING DENIED BOARDING WITHOUT REFUND
Thanks folks.
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PAXboy,
I think your companion may have difficulty using OLCI as one can, if I remember correctly, only enter details for passengers who hold EU passports when checking in this way. This, presumably, explains the question during the booking process.
Because citizens of EU member states are also citizens of the whole EU there is no need for them to have visas for travel to other EU states; the reason for not allowing OLCI for non-EU passport holders might be to allow staff at check in desks to make sure passengers have the appropriate visa. If this was not done OCLI passengers could proceed straight to the gate where such checking does not take place. I may be wrong about this as perhaps entry to the UK automatically confers the right to travel within the EU.
P.S. I've just looked at Ryanair's website. It allows citizens of EU and EEA nations to make bookings including OLCI so the facility is available to citizens of a slightly larger number of countries than the EU alone.
I think your companion may have difficulty using OLCI as one can, if I remember correctly, only enter details for passengers who hold EU passports when checking in this way. This, presumably, explains the question during the booking process.
Because citizens of EU member states are also citizens of the whole EU there is no need for them to have visas for travel to other EU states; the reason for not allowing OLCI for non-EU passport holders might be to allow staff at check in desks to make sure passengers have the appropriate visa. If this was not done OCLI passengers could proceed straight to the gate where such checking does not take place. I may be wrong about this as perhaps entry to the UK automatically confers the right to travel within the EU.
P.S. I've just looked at Ryanair's website. It allows citizens of EU and EEA nations to make bookings including OLCI so the facility is available to citizens of a slightly larger number of countries than the EU alone.
Last edited by Seat62K; 5th Aug 2008 at 06:55. Reason: additional information
