grumpy at aircraft when asked for boarding pass. why?

[boardingpass]

No-one checks that the name on the boarding pass (which is trivial to manipulate before printing it at home) matches the name on the passenger manifest (i.e. the name in which the ticket was bought, which is where the checking against the no-fly list is done).

Actually, it is! When you present your printed-at-home boarding pass to the gate staff, they check that the name on the boarding pass matches the name on the manifest, and sometimes cross-checks when they scan the bar-code (if fitted), and then matches it to your photo ID. So don't worry, you can rest assured we're on top of it.

As for your old 'double wammy swap a boarding pass on an air-bridge trick', I'm much more worried about the quality of the Captain's crew meal as a threat to flight safety. Do you really want the cabin crew to check your ID at the door as well?

Hello sir, welcome on board, may I see your boarding pass and ID, please? Thank you, although this photo doesn't really look a lot like you, have you lost some hair? Well yes, that would be from all this stress we put you under when flying... Enjoy your flight.

[Rainboe]

galanjal, don't forget a lot of people are very anxious of flying. And after a LOT of hassle and queueing to get down the jetty...suddenly there is the door of the plane! Anxiety levels have gone instantly up...this is THE plane......it could be THE plane they die in! They are already getting into a state, and this could be a surprisingly high proportion of the passengers. And then they are to the front of the queue and see the cabin crew. And there is a very smart lady with a beaming natural smile. I think many of us forget how important that smile is! 'Why, if she is happy to travel, so should I be!'.

Never underestimate the importance of that welcoming smile. It is the first thing they see when they get on in an accelerating anxious state, even if it is hidden, and it is instantly calming and changes the perceived atmosphere of the plane immediately. And a little bit of small talk completes the picture and does no harm whatsoever.

The trouble is doing it 4 or 6 times a day! Respect!

[christep]

Originally Posted by boardingpass

Actually, it is! When you present your printed-at-home boarding pass to the gate staff, they check that the name on the boarding pass matches the name on the manifest, and sometimes cross-checks when they scan the bar-code (if fitted), and then matches it to your photo ID. So don't worry, you can rest assured we're on top of it.

I guess that's good to know, although I haven't seen that happen on any airline that I've travelled on recently (CX, BA, AA).

Originally Posted by boardingpass

As for your old 'double wammy swap a boarding pass on an air-bridge trick', I'm much more worried about the quality of the Captain's crew meal as a threat to flight safety.

Slightly confused here. In an earlier post you said:

Originally Posted by boardingpass

then the cabin crew at the door checks you've been through the normal passenger route in possession of a valid boarding pass (i.e. haven't jumped over the airport fence to get onto the apron

So it isn't clear to me whether you're worried about this or not.

But anyway, as far as I am concerned this is all rather academic since, to the best of my knowledge, no terrorist has ever taken over a plane by virtue of pretending to be someone else. They all do it in their own name. Once a terrorist is on a watchlist then he loses his value and they'll just send another one.

The key issues for security (as opposed to revenue assurance) are:
- stop people accessing the cockpit (fixed)
- stop people bringing on board materials which could be used to destroy the plane (largely fixed, but with an overkill of huge inconvenience for passengers through the liquids ban, shoes off, and so on with no incremental benefit)

It doesn't matter if someone is on a terrorist watchlist if they are not able to bring onto the plane any means of destroying it.

[malc4d]

boardingpass
You must only travel with a staff discount or free....

Oneway tickets on most airlines cost a-hell of a lot more than a return ticket.
And in the days of it all being done by computors and printers, ( i even put the information in myself online ), why should it cost soooooooooo much to change the name of the passenger ??

[PaperTiger]

If the airlines did not run some type of revenue protection scheme, then people would book early and resell, at a profit, on eBay

Which until a few years ago they did, eBay had an entire category for it. Before that there were classified ads in local papers offering the same, and not necessarily for a profit just recouping outlay.

Now, and I'm quite willing to be proven wrong here, I don't think anybody ever hijacked or otherwise impeded a flight while using one of these 'gray market' tickets.

Checking a BP on entry to the plane ensures the passenger is authorized (ie. has paid) to fly and is boarding the correct flight. End of story. Some airlines simply don't bother without any apparent ill effects.

[TheWestCoast]

In response to PaperTiger, I'm on AA and other airlines a lot and, having worked with AA folks in the past on some business projects, I consider that airline's staff to generally be the most professional and helpful of all the major carriers. What annoyed the most about that experience was the way that, after having completed the airline passenger's equivalent of a triathlon (and i'm a runner, a family toting kids and assorted accoutrements would never have made it) across JFK, the FA who "greeted" me did so with contempt and made me feel like I was a troublemaker.

It may or may not have been her own company's issues that resulted in the delayed arrival of my flight from LAX but I was too winded to point that out to her at the time.

While I'm here - other things that FAs do that cause annoyance...the AF FA who shook me awake for dinner (isn't that against all airline policies?) soon take off from CDG. Nothing is more annoying than when this happens on a return trip from a VERY busy overseas trip with minimal sleep, as is typical in my line of work.

Also, on a 2/3 full UA 757 out of DEN once, I took my seat in the last row of the plane (the love 'em or hate 'em seats, personally, I prefer them on a less than full plane as they tend to be quieter and will gladly select them online, as I had in this case) and the FA asked me to move forward because of "weight and balance issues".

Now, I've been asked to move because of weight and balance on RJs and other small aircraft and have been more than happy to comply, and somebody more informed than me can correct me if they wish, but I believe this was a complete lie in this situation on this type of aircraft.

We all know, FAs like those last seats for themselves so they can eat out of tupperware and read US Weekly. Not wanting to disregard the direction of an FA, I did move forward (2 rows, thereby preventing a tailstrike on take off and all sorts of trim problems, I am sure). Guess who took my seat?

[stanleystan]

It's quite simple really. I'm told I HAVE to check boarding passes at the door. I don't care what other airlines do i'm told to do it! I'd say 40% of my time spent boarding is used up with people argueing they don't need to show it etc. If i ask for it i need to see it end of!!! Why do people have to complicate things?

[boardingpass]

You must only travel with a staff discount or free....

But that doesn't mean I don't know that most airlines nowadays sell most tickets on a one way fare basis (i.e. usually half the price of return). I'm not sure where you're based, but in the last say 5 years, whenever I've bought domestic tickets in America, intra-Europe, Oz and NZ, they've always been one way fares only. The only time I've seen one-way tickets being ridiculously expensive compared with return tickets was on a couple of legacy airlines who obviously haven't yet responded to market forces (such as Alitalia) and I think I remember SAS and Swiss being like that the last time I checked - but they may well have now updated. You can certainly buy transatlantic flights one-way at half price of return (promoted heavily outbound US) and I've bought one-way tickets between Europe and OZ on BA/Qantas at very reasonable prices too. The only problems you might run into are immigration issues if the country requires you to have a confirmed outbound ticket within 90 days when you enter.

I suggest you check with a travel agent if you feel you can't find good deals on one-way fares. (Or you could marry a hostie/airline pilot and travel with them!)

Regardless, you'll probably still need to show your boarding pass when boarding...

[Wibblemonster]

This post is not meant as an attempt at trolling

I travel weekly on a domestic carrier in the UK & the reason I'm grumpy by the time I get to the plane is for the following reasons:

1> The Airport security is a total joke, & the security staff make you feel like a terrorist when you go through the scanners - yes I know we "have" to have some security in this day & age, but a few members of staff rival the gestapo while performing their duties.

2> The great Airport rip off - you can't take liquids into departures sir - its a "security" risk (infact I've witnessed Sleazy-Jet CC attempting to sneak some through the scanners, only to be picked up & given a stern telling off "you should know better" made me smile, especially when her captain, who was putting his shoes on next to me said "Silly bint, we told her not to bother" – slightly relvent to this post, but funny none the less) - anyway you get through to departures, you are a captive audience & get your pants pulled down for a Latte & a sandwich

3> The Airline/Airport lying to you/not informing you about the delay on your flight - ah yes, your flight is due to depart at 19:15, you wait in departures like a good little boy, watching the screens, you notice the clock rolling on to 19:00 - hmmm, I should be at the gate by now, but the board says "wait in departures" - I smell a rat... so you wait a bit longer - 19:10 - Garbled tannoy "Your flight has been delayed till 20:15" - ok, so its an hour late, no biggie. You sit back down & wait for the new departure time. 20:15 rolls by and a new tannoy blares through the departure lounge that the flight is going to be delayed a further hour and a half. Now I'm pretty sure that the Airline/Airport staff already knew the flight was going to be 2hrs 30mins late, but they don't want to tell you that at check in as you are likely to kick off at the check in desk & the poor check in staff don't want angry customers interfering with their discussion of the latest lipstick colours available from Alpha Airport shopping (other airport shops are not available) – oh and they would have to give you some refreshment vouchers, but this way they dont... grrrr!

4> You finally make it to the Plane, you get a lame ass excuse about the plane going tech & they are exceptionally apologetic, however a cup of tea is still £2:50, but comes with a free smile from the CC.. that’s ok then

So there you go, thats why some of us are a little grumpy when we are greeted by the face of the airline and asked for our boarding pass. I myself try not to be rude to the CC onboard, I was taught that manners cost nothing & if you don't have anything good to say then say nothing (some may say that applies to this post, but as a PAX/SLF - terms that annoy me tbh - I was asked for reasons for grumpy-ness), I just show my boarding pass, sit down, shut the fudge up & wait for the seatbelt signs to go off so I can drone out the sound of the engines with my ipod. DONE!

[Final 3 Greens]

have flown more than once so l know that l must show my B/P when getting on the plane, and always have it ready to show complete with a smile.....

Then be prepared for very confused crew when you board this side of the pond, as most airlines in Europe, don´t check them at that stage.

Of course, many aircraft are destroyed every year and millions of passengers flown to the wrong destination as a result of this oversight

[Skipness One Echo]

As a frequent flier and having flown with more than a handsworth of different airlines from Ryanair to Air France in the last twelve months, the amazing lack of consistency is appaling. Some airlines trust the gate agent on the airbridge to not allow randoms onto the plane and yet others insist on checking my pass less than 30 seconds afterwards as I board. I had an experience with BA in Aberdeen last year where they had told Aviance to check ID at the gate on domestic flights.....fortunately for me they accepted a bank card (!) It was very Ryanair.....

The "just obeying orders" and then blatantly making up reasons to play up on security yet again is soul destroying. It's like all those people who RISK THEIR LIVES taxi-ing on airlines that allow you to use the mobile when clear of the runway. Please stop treating us like naughty children. OK it's not the FA's fault buy come on guys we're not thick. It's the blatant bull*** reasons that upsets me, as if we all only fly once a year and don't experience other carriers!

[Beer_n_Tabs]

Hey, how about putting a damm big notice at the bottom of the airstair
PLEASE HAVE BOARDING PASS READY TO SHOW.......AGAIN !

Can you please go and stand over in the corner and have a word with yourself.

If airlines implemented something as ridiculously simple as that it would solve the problem and thus get rid of threards like this where people slag each other off.

But I guess then there would be opportunity to start a thread for people to complain about the large amount of signs they have to read prior to boarding a flight.

I.E "it is so stressful, I turn up at the airport and theres damn signs pointing me into a car park, then when I enter the terminal (checking for Arrival or Departure sign) I have to look for a DAMN sign telling me where my airline check in desk is.... blah blah etc etc.... then to my utter AMAZEMENT they have the nerve to think I am stupid by putting a wretched sign at the foot of the stairs asking me to show my boarding card. I am not stupid I have flown on 5000 different carriers in the last fortnight etc etc."

I think I need to get out more

[Surreyman]

Guilty Man

I am very guilty of feeling irritated and grumpy when asked for my boarding card at the door for the following reasons: -
1. I assume I am being asked in case I am too stupid to understand where my seat is (I always try and select a specific seat on line or check in early) - even if its unnallocated seating i.e FR or Ezy I know where I am going. Cabin Crew often come across as condescending or treat you like a child.
2. Having been through security and then having had my B/card checked/scanned/logged at the gate, I can't understand why there needs to be another check a few metres walk/seconds later.
3. On FR & Ezy there is always a mad stampede to grab seats, on BA/BMI and other 'Trad' carriers there always seem to be clods who block the gangway putting stuff in the lockers, so I want to get on and in my seat wthout delay.
The worst part of the flying experience is the waiting/queuing and boarding experience, I want to get this out of the way ASAP.

[flyflybaby]

even if there was a sign at the bottom of the aircraft steps whats the betting anyone would read or even see it.
from my experience people in airports seem unable to read signs and the arrivals and departures screens. you have to do it for them.

[Skipness One Echo]

From my experience once a lot of people get the shiny yellow jacket on and become crew they treat people as if they really are that thick......
NEWSFLASH : I'm not and please stop it. Really.

[boardingpass]

In my experience, many passengers, after they've woken up at 5:30am after a night of packing, getting stuck in traffic, stressing about the time, getting lost in the airport, having their hair-gel taken away from them at security, running to the gate, worried they've lost their passport three times, by the time they get on board, combined with a little less oxygen and a G&T, they do come across a wee dense and say the darndest things.

As for the "another sign" proposal, not everyone speaks English and most people are too busy texting or talking on the phone to notice anyway.

[PAXboy]

multycpl

Hey, how about putting a damm big notice at the bottom of the airstair
PLEASE HAVE BOARDING PASS READY TO SHOW.......AGAIN !

So ... you think that we SLFers actually read notices?????

At my place of work, where many people are arriving at a building they only go to once in - perhaps - five years and need to double check which part of the building they must go to ... they walk right past the noticeboards. We say that, if we had illuminated notices in red flashing neon - some would not see them.

There is no answer to this problem. The various CAA/FAA/JAR/Govts etc. make a slew of regs but, naturally, allow the carrier to instigate their own. NO ONE is going to be able to harmonise them!

Another reason for BPs being checked assiduously in some quarters is that the UK govt levy a fine on carriers that bring in people not entitled to land in the UK. It does not matter if an honest mistake was made, or the person is a stoway - the govt fines the carrier £££. That is more than sufficient to ensure that the carrier checks our BPs all the time. Don't forget that the check agent and gate staff probably belong to an outsourced company and the carrier will not be 100% sure that they have done their job properly. What is the easiest? Check the BP as we step on board.

[Der absolute Hammer]

Would it not be easier to stamp flight and seat number on peoples foreheads?

[Final 3 Greens]

Well I felt pretty grumpy yesterday.

Arriving on a connecting flight, my boarding pass could only be printed at the gate at -40 mins.

The same handling agent wouldn't give me access to the lounge, even though I had a business class ticket (260€ one way), because I didn't have a boarding pass.

The fact that this was caused by their inability to handle their airline appropriately did not worry them one jot.

And the airline staff wonder why we are grumpy when we have been ripped off.

[boardingpass]

Would it not be easier to stamp flight and seat number on peoples foreheads?

I like it... but then they'd be asking us where they're going again. Better to sedate them, shrink-wrap them, then put them through Heathrow Terminal No. 5 baggage handlers...