Multiple boarding passes with FR at STN

[davidjohnson6]

Multiple boarding passes with Ryanair at Stansted

I've booked some flights on Ryanair in low season from STN. On any given date, I've made more than one booking - so if the weather forecast is for rain in destination A but sunshine in destination B or even if I miss an early flight, I can defer deciding where to fly until a late stage. All bookings are in my name.

I'll check in online, so will print the boarding pass(es) at home the night before. I'll be carrying only hand luggage.

Questions now arise:
1) Will the computer system let me make multiple incompatible check-ins ? It seemed happy to take my money in making the bookings.
2) If I give boarding pass X to the person who puts it under the barcode reader before security, but then actually get on a plane using boarding pass Y, will people get upset - and if so, why ? I presume the pax count is based on boarding cards surrendered at the gate...
3) What's the latest point at home or in the airport at which I have to decide where I want to fly ?

[Michael SWS]

Originally Posted by DAVIDJOHNSOM6

If I give boarding pass X to the person who puts it under the barcode reader before security, but then actually get on a plane using boarding pass Y, will people get upset - and if so, why ?

I think every airline and airport would quite rightly have concerns about such behaviour. As far as they are concerned, there is one passenger who has passed through security but not boarded a flight and another who presents himself for a flight for which he has not checked in. In the latter case, it's quite likely that you would not be allowed to board (although I don't know how rigorous Ryanair's procedures are in this regard).

I'd suggest that you treat airport security with the respect it deserves - check in for the flight that you are going to take, and only that flight. If you don't, you are likely to attract some very serious attention from the country's security forces.

What's the latest point at home or in the airport at which I have to decide where I want to fly ?

Obviously, it's the point at which you approach the check-in desk. And there is no reason why you should not have decided where you want to fly to before you get to the airport.

[davidjohnson6]

and another who presents himself for a flight for which he has not checked in

I won't carry any luggage, so will have checked in online for both destinations before leaving home.

Regarding the flight I decide not to take, there is no need to worry about having to offload bags, since I won't have presented any bags to the airline. By virtue of passing through security, I've been screened for any forbidden items so can't pass objects onto someone else. It must sometimes happen that pax spend too long in the shops and end up being left behind.

Does the boarding card I present to security at STN need to match with the boarding card I present at the gate ?

I agree this may be a little unconventional - but I still don't understand why someone would get upset over this.

I can think of a reason to change my mind about which plane I board post-security - namely the event that one plane goes technical and is heavily delayed. This way I get the chance to switch destinations and salvage a trip, rather than just returning home because a long delay is pointless enduring.

[Load Toad]

So you want to book multiple flights, pay for them. Check in online multiple times, get issued multiple boarding cards for multiple flights, pass through security, with multiple cards. Decide which flight to get on and not get on the other flights.

All this degree of convoluted hassle - to avoid what possible circumstance?

[davidjohnson6]

3 reasons for purchasing multiple tickets:

1) I can book way in advance at a cheap price, and decide where to fly shortly beforehand based on information not available at the time of booking - e.g. weather forecast saying if it'll rain or shine today which is important in winter when the weather is unreliable.

2) Any flight can in theory be heavily delayed for a number of reasons - thus potentially ruining a trip. If a major delay occurs, one usually knows prior to boarding. If the probability of a major delay multiplied by the value I personally ascribe to the trip is more than the cost of a 2nd ticket, then microeconomics says I should purchase a 2nd ticket as a form of insurance policy

3) Being able to decide at the very last minute for any arbitrary reason what I do, mathematically, is an option with positive value. Retaining this complete flexibility may be important to me.

[CorkEICK]

I'd suggest that you treat airport security with the respect it deserves........

Thats easy to do. It deserves none.

[CorkEICK]

Questions now arise:
1) Will the computer system let me make multiple incompatible check-ins ? It seemed happy to take my money in making the bookings.
2) If I give boarding pass X to the person who puts it under the barcode reader before security, but then actually get on a plane using boarding pass Y, will people get upset - and if so, why ? I presume the pax count is based on boarding cards surrendered at the gate...
3) What's the latest point at home or in the airport at which I have to decide where I want to fly ?

1. You will have no problem checking in for all flights
2. Will not be a problem boarding card you use going through security, if not used it will be a "no show" or "late at gate". System is not capable of doing the reconciliation you are thinking of. Main function is to ensure boarding pass is genuine.
3. You need to decide when the final borading call is made for the first of the days flights.

As you have no checked luggage there wont be any probs, Enjoy your trips

[davidjohnson6]

2. Will not be a problem boarding card you use going through security, if not used it will be a "no show" or "late at gate". System is not capable of doing the reconciliation you are thinking of. Main function is to ensure boarding pass is genuine.

Does that mean that if flying with only hand luggage, I could (only theoretically, mind), pay for a cheap flight from STN-DUB (for which I get a genuine boarding card), and create a fake boarding card from STN to somewhere expensive like Tenerife. KUL might be pushing it a bit far. Present the genuine STN-DUB boarding card to security.... and then present the fake STN-TFS boarding card at the gate - (assuming there are spare seats) ? Mr Plod would of course be keen to talk to me if I got caught !

[CorkEICK]

I could (only theoretically, mind), pay for a cheap flight from STN-DUB (for which I get a genuine boarding card), and create a fake boarding....

That definitely WILL NOT WORK. Boarding gate staff will not be able to reconcile a fake card with their records and your fake boarding card would stick out like a sore thumb. Dont even think about trying that.

[davidjohnson6]

CorkEICK - I knew there had to be a catch somewhere ! Many Thanks for your answers to my 3 questions though