Checking boarding pass at plane door why?
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Hi,
I fly at least a couple of times a month between UK and Ireland. For a few years now, up to about 2 months ago, Aer Lingus did not check boarding passes at the aircraft door, but they have started again in the last few months.
Like previous Poster, I have no problem with this, indeed I think it is a a good idea, but I am a bit curious as to why they have been re-introduced now after a number of years of being obselete?
Anybody have any ideas.
I fly at least a couple of times a month between UK and Ireland. For a few years now, up to about 2 months ago, Aer Lingus did not check boarding passes at the aircraft door, but they have started again in the last few months.
Like previous Poster, I have no problem with this, indeed I think it is a a good idea, but I am a bit curious as to why they have been re-introduced now after a number of years of being obselete?
Anybody have any ideas.
Wot 'e sed, and, also, the check at the aircraft door may well be the first opportunity for a direct employee of your airline to look at your boarding card.
It is very much in their personal interest to be sure that you are on the correct flight.
Y'know, when I travel by rail or on the London (or anyone else's) underground, I have my tickets, Octopus Card, Oyster Card readily to hand; is it too much trouble to have a boarding card ready for inspection? It is not a personal attack; it happens to everyone, even captains when they are travelling as passengers and, more importantly, to every A-list celeb who turns left at the door.
We love you; you are our passenger, our customer who pays our salary and by doing so my pension. Please continue to fly (esp with my old airline) but keep your boarding pass to hand.
It is very much in their personal interest to be sure that you are on the correct flight.
Y'know, when I travel by rail or on the London (or anyone else's) underground, I have my tickets, Octopus Card, Oyster Card readily to hand; is it too much trouble to have a boarding card ready for inspection? It is not a personal attack; it happens to everyone, even captains when they are travelling as passengers and, more importantly, to every A-list celeb who turns left at the door.
We love you; you are our passenger, our customer who pays our salary and by doing so my pension. Please continue to fly (esp with my old airline) but keep your boarding pass to hand.
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I don't see the problem, its not as if your being asked to smack a small child or some other unreasonable act. Your being asked to show a little piece of card to someone.
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I don't see the problem, its not as if your being asked to smack a small
child or some other unreasonable act. Your being asked to show a little piece of card to someone.
child or some other unreasonable act. Your being asked to show a little piece of card to someone.
Your being asked to show a little piece of card to someone.
I assume you wanted to say "One's being asked to show a little piece of card to someone is no inconvenience"
"Your being asked to show a little piece of card to someone."
You didn't finish your sentence:
I assume you wanted to say "One's being asked to show a little piece of card to someone is no inconvenience"
You didn't finish your sentence:
I assume you wanted to say "One's being asked to show a little piece of card to someone is no inconvenience"
"You're being asked to show a little piece of card to someone."
Hence the full stop.
What seems to be missing from this discussion is an appreciation that when things get checked, things also get lost.
What actually happens when a passenger shows up at the aircraft door having lost their boarding card ?
What actually happens when a passenger shows up at the aircraft door having lost their boarding card ?
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Am I the only one who has read the entire thread? Although the OP posted that he was unhappy having to show his BP, it turned out that it wasn't that request that was the problem - it was that KM had decided to do something different to what they had done in the past, and doing so without any notification or announcement. It was the change in procedure which the OP and other passengers did not know about or expect that was causing delays at the door.
There is NO PROBLEM showing Bps at the door. Nobody has said there was a problem doing this.
There is NO PROBLEM showing Bps at the door. Nobody has said there was a problem doing this.
things also get lost
Passports returned and, fortunately, I noticed one was missing and pointed this out to agent.
Agent (aggressively - well, it is NYC): "You only gave me four!"
Bas: "No, I gave you five!"
Argument ended when Bas walked behind counter and found missing passport on floor.
No apology from dreadful little man.
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Am I the only one who has read the entire thread? Although the OP posted that he was unhappy having to show his BP, it turned out that it wasn't that request that was the problem - it was that KM had decided to do something different to what they had done in the past, and doing so without any notification or announcement. It was the change in procedure which the OP and other passengers did not know about or expect that was causing delays at the door.
There is NO PROBLEM showing Bps at the door. Nobody has said there was a problem doing this.
There is NO PROBLEM showing Bps at the door. Nobody has said there was a problem doing this.
P.S. I flew KM to BRU today and guess what no BP check at the door! That's twice now since this "new procedure" came into place.
No boarding pass> Deny boarding> Send back to gate agent to verify the pax and reprint 
If the airline has a 'floater' CC they would take the pax to the gate or desk to get the new BP printed. No big dealio so long as they haven't lost all their other documents...
If the airline has a 'floater' CC they would take the pax to the gate or desk to get the new BP printed. No big dealio so long as they haven't lost all their other documents...
Last edited by givemewings; 14th Jan 2013 at 19:57.
1. Not all bridges go to a single aircraft, some can be configured in such a way that a passenger taking a wrong turn could conceivably go to a different aircraft, which is why they need to check not only before you go through the gate but on boarding the aircraft
2. Not all boarding is done from bridges, some are done from Tarmacs, 2 aircraft parked in the same vicinity, passenger has to choose left or right and the attendants on the ground are distracted for that split second where they choose completely the wrong aircraft and wander off towards it!!
(Plenty of examples of 1 and 2 happening, there was one a while back about an entire aircraft of people walking through a number of closed barriers and making their way onto an aircraft that was completely dark with no one on board at all!!)
3. To check where you are sitting and direct you appropriately
4. As a way of greeting a passenger in a warm and personal manner by using their name
5. SOPs, not all bridges are the same and go to others, not all aircraft have more than one aisle but some do, as such an SOP has to be made that applies to all aircraft even the ones where it doesn't necessarily serve its originally intended reason
2. Not all boarding is done from bridges, some are done from Tarmacs, 2 aircraft parked in the same vicinity, passenger has to choose left or right and the attendants on the ground are distracted for that split second where they choose completely the wrong aircraft and wander off towards it!!
(Plenty of examples of 1 and 2 happening, there was one a while back about an entire aircraft of people walking through a number of closed barriers and making their way onto an aircraft that was completely dark with no one on board at all!!)
3. To check where you are sitting and direct you appropriately
4. As a way of greeting a passenger in a warm and personal manner by using their name
5. SOPs, not all bridges are the same and go to others, not all aircraft have more than one aisle but some do, as such an SOP has to be made that applies to all aircraft even the ones where it doesn't necessarily serve its originally intended reason
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After the gate there are still 3 ways to get access in to the air bridge. The main stairs, the engineers stairs at the side and from another gate if 2 gates share the one bridge. That's why we check, cause there are idiots out there who want to try hijack planes or worse.
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and never underestimate the stupidity of passengers - a couple of years ago I was heading from LHR to Copenhagen in February and discovered BA were boarding two flights - Copenhagen & Nairobi - down the same bridge (God knows why - but we had to walk to the plane)
To me, it was pretty clear which line was which - one was full of tall blonde types with enough coats on to stamp to the N pole on foot and the other was full of E African people in National Dress, or summer clothes (even the dreaded Safari Suit!!) - but amazing how many people got into the wrong queue and had to be redirected at the aircraft door
To me, it was pretty clear which line was which - one was full of tall blonde types with enough coats on to stamp to the N pole on foot and the other was full of E African people in National Dress, or summer clothes (even the dreaded Safari Suit!!) - but amazing how many people got into the wrong queue and had to be redirected at the aircraft door
Last edited by Heathrow Harry; 20th Jan 2013 at 17:00.
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Few years back the usual announcement Welcome on board to this E****t flight to London Luton
.. was immediately followed by a kerfuffle behind us and a male passenger hastily leaving the plane as he thought the plane was going to Birmingham !!!
Different airline, a few months later, and a passenger complaining that already seated family were in the wrong seats. Cabin crew came to sort it out and the seated family were on the wrong plane !!! They were going to the same destination but were booked on a later flight.
All the checks in the world and its still possible to get on the wrong place
B-E
Different airline, a few months later, and a passenger complaining that already seated family were in the wrong seats. Cabin crew came to sort it out and the seated family were on the wrong plane !!! They were going to the same destination but were booked on a later flight.
All the checks in the world and its still possible to get on the wrong place
B-E
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Checking BPs at the a/c has been SOP in NZ forever. Many instances op pax distractedly trying to board wrong a/c. Even cc checks can be wrong occasionally.
A 'famous' case:
LAX, never the most user-friendly for SLF. Boarding call made for pax to Auckland to board at gate XX. Couple settle in for the flight. After a while, male of couple opines to female that flight seems to be taking longer than expected. CC called and asked when flight expected to arrive at Akland (Ohio). Auckland/Akland can sound the same when heard in a terminal from a tannoy.
This only shows that even a check at the a/c can miss an error. Just another instance of all the holes in the Swiss cheese lining up.
Take any one check out of the process and there are fewer holes required to line up before errors occur. I believe Air NZ flights on this service have since been boarded using the announcement "... to Auckland, NEW ZEALAND, ...". At least the hole in that slice of cheese is made smaller.
As mentioned by earlier posters, as a matter of course I carry my BP in my hand until seated on the a/c, where upon it is placed in the seat pocket in such a way that it is still visible and easily retrieved. No hassle, really.
Le Vieux
A 'famous' case:
LAX, never the most user-friendly for SLF. Boarding call made for pax to Auckland to board at gate XX. Couple settle in for the flight. After a while, male of couple opines to female that flight seems to be taking longer than expected. CC called and asked when flight expected to arrive at Akland (Ohio). Auckland/Akland can sound the same when heard in a terminal from a tannoy.
This only shows that even a check at the a/c can miss an error. Just another instance of all the holes in the Swiss cheese lining up.
Take any one check out of the process and there are fewer holes required to line up before errors occur. I believe Air NZ flights on this service have since been boarded using the announcement "... to Auckland, NEW ZEALAND, ...". At least the hole in that slice of cheese is made smaller.
As mentioned by earlier posters, as a matter of course I carry my BP in my hand until seated on the a/c, where upon it is placed in the seat pocket in such a way that it is still visible and easily retrieved. No hassle, really.
Le Vieux
Oh, no! Not the "Oakland/Auckland" oldie but goldie again, this time with an Ohian twist in the tale.
Except that Akland, OH, DOESN't seem to have an airport, let alone one that serves flights from LAX.
And has Air NZ EVER shared a terminal with airlines operating intra-Californian routes?
(Did I ever tell you the story about the gent who got off the aircraft in SFO on the way to SYD and didn't realise it for 3 days...?)
Except that Akland, OH, DOESN't seem to have an airport, let alone one that serves flights from LAX.
And has Air NZ EVER shared a terminal with airlines operating intra-Californian routes?
(Did I ever tell you the story about the gent who got off the aircraft in SFO on the way to SYD and didn't realise it for 3 days...?)