the last worry i need after 23 hours of traveling
August 13, 2011 1:07 PM Subscribe
How worried should I be about not having the boarding pass for the last leg of my flight?
I have an hour-long layover between the last two (out of three) legs of a code share flight. I'm currently sitting in the Doha Int'l Airport and will be arriving in Munich. When I get to Munich, I need to catch a connecting flight to Amsterdam. My bags are checked all the way through to AMS, but I cannot check myself in on the airline's website because of "technical difficulties."
On the flights before this return journey, the ticket agent in AMS who checked in my luggage said that if I didn't have time, I could just go directly to the gate, but that time, I had already checked in online for all flights. (I just didn't have the boarding pass for the last two legs of the flight because the first leg and the last two legs were different airlines, albeit with a code share.)
How worried should I be? What can I do once I get to Munich to not miss my flight?
I have an hour-long layover between the last two (out of three) legs of a code share flight. I'm currently sitting in the Doha Int'l Airport and will be arriving in Munich. When I get to Munich, I need to catch a connecting flight to Amsterdam. My bags are checked all the way through to AMS, but I cannot check myself in on the airline's website because of "technical difficulties."
On the flights before this return journey, the ticket agent in AMS who checked in my luggage said that if I didn't have time, I could just go directly to the gate, but that time, I had already checked in online for all flights. (I just didn't have the boarding pass for the last two legs of the flight because the first leg and the last two legs were different airlines, albeit with a code share.)
How worried should I be? What can I do once I get to Munich to not miss my flight?
This is part of what gate attendants do. Go talk to one and get a new boarding pass printed for you.
posted by meinvt at 1:15 PM on August 13, 2011
posted by meinvt at 1:15 PM on August 13, 2011
That recently happened to me on a US domestic flight and the issue turned out to be that the last leg was overbooked.
posted by thewestinggame at 1:15 PM on August 13, 2011
posted by thewestinggame at 1:15 PM on August 13, 2011
Response by poster: There aren't any agents at my flight's counter here yet, but I'll ask as soon as one is available.
I've been trying to check in online, but the online check-in isn't working. My mother just emailed to tell me that she called the airlines and that I am, in fact, checked in, so I hope it'll only be a matter of going to the gate once I get to Munich.
posted by apophenia at 1:18 PM on August 13, 2011
I've been trying to check in online, but the online check-in isn't working. My mother just emailed to tell me that she called the airlines and that I am, in fact, checked in, so I hope it'll only be a matter of going to the gate once I get to Munich.
posted by apophenia at 1:18 PM on August 13, 2011
Best answer: I don't think this is a big deal at all. Since your bags are checked through and you have a ticket, just get a boarding document at the gate. Unless I'm misreading this, I think this is a pretty common scenario in international travel.
posted by bluedaisy at 1:21 PM on August 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by bluedaisy at 1:21 PM on August 13, 2011 [2 favorites]
This always, always happens to me when I take a multileg trip with a layover in another country. So do not stress. If you have to go back through security, you can pick your pass up at the ticket counter; if you don't, you can get it at the gate. Totally routine.
posted by mckenney at 2:09 PM on August 13, 2011
posted by mckenney at 2:09 PM on August 13, 2011
There aren't any agents at my flight's counter here yet
Looks like you are set, but in the future anyone at any counter that deals with your airline [not just your flight] can often solve this problem for you. The trick, I have found, which is not much of a trick really, is to be unfailingly polite, very appreciative and apologetic and very understanding if they're too overworked and frazzled to help you. Gate attendants have to deal with a lot of people who are managing stress poorly and/or actually getting screwed by their employer and often if they've got a chance to do someone a solid who isn't hollering or bitching at them and in fact has an easy-to-solve problem, they are often glad to do it. Say please, and thank you and "excuse me but..." and you can often get all manner of problems solved like this.
posted by jessamyn at 3:16 PM on August 13, 2011
Looks like you are set, but in the future anyone at any counter that deals with your airline [not just your flight] can often solve this problem for you. The trick, I have found, which is not much of a trick really, is to be unfailingly polite, very appreciative and apologetic and very understanding if they're too overworked and frazzled to help you. Gate attendants have to deal with a lot of people who are managing stress poorly and/or actually getting screwed by their employer and often if they've got a chance to do someone a solid who isn't hollering or bitching at them and in fact has an easy-to-solve problem, they are often glad to do it. Say please, and thank you and "excuse me but..." and you can often get all manner of problems solved like this.
posted by jessamyn at 3:16 PM on August 13, 2011
Nthing that this is normal. When the agents come, tell then you need a boarding pass. There is no reason to be stressed out about this in the least.
posted by k8t at 3:20 PM on August 13, 2011
posted by k8t at 3:20 PM on August 13, 2011
You may be able to get a boarding pass from another gate agent, if yours haven't show up yet (I think I've done that on domestic US flights, at least)
posted by zippy at 3:39 PM on August 13, 2011
posted by zippy at 3:39 PM on August 13, 2011
Get a boarding pass or confirm that your flight segment does in fact exist. Farily frequent traveler here but a similar scenario happened to me with code share flight on Air France/Delta. Didn't get boarding pass for final segment, bags checked to JFK (US entry point but not final destination), got to JFK and route had changed months previously so that final segment flight no longer existed and my ticket hadn't rebooked. I would have been stuck at JFK for nearly 24 hours had I not solved problem by getting on amtrak while various airlines and online booking agency argued about who needed to fix it. Route still looked fine when I checked ticketed reservation on airlines sites but not fine when I looked at outbound flights from JFK.
Very likely this scenario won't play out for you but fixing the issue now when you start the trip is much better than waiting until the point at which you no longer have boarding pass. Not to mention you may not be able to proceed to boarding gate at connecting airport without boarding pass if you have to clear border control and airport security again.
If you have a boarding pass but no seat assignment - then don't sweat that terribly. Youll get deat at gate. Doesn't sound like that is the case.
I will add, don't stress - just work to resolve. It will be fine and anecdotal nightmare above is very outside the norm.
posted by countrymod at 11:36 PM on August 13, 2011
Very likely this scenario won't play out for you but fixing the issue now when you start the trip is much better than waiting until the point at which you no longer have boarding pass. Not to mention you may not be able to proceed to boarding gate at connecting airport without boarding pass if you have to clear border control and airport security again.
If you have a boarding pass but no seat assignment - then don't sweat that terribly. Youll get deat at gate. Doesn't sound like that is the case.
I will add, don't stress - just work to resolve. It will be fine and anecdotal nightmare above is very outside the norm.
posted by countrymod at 11:36 PM on August 13, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
If that's not possible for some reason, it should still be OK. You're booked on the flight, right? And you just don't have the boarding pass? Just go straight to the gate.
posted by phunniemee at 1:13 PM on August 13, 2011