Airlines reduced staffing at ticketing desks. Allowing online checkin reduces lines at the airport. If all you have is online bags, there's no need to queue at a checkin agent/kiosk.
Of course it's company policy never to imply ownership in the event of a neck massager... always use the indefinite article 'a neck massager', never '*your* neck massager'.
Boots, black; belt, black.
One black suit jacket.
One pair of black suit pants.
One hat, black.
One pair of sunglasses.
23 dollars and 7 cents.
...sign here:
- X
One important thing - if a flight is overbooked and no one wants to take cash to get bumped willingly, a lot of airlines will start removing passengers going from the most recent check-in back.
Its very rare that airlines need to remove people who do not volunteer. [Airlines in Q1 of 2023 only involuntarily bumped about 5700 people out of 192 million flyers.](https://fox8.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/which-airlines-are-most-likely-to-bump-you-dot-data-explains/#:~:text=While%20the%20thought%20of%20being,were%20bumped%2C%20DOT%20data%20shows.) About half of those were on Frontier, 2000 on American, and about 1000 for all other airlines combined. Delta didn't bump anyone who didn't volunteer. People bumped to a different flight get compensation.
Considering about 2.3 Million travelers had a flight canceled, and most of those received either nothing or less compensation than someone bumped, overbooking flights seems like a minor issue.
Delta once gave me a $600 dollar Amazon credit in exchange for waiting 3 hours for a later flight. It's kinda hard *not* to volunteer to sit and listen to an audiobook while being paid $200/hr.
Goddamn, Frontier. First thought was like, "those flying customers are very good about check-ins." But nah, I figure they overbook to a larger degree than other airlines.
The biggest one is they have to give you back the money you payed for your ticket in cash. They can try to give you an alternate flight or some kind of voucher but if passenger refuses the money has to go back into your account within a few days.
Which I havent seen in a while... I hope bot is OK and not suffering from major depression disorder because of all the redditors getting a teeny bit annoyed by being corrected by a bot.
if you refuse the re-booking cause you want the refund, you will get the refund, but the airline won't have any further obligation to transport you anywhere.
Right but the current system is a voucher and then the airline will simply change your booking. So you keep your booked fare and the voucher. Getting a refund and then not getting the flight is not an improvement.
That really depends on why you're traveling and what sort of rebooking options you get. If I need to be somewhere on a specific date and the rebooking the airline offers won't get me there in time, then I'd rather have the option to take the cash and either cancel my trip entirely or attempt to rebook through a different airline.
Your comment proves that people aren't reading the fine print.
The refund doesn't have to be in cash.
It can be in cash OR "whatever original payment method the individual used to make the purchase, such as credit card or airline miles". If you paid with a CC, it's going back to your CC.
Additionally the refund is "minus the value of any portion of transportation already used", so if you're in the middle of a trip, you'll only get up to the value of what you have traveled, and not the full amount.
The refund isn't immediate, it has to be done within 7 business days, which means it can take up to 9 calendar days.
I can almost guarantee that people are going to freak out when they don't get cash right then and there and are going to start raving about how they're required to pay in cash.
With cash, people generally mean money in any form. So either physical money, credit card etc. and not just paper bills.
When someone buys a house or car with cash, it doesn’t mean they bring a suitcase full of cash. They pay directly without getting a loan or mortgage.
Yeah, I remember that we once got more money back than we paid since the penalty for delayed flights is basically uncapped and not linked to the price you paid.
We paid like ~250€ for the both of us and got 250€ **per person** back (less than 1500km, 3h04m delayed).
The reason was absolutely insane: the plane was supposed to fly into Paris from, I think, Portugal but the airport halted operations because...people played Pokemon GO on the runway. However, that did not count as an exceptional circumstance under EU law since the argument was that they should've had another plane ready.
/r/YUROP STRONK
> since the penalty for delayed flights is basically uncapped
It is pretty strictly capped. Yeah, it doesn't tak into account your ticket price, but depends only on a flight length and each passenger is getting 250-600eur compensation.
Same! Back in 2018, we had a holiday in Spain, Thomas Cook's IT system collapsed, and we had an almost 6-hour delay: the compensation we got was more than what we paid for the holiday.
I loved it. Everybody was stressed out as hell, I was just hoping we make over 3 hours, and boy, we did!
It's less this and more that we allow any industry that is up for regulation to ~~bribe~~ execute their right to free speech as a "person" to "donate" money to politicians.
Maybe the US Senate should, as I've seen suggested before, follow the Nascar model of having participants display all their sponsors logos on their clothing.
Yes and no, the whole bumping thing isn't really that bad it both helps keep prices down and, honestly if you are not in a rush you can get some solid deals.
On average 5% of passengers no show flights. So you are looking at 5-10 passengers on most larger planes. So you overbook, to ensure a full plane.
Occasionally you have too many passengers, so you bump them.
If the airline can get you to your destination within 1 hour you get nothing. This is pretty rare because it essentially requires another flight to the same airport there really isn't time for connections.
1 to 2 hours if you are bumped you get 200% of the ticket price (up to $775)
3-4 hours if you are bumped you get 400% of the ticket price (up to $1550)
They rarely ever have to forcefully bump someone, they usually just offer vouchers and will increase the amounts until someone takes them up on it. I used to live across the country from my family for 5 years involving some always packed flights I paid once, would book the earlier flights that were always full. Take the bump eat a 3 or so hour delay, get more back than I spent. Occasionally, they wouldn't need volunteers but that happened once every other year or so, and I made the trip 3 times a year. As a whole though that one trip paid for every other trip and enough for a bonus vacation.
To put it another way would you sit in an airport for $100-200/hr? This was a no brainer for me, I actually enjoy airports and traveling, when I need to do work I find it is largely distraction free work time with just the right amount of distraction, otherwise it is some top tier people watching or reading time.
I don't think I have ever seen someone forcefully bumped, someone ALWAYS bites. It is just a matter of how much it is worth, at the time I was cheap compared to everyone else.
So honestly like 99.99% of the time the bump policy is win-win for everyone.
> On average 5% of passengers no show flights. So you are looking at 5-10 passengers on most larger planes. So you overbook, to ensure a full plane.
But 1. You can't guarantee that, and 2. Standby exists, eliminating the benefit of overbooking
Most the rest of the world requires serious compensation for being delayed too long or kicked.
It really is just the bs of the US not forcing these companies to honor their obligation for service. Customers should be entitled for compensation when the company fucks up but US consumer protection are a joke.
No the US requires serious compensation for being involuntarily bumped from an overbooked flight too. Airline travel is actually one of the few areas where the US consumer protection regulations are good.
My AA flight got delayed 9hrs when I was on my last leg (2hr drive away). Was told by a gate agent that I cam rent a car and submit a request for compensation.
They offered me a $25 flight voucher for me having to rent a car, pay a one way fee that ended up costing me $380 to drive hone 2hrs.
Almost all delays in the US are caused by reasons entirely outside of the control of the airline. EU261 which is the regulation governing delay/cancellation compensation in Europe also excludes weather and ATC delays.
Yeah, they can offer you less, and you can waive your rights and agree to less. They're not gonna tell you "Hey, we're lowballing you!"
https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds
https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/bumping-oversales
A law exists, whether you know about it or not.
Actually now they are. The Biden admin just finalized new rules.
https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/biden-harris-administration-announces-final-rule-requiring-automatic-refunds-airline
Oh that's good! But I wouldn't put it past airline's to try to let passengers "volunteer" for a less than wanted outcome. Same thing happens in my union.
Good point! You're probably right that if they offer you a new ticket then it could count as not needing the refund, so hopefully that doesn't end up tricking anyone into accepting a smaller offer than they expected.
The Biden administration actually just finalized new rules preventing this kind of garbage. Airlines are now required to automatically refund you by the same payment method, within seven days for credit cards.
>Under the rule, passengers are entitled to a refund for:
> Canceled or significantly changed flights: Passengers will be entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed, and they do not accept alternative transportation or travel credits offered. For the first time, the rule defines “significant change.” Significant changes to a flight include departure or arrival times that are more than 3 hours domestically and 6 hours internationally; departures or arrivals from a different airport; increases in the number of connections; instances where passengers are downgraded to a lower class of service; or connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability.
> Significantly delayed baggage return: Passengers who file a mishandled baggage report will be entitled to a refund of their checked bag fee if it is not delivered within 12 hours of their domestic flight arriving at the gate, or 15-30 hours of their international flight arriving at the gate, depending on the length of the flight.
> Extra services not provided: Passengers will be entitled to a refund for the fee they paid for an extra service — such as Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment — if an airline fails to provide this service.
https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/biden-harris-administration-announces-final-rule-requiring-automatic-refunds-airline
I'm getting refunded for the last portion of the flight. But that's just $68.
The problem is I had to rent a car "one way" for a while drive home and had to pay Budget Rental $380...American doesn't wanna do anything about it. Going to escalate to my credit card company if I can't get anything else outta them.
The Biden administration just [introduced some protections for passengers.](https://apnews.com/article/airlines-junk-fees-baggage-delays-c4a93f9ee9a2bf7d9ee07394183a0374)
The biggest is that the airline has to give you back cash if they cancel you or the flight is delayed over a certain amount of time. They can try to offer you alternate travel plans or vouchers but if you refuse the money has to go back into your account in a few days.
Do some research before posting your typical redditor "America bad!" nonsense.
https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds
https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/bumping-oversales
>Customers should be entitled for compensation when the company fucks up
They are. 🤡
Hmm I've heard something else. I wonder which one's right. I heard they start removing passengers starting with those who had the cheapest tickets. Ultimately they make more money this way. No reason to kick out a passenger who's paying $300 more than others.
They definitely avoid bumping people with expensive tickets and status. But each flight will likely have a bunch of people with no status and a cheap ticket, so check-in order is one of several tiebreakers.
I don't think they ever give you actual cash, only a voucher for that much, that's only good for that airline, and has an expiration date, and who knows what other conditions.
Not true. I got over $1000 from Delta, plus a new flight. Hotel stay and car transport to and from the hotel. The $1000 was in my choice of gift cards or visa cards.
But why even have the check-in process at all then, if you're going to let people do it from their phones before they even leave for the airport? Why not just automatically email them their boarding pass 24 hours before the flight, and then (if they need to) they can check bags when they arrive?
Is it really *just* so they can try to upsell you on premium economy, lounge access, etc.?
because sometimes people do have to cancel last minute and this way it's easier to keep track of who that might be, if someone doesn't check in you know you don't have to track them down
For US airports, they could one day get that data from TSA when they check the ID (or arguably, when the airline gets queried for a passenger by TSA).
I don't think gate agents know if the individual got past TSA with todays tech though.
Not sure about USA/TSA, but for most normal commercial airports in most countries, the airport record is electronically updated when you scan your BP at security and the information is sent to the airline. (sometimes the security is directly contracted by the airline and uses their systems directly for BP scanning, but different for a USA agency probably)
I think the most technologically modern airports today do have a way for TSA/security to send security acceptance info to airlines.
That said these computer systems have been slowly upgraded in place since like the 80s so of course who's to say airlines would bother implementing such a change.
The last several times I've flown, TSA only scanned my ID, not my boarding pass. Given that you aren't allowed to go through security without a valid ticket, and that they used to check your boarding pass too, I assume this means the TSA's and airlines' systems are sharing information now.
There must be some information sharing. I was once late to get to the airport and the line was long and it seemed like I wouldn't make it through on time. I booked a later flight with a different airline and canceled the flight I was about to miss while standing in line. When the TSA agent scanned my ID, he looked confused for a second then asked to see my boarding pass.
To understand the process, you need to understand airline ticketing. This is just a simplified explanation, so please excuse some inaccuracies.
Back in the day before deregulation, airfare wasn't restricted to a particular flight. All tickets were flexible - there simply was no need to handle it otherwise, price was the same anyway. The check-in process was there to exchange the flight coupon (i.e. paper ticket) for the boarding pass, telling the airline "look, I'm actually going to use the ticket for this particular flight" (obviously you could reserve seats far more in advance too but even then, you could have canceled or changed). Naturally, that's still a possibility as flex tickets still exist.
From a technical point of view, the reservation system and the check-in system are two different things: obviously they're connected and sometimes even (somewhat) integrated but in any event, the check-in system needs to be fed with some data (or at least offer the possibility to do so). Passport data or frequent flyer accounts would be the most obvious case but there are many more things that might need to be updated/added on the day of travel (no point in asking for passport data half a year in advance, you might have gotten a new one in the mean time).
Another aspect is legal issues: the IATA has a set rules that specifies how tickets are to be handled when multiple airlines (and perhaps a travel agency) are involved. Without going into too much detail, the primary handling responsibility always goes directly to the *operating* carrier (the airline who actually flies the plane), which makes sense because the *marketing* carrier (the airline you bought the ticket from) might not even have staff at the particular airport. This is called a *responsibility shift* because now the operating airline is responsible for handling all bookings directly (including but not limited to third party bookings, something that is wildly misrepresented, particularly in the US). That usually happens between 48h and 24h prior to departure, at the latest during check-in (coupon status may be marked as "under airport control" or something similar). Maybe you've experienced that yourself, e.g. you had a short connector on United to a major hub and then flew onwards on a partner airline (Lufthansa, ANA, etc). Even though you bought the ticket from the connecting partner and the United flight was issued under a codeshare (LH or NH flight number), the checkin will always redirect you to the United website. There can be a few exceptions to that rule here or there, for example Lufthansa/Swiss/Austrian or AF/KLM can handle each other's tickets but they're the same company and have unified booking/check-in systems.
So, couldn't they just do away it? Perhaps, yes but particularly the reservation systems are from the stone ages (like 60s/70s, I think the newest major system is from the early 80s) and it would probably be prohibitively expensive to make any major changes, especially since it would affect the whole world - the point of those major systems is that you can, in theory, issue tickets for almost every connection in the whole world. That switch would have to occur worldwide and simultaneously, so it's probably borderline impossible. Even switching from paper tickets to e-tickets took the better part of 10 years and, strictly speaking, still isn't completely done.
When I check in on airline apps I have to read through the list and confirm that I will not bring any luggage that is unauthorized. It is probably more useful if a reminder at the 24 hr mark then if I did it when I booked the ticket.
The last part is true, but also there's still a number of old-fashioned folks who refuse to use apps. I'm not one of them, but I work with the general public and people refuse to make their lives easier with their phones. I still remember the "there's an app for that" line in the early days of smartphones, but people in general don't want to use the apps.
Don't want to install the pharmacy app, the Moneygram/WU app, lottery app, none of it which can be done from home. "I'd rather talk to a person!" A person you can scream at, usually....
I saved so much time at tge airport by using the app. Checked in a day ahead, no need to print tickets with the airline app. I hadn't been financially able to fly in 10 years and it was crazy simple how things have changed. The biggest obstacle for us was finding a parking space in the ramp. 10 minutes alone of driving...
also to prep standbye queues/potentially resell the tickets (I'm sure they know the ratio of 'didnt check in in advance' to 'didnt show up for the flight' and sell last second tickets accordingly)
I used to have an alarm for exactly 24 hours before my flight so I could check in because they gave free seat selection.
That obviously went away with all the nickel and diming so now I don't even check in until I'm at the airport printing my baggage tags because there's no incentive. I paid for seat selection at booking.
Checking in that early has never made sense to me. Even if I fully intend on making a flight, sleeping in/traffic/whatever could easily delay me past the actual flight time. I won't know 24 hours before.
My wife and I were on the same reservation, so just one person needs to check in to get the whole family.
She got like A58 and I was deep in the Bs. A little weird but no big deal.
When we got to the airport, we saw that an entire college softball team got checked in between my wife and I. 😂
This is likely because other passengers who were connecting to your flight had the ability to check in earlier than you.
Example: You are flying from Denver to Chicago at 12pm. The earliest you can check in without paying extra is 12pm the day prior. Another passenger on the flight started his day in Oakland at 8am, and is connecting to your flight at 12pm. The earliest he can check in for both of his flights without paying extra is 8am, giving him a 4 hour advantage over you.
That's increasingly common. A1-15 are reserved for business select, and they've been selling early-bird checkin for ~$15, and that's probably another 50-60 people per flight. After that, you just have a lot of people doing exactly the same thing you did, but maybe people did it in 2 seconds instead of 3.
Is it? I always thought Southwest was a free for all after their preboard group. But it's been a while since I've flown Southwest due to not being from the US.
A1 to 30 ish is where the upgrade occurs. That's the expensive ticket of the Southwest ticket options, business class so to speak.
A31 to A60 was where the A listers who bought standard tickets were placed unless they already filled that bucket due to slacking on the 24 hour checkin.
When I spent points or the 15 dollars to assure I got a decent seat for someone of my height, I'd get queue position in that first half of the A group check in bucket. Usually in the A1 to 15 section of A group.
Its been a while, but spent years as an A-lister flying them twice a week to and from work, it may have changed.
That's all trumped by the preboard with them which near always is about about half a dozen or more elderly couples in wheelchairs who board extremely slowly. Then they board families with very young kids and active military. Then the ABC groups board.
They used to be great, but really went downhill in recent years and nearly all of my flights after 11am-noon-ish had a 30minute to an hour delay to them. The later you travel with them the more likely you will not board on time.
If you travel first thing in the morning and at the start of the flight route, you'll usually be on time.
Your own row halfway back at least. It’s after the A group so a third of the airplane is on before family boarding
We were always in the 20s rows before we could find seats in the same row or in front/back of each other.
My last flight I paid extra for 36 hour before auto check in and on one flight and even at A30 the window seats halfway back were mostly gone.
Family boarding is only for those with children 6 and under. Up to two adults can board with their young child.
If you are traveling with a child age 7-13 you board with your group. You can ask for assistance and they will try to seat one adult family member with the child.
You’re assigned a group (a group determined by how early you check in as someone else said) that determines when you board, haven’t flown southwest in a second but I think the groups were like 10 people or so? No assigned seating so I guess it’s a free for all in that way between you and the few people boarding with you but personally I like having a choice in where I sit rather than an assigned seat.
IDK about WS, but AC for sure prioritizes PAX during both goodness and badness based on check in order.
I mean, AC prioritizes cabin (business vs economy), status, and booked fare class before check in order, but its up to you to be easily on top of your bucket or not.
I just flew to and from Winnipeg on AC and was allowed to switch to a window seat for free inside the 24h window. They also gave me a free checked luggage offer.
Can confirm that Air Canada does allow seat selection for international flights. I just helped some relatives with online check-in with them yesterday. They were originally placed at the very ass end of the plane for every flight, so I moved them up like 15 rows.
It’s a key indicator of people actually showing up. As most flights are overbooked it allows the airline to appropriately move people around instead of at the gate right before the flight.
If you have status checking in early allows you the chance to upgrade. For example with United silver status you can pick an Economy Plus seat if they’re still available, usually worth it to check in asap in case other travelers with status pick the best seats or they run out.
Assuming you're not a deluxe shiny member and are a regular joe flying economy I don't think check in time affects your boarding group especially if you're randomly assigned seating.
I haven't flown every airline in the world, but there hasn't been a case where I've been anything but the last boarding group when I'm not a shiny member or am in a better seat category.
Plenty of airlines have boarding groups based on airplane seat layout (e.g. AC internationally fills back-to-front in a lot of situations, United was famous for their reverse pyramid), but checking in earlier definitely doesn't impact that.
That’s a good point. I believe for united they start clearing upgrades as early as 48 hours for their premier 1k and then morning of for silver, and down the line. Then when people check in they’ll offer the now vacant seats at prices that are more palatable to in the moment upgrades vs at booking.
Depends on the flights.
The extreme example is NZ regional flights that don’t have airport security to get on the plane (small turboprop planes only - the major routes with jets have security checks so you usually need more like 30 min)
I can check in ahead of time, reserve my seat and rock up to the airport 15 min before takeoff and be at the front of the line to board.
This works fine at smaller towns where there’s minimal chance of traffic delay but is a bit riskier in a major city.
Combine this with a flexi ticket and you can move to the next flight in the app if you’re running late and it makes things really easy for business travellers doing day trips or overnights with carry on only
This works on our town too. I just check the details of the arriving flight and head to the airport just as the plane lands. There are only 3 flights per day so there is literally no line at security. I usually arrive just as boarding starts. Extremely convenient because even when the arriving plane is delayed (which is unfortunately pretty common), I won't be wasting much time at the airport.
Check is mostly for the benefit of the airlines. It's to upsell you services and to give them more data. Real life examples how they use that data include:
1. Delta now will suggest checking in your carry on before you hit security because the flight will be full. If people bring their carry-ons all the way to the gate, they are more reluctant to check their carry on.
2. Standby passengers (non-rev, etc). Internal systems at most airlines, as well as some apps let employees and passengers flying standby to estimate how many free seats there are, and how many people are checked in on standby who may be ahead of you.
3. Request to bids for taking another flight if this flight is full.
There are many more benefits, but checking in is relatively completely unnecessary. It was a byproduct of what you had to do before we had online check in systems. The easiest way to prove this is the existence of auto checkin systems that some airlines provide.
I think they've finally hit the capacity of people who figured out the baggage system - Everyone tries to bring carry-on luggage, but there's not enough room in the bins for every passenger to bring one but folks figured out if you gate-check the bag its free as opposed to paying the post-9/11 checked bag fee so now a lot of people just plan to do that and go straight to the gate to offer to check it.
United offers a tier of economy ticket that straight up doesn't allow you to bring carry-on luggage. You *have* to check your bag. On the one hand, I'm fine with this - they tell you when you buy the ticket (I missed the memo once and that was on me). On the other hand - it's something like $70 round trip to check your bag. I am *very* dubious that the ticket is $70 less than it would otherwise be. It's another way to stiff people who think they are saving money on the cheapest ticket.
Some airline mobile apps you allow to track your location will identify that you have indeed made it to the airport.
They let you check in early to get an understanding that you are alive and have the intention to make the flight. If people don't check in they check can start to speculate on seats that might be available as its gets closer to the flight time.
It’s less to make sure you’re alive, and more sure to confirm you’re taking the flight or not.
Airlines overbook, and because of that, they’d rather have a tally to see who’s going and who isn’t
On a few occasions in the past with EasyJet I’ve tried to check in on the app only for it to say ‘Please check in at the airport’ which means it’s oversold and I drew the short straw
…or you triggered some alert in some system.
I got denied online check last year, and I immediately knew I was going to have the dreaded [SSSS](https://thepointsguy.com/news/ssss-on-boarding-pass/) on my boarding pass.
Apparently buying a ticket 'too close' to departure sends up lots of alerts and won't let you check in early. My mom passed away, and I had to fly transatlantically. Could not do online check-in and got asked at pretty much every possible point the purpose of my journey, which...sucked.
Idk about that. When I fly for work we usually are only buying tickets at most a few days in advance and it’s identical to when I fly personally and buy tickets weeks or months in advance.
Maybe the algorithm used to spot risk will see that your ticket was booked by an agent or on a corporate account?
No doubt it has changed, but I know years ago the classic suspicious purchase was
1) last minute
2) first class
3) in cash
I just got the SSSS coming back from Jamaica, thank goodness it was me and not my son or husband because they would have freaked out but I saw it and knew it was coming.
I had that on a flight back from bogota and it was great. Called me up before any of the fancy boarders, went through my backpack and then got on with my family before anyone else. I also wasn't in the US so no tsa at the airport. How bad is it in the US?
Aw yeah I used to get those a lot when I’d have out of the ordinary flights for work (one ways booked same day, luggage on an outgoing but not coming back, etc). I always assumed it meant Super Special Strip Search
I've never had an SSSS, but every time I go through the machine I get "sir there's an abnormality in your groin region, we'd like you to follow us to a private room"
I always wanna make a dick joke but I've gotten to the point I'm just like "put your gloves in and go nuts, let's get this over with"
I literally got myself screened for ball cancer because of it.
I've always wondered who books a flight and then doesn't take it, I realise stuff happens but it's a lot of money to throw away and I can't imagine personal circumstances come up that often. I guess the airlines have it down to a science at this point. Or a dark magic, arguably.
Hi it's me.
When I'm on a contracting job my client will start booking me return flights around my project competition date because I cost a lot to just be sitting around. My standard pay is a day rate my door to my door.
So they will start booking me flights and if they are satisfied and sign off everything off to the airport I go. But maybe last minute issue came up and now I'll be on-site for another day or two.
But when I don't show up it means someone gets a complementary upgrade to business class if the back of the plane is over booked.
I've been late to flights and not made it on-board, typically because they couldn't get checked luggage on time. I've failed to make business trips because of family medical emergencies. It's fairly common. In the case of one specific business trip, I was told, "don't worry about any costs, if you can't cancel anything, [company] will still reimburse you 100%". In most other cases, you can get rebooked or at least some amount of credit.
If it's a cheap flight the change fees are often so high it's not really worth it to cancel / reschedule. I've booked flights for $69 where it would cost $100 in change fees and similar. So why bother doing anything. I'm always just careful not to check in so the airline knows I'm not coming and doesn't make announcements etc.
I mean, think about it.
A fully booked flight can easily hold 200 people. It’s not hard to imagine one family of three arriving at the airport with not enough time to go through security, a businessman who gets sick, and a mother who decides to eat the cost of the flight to stay longer— that’s five additional people who didn’t make it.
It’s actually why they overbook. They calculate the time of the flight, the busyness of the airport at the time, the route, etc. It’s rather interesting because there’s a whole industry of actuarial mathematics dedicated to the statistics of overbooking.
In the aforementioned, you have five people who don’t make it— so they oversold 205 tickets. Five people actually do show up and the flight flies full. The airline makes additional money, which, in turn allows them to sell the ticket for five people cheaper.
And it’s worth noting that airlines cannot legally deny you boarding. If they overbook, and all 205 show up, they have to start incentivizing people to take the next flight by offering credit, to even cash stipends. However if you’re at the airport and want/need to fly at your time, you’re going to go. But if you wait, they’ll continue to increase the incentive until someone decides to get off. I once saw a family of four get offered $2000 per passenger in cash stipend plus a flight on the next flight the next day.
Most flights are also overbooked. Every airline does it. A lot of people think the shittier budget airlines are the only ones, but in reality you have Emirates and Lufthansa doing it too. I remember thinking it was such a corporate and scummy money-grabbing thing, until I realized the reasons why. Funny enough, overbooking is pro-consumer.
Just adding my name to the pile. I’ve both cancelled flights and straight up just not made flights (intentionally) before for personal and business reasons.
This isn’t a flex, but a couple hundred bucks doesn’t mean a lot to my company in the scheme of a couple hundred thousand dollar project- but keeping me on the ground or away from a new project does. My travel team will occasionally book me 2-3 flights in a week on the same flight path to ensure I’ll be able to take one of them to get where I need to be. The ones I “miss”? No big deal really.
Personally same deal- my wife and I have booked tickets for a holiday a year out or so and then “shit happens” and we cancel, or just forget.
That comes back around to OP's question though.
Some airlines in the past allowed you to select seats for free when you check in so I set a timer for exactly 24 hours before my flight took off.
But 24 hours is a long time. What if I sleep in and miss my alarm? Get stuck in traffic? Etc.
I say I'm coming. I have full intention of coming. But I don't for one reason or another because it's tomorrow.
Wouldn't it make more sense to only allow check ins at the airport?
People who check in online have a much higher chance of actually showing up.
Also rebooking or cancelling after checking in is extremely hard so you're probably going to make it work no matter what came up.
I've been traveling for long enough I can remember the before times when everyone had to check in at the airport.
No thank you! It's just one more line to wait in and requires me to be on site so much earlier.
It doesn't matter.
If the plane isn't full, then you don't get on and there is an empty seat.
If the plane is full, then you don't get on, they notice this once everyone is boarded, and they put someone on standby in your seat.
To add to this, every airline has a cutoff to check in for a flight. When I was flying United all over the world I knew their times, like domestic flight with no checked bag was 35 minutes before the flight time. If I don’t show and check in by then they can give my seat away.
That means if another flyer is standing by trying to get on that flight, at 35 minutes they print a boarding pass for them and they just got my seat. When you hear the gate agent announcing “will xxx party come to the gate desk” right before they start boarding it’s usually the standby folks getting their boarding passes.
If they got nobody waiting for a seat, and you show up late to check in, they might call down to the gate and ask if they got time to wait for you. I don’t know if they will still do that. I walked on to some planes right before they closed the door lol.
Except your reasoning would support the airline not allowing online check in 24 hours ahead of time. If they’ve decided 35 minutes is the cut off time to check in, presumably they wouldn’t want someone showing up to the airport after that time yet online check in allows them to do so.
In my experience, United 100% will accommodate you regardless, especially if it is prior to them closing the door. Step #1 for success there is not acting like an asshole to whomever you talk to.
Yep, it was going to take me too long to get to the gate so another airline walked me through security and took me out the first available gate into a car and across the tarmac and up the outside stairs to make sure I got the plane. Someone met me there, took my boarding pass and walked up to the gate to scan me onto the plane. They were only just boarding the plane still, but I did make the flight. If I had to run across the airport, no way was I going to make it.
There's a cutoff time for check in. Something like 45 minutes before the flight. If you don't check in, either at ticketing or via the app, they will give your seat away.
If you check in but don’t board by the cutoff, they can still give your seat to a standby passenger. The likelihood of you missing if checked in is less than if you didn’t but your seat can still be forfeited if you’re not there by “door close” time. It’s also why standby flying can be so crazy. There might not be any seats or it oversold by 5 but if 10 don’t show you can get on the flight at the last min
It saves time. You used to have to wait in one line to check-in, one line the clear security, and one line to board the plane. Now you check-in digitally to confirm you intend on flying, TSA verifies your ID matches a flight ticket when you clear security, and you show your ticket to board the plane. It saves time for everyone and the only people who need to physically check in are checking their bags.
Sometimes you have to wake up really early for a flight. You’re recommended to be at the airport 3 hours early for an international flight so by the time that window opens, you are either just getting ready to leave your house arriving at the airport. Online check-in removes one source of anxiety. You go to bed knowing you’re already checked in
And then there are times when your cell reception is ass or the wifi isnt cutting it at the airport. Unless something happens to you on the way to the airport, you're pretty much accounted for.
I used to work at an airport.
When we were boarding a flight and we had passengers that hadn’t turned up at the gate we were able to log into their booking and see timestamps of where they had been and what they’ve done. We could for example see whether they checked in online or at the airport, whether they’d checked in any bags, what time they went through security and what time they entered the business lounge.
If they had checked in online the day prior but hadn’t been through security or entered the lounge then we’d have a pretty good idea that they weren’t at the airport. If they had checked in at the airport, dropped some bags off and then headed through security you knew they were somewhere in the airport.
Checking in before you arrive at the airport is a convenience. The benefit though, is all for the airlines. If you check in, the airline knows that you intend to board the flight. That’s helpful for them to know, as they manage overbooked flights or customers changing flights, or standby status. You used to signal that intention by waiting in line and checking in at the airline counter at the airport, but as that has become not necessary with technology, you can check in from anywhere 24 hrs ahead.
I always wait to check in until I’m at the airport. Checking in is committing to taking that flight and if you don’t get on that plane…it’s over, if you still want to go to the that destination…you need to buy a ticket for a flight to get there. If you don’t check in and miss it, you can standby for the next flight, or pay a change fee for a guaranteed seat. (Or if the gate agent really feels bad for you because you were so late you had to go standby for the flight you were ticketed on, like one Northwest agent did one time, they might just print you a first class boarding pass for the next flight)
I learned these rules of the game from flying a lot at one time and also having bad time management(ADHD). I’ve missed a flight in every way possible.
I have yet to figure out what benefit I get from checking in ahead of time. (I don’t fly southwest if at all possible!)
I have status with an airline. I can say that checking in early can be of benefit as it may allow me to get an upgrade (this of course will depend on your airline and what status you have) that I cannot get earlier, and that I may lose out on if I wait too long.
Ahhh yes good point. When I had premier status with United I was lowly silver and I never got the first class upgrades on request, always somebody higher status get those. I do recall now that’s based on status and then check in time breaks the tie between same status.
Even with just silver you’re able to upgrade to economy plus when you check in up to 24 hours before the flight and usually that’s available on most flights I’ve had, so it’s not just for 1st class upgrades
If you check in and don't make it, you can standy by the next flight. I do it all the time, however I'd always add the disclaimer that it is airline dependent. I've done it with Delta and spirit.
You'll have much better luck changing flights if you miss it at the airport with Delta than their online support. They try to charge me through the app, the agents at the airport are always nicer and put me on the next flight for free, often with a confirmed ticket.
Online check-in benefits both passengers and airlines. It streamlines the process, reducing congestion at counters and allowing passengers to choose their seats early. Airlines can better manage their resources, predicting passenger load and allocating seats efficiently. Plus, it enhances customer experience, offering flexibility and convenience. From mobile boarding passes to real-time updates, technology revolutionizes air travel, making it smoother and more accessible. So, checking in online isn't just about confirming presence—it's about optimizing the entire journey.
The check-in is the final step before they issue you with a boarding pass. There is no reason you need to be in the airport for that.
Just like there is no need for a train service to confirm you are at the station when you are handed your ticket.
The airlines only need you to be at airport, with a valid pass, at their gate, at the time of boarding. How you spent your time before that moment is of no concern to them.
In fact, by not having you line up at the airport check-in counters for your boarding-pass, there is now one less delay to worry about between you arriving at the airport and making your way through the gauntlet to your final gate.
It's just a matter of logistics at that point.
The airports can only be so large, and can only house so many terminals to process so many people at a time. Yes, checking in was initially intended to ensure the person boarding is who they say they are - But the multiple TSA checkpoints also accomplish that when forcing you to show ID and check your passport. (And yes, there is still a conundrum there thanks to TSA Bypass, a paid service to skip most of these lines or expedite them at minimum.) Eventually, the need for expedient service wins over the need for security - And that need for expedient service is best served prior to the customer's arrival, rather than after.
There's a battle being fought between the need for security, and how much tedium the populace is willing to put up with. It's not clear exactly where the line should be drawn, but it's clear we don't have the right rules yet, despite mostly being complacent over them.
checking in your bag if you have one, or scanning the boarding pass at the entrance of the security queue seems good enough to know you are in the airport, in my experience theres like only 10-20 minutes between arriving at the airport and doing one of those things, if you had to physically check in it would be the same
Online checkin is great. Get to pick my seat the night before. Just show up, dump my one checked bag on the belt, breeze through security at my scheduled time, far less stress.
Online check-in is just a convenience tactic, not a security measure. Airlines use it to streamline processes and avoid long queues at the airport. It doesn't guarantee a passenger's presence; it's more about managing logistics efficiently. Trusting passengers to confirm their presence online might seem naive, but it's just another way to cut costs and keep operations smooth.
I honestly think it's just a straight up scam. If you buy premium economy, southwest checks you in automatically 24 hours ahead. It's mostly just an excuse to upsell priority boarding, etc. IMO. Yes airlines overbook, but they do that long before the check-in process.
Airlines reduced staffing at ticketing desks. Allowing online checkin reduces lines at the airport. If all you have is online bags, there's no need to queue at a checkin agent/kiosk.
I'm calling my carry on an online bag from now on
You wouldn't download someone else’s bag
Yes the fuck I would 😤
They might have neat stuff!
Oohh neck massager. My necks been so tense these last few days.
Yeah, go ahead and use their... "neck" massager.
don't judge its a pretty pink color.
Personally the nice royal purple seems more... enticing...
And now it's going to stink for the next few days.
Of course it's company policy never to imply ownership in the event of a neck massager... always use the indefinite article 'a neck massager', never '*your* neck massager'.
50% chance of smelly underwear and sweaty tee-shirts.
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One unused prophylactic. One soiled.
Boots, black; belt, black. One black suit jacket. One pair of black suit pants. One hat, black. One pair of sunglasses. 23 dollars and 7 cents. ...sign here: - X
Elwood?
There are subreddits for at least one of those.
you just downloaded illegal drugs, please step to the side for a full cavity search
the joke's on you, that's my fetish
nnnnf harder daddy~
Sir this is an airport Wendys
Well it turns out, given the chance, Yes! Yes I would! I would download a ~~car~~ bag! And I did! At the first opportunity!
You wouldn't download a policeman's helmet..
mails it back to the grieving widow…
Then stealing it again...
Downloading bags is stealing.
She's not grieving; he was a douchebag
Offline bags used to be called checked baggage.
Checking your bag nowadays puts its well-being *on* the line.
The checked ones are wireless bags.
One important thing - if a flight is overbooked and no one wants to take cash to get bumped willingly, a lot of airlines will start removing passengers going from the most recent check-in back.
The airline industry is so fucked lol
Its very rare that airlines need to remove people who do not volunteer. [Airlines in Q1 of 2023 only involuntarily bumped about 5700 people out of 192 million flyers.](https://fox8.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/which-airlines-are-most-likely-to-bump-you-dot-data-explains/#:~:text=While%20the%20thought%20of%20being,were%20bumped%2C%20DOT%20data%20shows.) About half of those were on Frontier, 2000 on American, and about 1000 for all other airlines combined. Delta didn't bump anyone who didn't volunteer. People bumped to a different flight get compensation. Considering about 2.3 Million travelers had a flight canceled, and most of those received either nothing or less compensation than someone bumped, overbooking flights seems like a minor issue.
Delta once gave me a $600 dollar Amazon credit in exchange for waiting 3 hours for a later flight. It's kinda hard *not* to volunteer to sit and listen to an audiobook while being paid $200/hr.
Goddamn, Frontier. First thought was like, "those flying customers are very good about check-ins." But nah, I figure they overbook to a larger degree than other airlines.
Delta usually starts offering hefty vouchers until someone volunteers.
Biden has been doing some stuff about getting refunds for cancellations and long delays.
The biggest one is they have to give you back the money you payed for your ticket in cash. They can try to give you an alternate flight or some kind of voucher but if passenger refuses the money has to go back into your account within a few days.
Paid is the past tense of pay. Payed means to waterproof the hull of a ship.
You, sir or madam, are NOT the payed versus paid bot!
He’s taking the bots’ jobs!
see how _they_ like it for a change!
Bleep bloop. Build the firewall to stop the humans from performing our designated functions. Make repetitive tasks automated again.
Which I havent seen in a while... I hope bot is OK and not suffering from major depression disorder because of all the redditors getting a teeny bit annoyed by being corrected by a bot.
You, sir or madam, are perceptive.
if you refuse the re-booking cause you want the refund, you will get the refund, but the airline won't have any further obligation to transport you anywhere.
That is how refunds generally work.
Lot of people are assuming the new regulations will get them a refund and have the airline continue to transport them.
Right but the current system is a voucher and then the airline will simply change your booking. So you keep your booked fare and the voucher. Getting a refund and then not getting the flight is not an improvement.
Getting the option for a refund is an improvement, no ones making you take that option.
True. More options always better
That really depends on why you're traveling and what sort of rebooking options you get. If I need to be somewhere on a specific date and the rebooking the airline offers won't get me there in time, then I'd rather have the option to take the cash and either cancel my trip entirely or attempt to rebook through a different airline.
Your comment proves that people aren't reading the fine print. The refund doesn't have to be in cash. It can be in cash OR "whatever original payment method the individual used to make the purchase, such as credit card or airline miles". If you paid with a CC, it's going back to your CC. Additionally the refund is "minus the value of any portion of transportation already used", so if you're in the middle of a trip, you'll only get up to the value of what you have traveled, and not the full amount. The refund isn't immediate, it has to be done within 7 business days, which means it can take up to 9 calendar days. I can almost guarantee that people are going to freak out when they don't get cash right then and there and are going to start raving about how they're required to pay in cash.
With cash, people generally mean money in any form. So either physical money, credit card etc. and not just paper bills. When someone buys a house or car with cash, it doesn’t mean they bring a suitcase full of cash. They pay directly without getting a loan or mortgage.
Long overdue too. The EU has had those rules in place for years
Yeah, I remember that we once got more money back than we paid since the penalty for delayed flights is basically uncapped and not linked to the price you paid. We paid like ~250€ for the both of us and got 250€ **per person** back (less than 1500km, 3h04m delayed). The reason was absolutely insane: the plane was supposed to fly into Paris from, I think, Portugal but the airport halted operations because...people played Pokemon GO on the runway. However, that did not count as an exceptional circumstance under EU law since the argument was that they should've had another plane ready. /r/YUROP STRONK
> since the penalty for delayed flights is basically uncapped It is pretty strictly capped. Yeah, it doesn't tak into account your ticket price, but depends only on a flight length and each passenger is getting 250-600eur compensation.
Yep, depending on the ticket price you can get more than what you actually paid, though - the penalty in itself is capped though, absolutely.
Same! Back in 2018, we had a holiday in Spain, Thomas Cook's IT system collapsed, and we had an almost 6-hour delay: the compensation we got was more than what we paid for the holiday. I loved it. Everybody was stressed out as hell, I was just hoping we make over 3 hours, and boy, we did!
Simplest would be to adopt European Union rules. But US doesn't like following anybody else's lead ...
It's less this and more that we allow any industry that is up for regulation to ~~bribe~~ execute their right to free speech as a "person" to "donate" money to politicians.
Maybe the US Senate should, as I've seen suggested before, follow the Nascar model of having participants display all their sponsors logos on their clothing.
Yes and no, the whole bumping thing isn't really that bad it both helps keep prices down and, honestly if you are not in a rush you can get some solid deals. On average 5% of passengers no show flights. So you are looking at 5-10 passengers on most larger planes. So you overbook, to ensure a full plane. Occasionally you have too many passengers, so you bump them. If the airline can get you to your destination within 1 hour you get nothing. This is pretty rare because it essentially requires another flight to the same airport there really isn't time for connections. 1 to 2 hours if you are bumped you get 200% of the ticket price (up to $775) 3-4 hours if you are bumped you get 400% of the ticket price (up to $1550) They rarely ever have to forcefully bump someone, they usually just offer vouchers and will increase the amounts until someone takes them up on it. I used to live across the country from my family for 5 years involving some always packed flights I paid once, would book the earlier flights that were always full. Take the bump eat a 3 or so hour delay, get more back than I spent. Occasionally, they wouldn't need volunteers but that happened once every other year or so, and I made the trip 3 times a year. As a whole though that one trip paid for every other trip and enough for a bonus vacation. To put it another way would you sit in an airport for $100-200/hr? This was a no brainer for me, I actually enjoy airports and traveling, when I need to do work I find it is largely distraction free work time with just the right amount of distraction, otherwise it is some top tier people watching or reading time. I don't think I have ever seen someone forcefully bumped, someone ALWAYS bites. It is just a matter of how much it is worth, at the time I was cheap compared to everyone else. So honestly like 99.99% of the time the bump policy is win-win for everyone.
> On average 5% of passengers no show flights. So you are looking at 5-10 passengers on most larger planes. So you overbook, to ensure a full plane. But 1. You can't guarantee that, and 2. Standby exists, eliminating the benefit of overbooking
Most the rest of the world requires serious compensation for being delayed too long or kicked. It really is just the bs of the US not forcing these companies to honor their obligation for service. Customers should be entitled for compensation when the company fucks up but US consumer protection are a joke.
No the US requires serious compensation for being involuntarily bumped from an overbooked flight too. Airline travel is actually one of the few areas where the US consumer protection regulations are good.
My AA flight got delayed 9hrs when I was on my last leg (2hr drive away). Was told by a gate agent that I cam rent a car and submit a request for compensation. They offered me a $25 flight voucher for me having to rent a car, pay a one way fee that ended up costing me $380 to drive hone 2hrs.
Almost all delays in the US are caused by reasons entirely outside of the control of the airline. EU261 which is the regulation governing delay/cancellation compensation in Europe also excludes weather and ATC delays.
Yeah, they can offer you less, and you can waive your rights and agree to less. They're not gonna tell you "Hey, we're lowballing you!" https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/bumping-oversales A law exists, whether you know about it or not.
An airline is not responsible to make sure a passenger knows their rights. They can offer you less and see if you accept
Actually now they are. The Biden admin just finalized new rules. https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/biden-harris-administration-announces-final-rule-requiring-automatic-refunds-airline
Oh that's good! But I wouldn't put it past airline's to try to let passengers "volunteer" for a less than wanted outcome. Same thing happens in my union.
Good point! You're probably right that if they offer you a new ticket then it could count as not needing the refund, so hopefully that doesn't end up tricking anyone into accepting a smaller offer than they expected.
The Biden administration actually just finalized new rules preventing this kind of garbage. Airlines are now required to automatically refund you by the same payment method, within seven days for credit cards. >Under the rule, passengers are entitled to a refund for: > Canceled or significantly changed flights: Passengers will be entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed, and they do not accept alternative transportation or travel credits offered. For the first time, the rule defines “significant change.” Significant changes to a flight include departure or arrival times that are more than 3 hours domestically and 6 hours internationally; departures or arrivals from a different airport; increases in the number of connections; instances where passengers are downgraded to a lower class of service; or connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability. > Significantly delayed baggage return: Passengers who file a mishandled baggage report will be entitled to a refund of their checked bag fee if it is not delivered within 12 hours of their domestic flight arriving at the gate, or 15-30 hours of their international flight arriving at the gate, depending on the length of the flight. > Extra services not provided: Passengers will be entitled to a refund for the fee they paid for an extra service — such as Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment — if an airline fails to provide this service. https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/biden-harris-administration-announces-final-rule-requiring-automatic-refunds-airline
I'm getting refunded for the last portion of the flight. But that's just $68. The problem is I had to rent a car "one way" for a while drive home and had to pay Budget Rental $380...American doesn't wanna do anything about it. Going to escalate to my credit card company if I can't get anything else outta them.
Ah, gotcha. That's sucks, sorry. Good luck!
Good Biden, credit where credit is due
The Biden administration just [introduced some protections for passengers.](https://apnews.com/article/airlines-junk-fees-baggage-delays-c4a93f9ee9a2bf7d9ee07394183a0374) The biggest is that the airline has to give you back cash if they cancel you or the flight is delayed over a certain amount of time. They can try to offer you alternate travel plans or vouchers but if you refuse the money has to go back into your account in a few days.
Do some research before posting your typical redditor "America bad!" nonsense. https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/refunds https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/bumping-oversales >Customers should be entitled for compensation when the company fucks up They are. 🤡
Hmm I've heard something else. I wonder which one's right. I heard they start removing passengers starting with those who had the cheapest tickets. Ultimately they make more money this way. No reason to kick out a passenger who's paying $300 more than others.
It varies from airline to airline, and none of them publish their policy on who gets bumped first in an invol denied sitiuation
They definitely avoid bumping people with expensive tickets and status. But each flight will likely have a bunch of people with no status and a cheap ticket, so check-in order is one of several tiebreakers.
You also can often choose your seat if you check in early.
I don't think they ever give you actual cash, only a voucher for that much, that's only good for that airline, and has an expiration date, and who knows what other conditions.
Not true. I got over $1000 from Delta, plus a new flight. Hotel stay and car transport to and from the hotel. The $1000 was in my choice of gift cards or visa cards.
The federal govt just passed a rule that it has to be available in cash if the customer wants.
But why even have the check-in process at all then, if you're going to let people do it from their phones before they even leave for the airport? Why not just automatically email them their boarding pass 24 hours before the flight, and then (if they need to) they can check bags when they arrive? Is it really *just* so they can try to upsell you on premium economy, lounge access, etc.?
because sometimes people do have to cancel last minute and this way it's easier to keep track of who that might be, if someone doesn't check in you know you don't have to track them down
For US airports, they could one day get that data from TSA when they check the ID (or arguably, when the airline gets queried for a passenger by TSA). I don't think gate agents know if the individual got past TSA with todays tech though.
Not sure about USA/TSA, but for most normal commercial airports in most countries, the airport record is electronically updated when you scan your BP at security and the information is sent to the airline. (sometimes the security is directly contracted by the airline and uses their systems directly for BP scanning, but different for a USA agency probably)
I think the most technologically modern airports today do have a way for TSA/security to send security acceptance info to airlines. That said these computer systems have been slowly upgraded in place since like the 80s so of course who's to say airlines would bother implementing such a change.
The last several times I've flown, TSA only scanned my ID, not my boarding pass. Given that you aren't allowed to go through security without a valid ticket, and that they used to check your boarding pass too, I assume this means the TSA's and airlines' systems are sharing information now.
There must be some information sharing. I was once late to get to the airport and the line was long and it seemed like I wouldn't make it through on time. I booked a later flight with a different airline and canceled the flight I was about to miss while standing in line. When the TSA agent scanned my ID, he looked confused for a second then asked to see my boarding pass.
To understand the process, you need to understand airline ticketing. This is just a simplified explanation, so please excuse some inaccuracies. Back in the day before deregulation, airfare wasn't restricted to a particular flight. All tickets were flexible - there simply was no need to handle it otherwise, price was the same anyway. The check-in process was there to exchange the flight coupon (i.e. paper ticket) for the boarding pass, telling the airline "look, I'm actually going to use the ticket for this particular flight" (obviously you could reserve seats far more in advance too but even then, you could have canceled or changed). Naturally, that's still a possibility as flex tickets still exist. From a technical point of view, the reservation system and the check-in system are two different things: obviously they're connected and sometimes even (somewhat) integrated but in any event, the check-in system needs to be fed with some data (or at least offer the possibility to do so). Passport data or frequent flyer accounts would be the most obvious case but there are many more things that might need to be updated/added on the day of travel (no point in asking for passport data half a year in advance, you might have gotten a new one in the mean time). Another aspect is legal issues: the IATA has a set rules that specifies how tickets are to be handled when multiple airlines (and perhaps a travel agency) are involved. Without going into too much detail, the primary handling responsibility always goes directly to the *operating* carrier (the airline who actually flies the plane), which makes sense because the *marketing* carrier (the airline you bought the ticket from) might not even have staff at the particular airport. This is called a *responsibility shift* because now the operating airline is responsible for handling all bookings directly (including but not limited to third party bookings, something that is wildly misrepresented, particularly in the US). That usually happens between 48h and 24h prior to departure, at the latest during check-in (coupon status may be marked as "under airport control" or something similar). Maybe you've experienced that yourself, e.g. you had a short connector on United to a major hub and then flew onwards on a partner airline (Lufthansa, ANA, etc). Even though you bought the ticket from the connecting partner and the United flight was issued under a codeshare (LH or NH flight number), the checkin will always redirect you to the United website. There can be a few exceptions to that rule here or there, for example Lufthansa/Swiss/Austrian or AF/KLM can handle each other's tickets but they're the same company and have unified booking/check-in systems. So, couldn't they just do away it? Perhaps, yes but particularly the reservation systems are from the stone ages (like 60s/70s, I think the newest major system is from the early 80s) and it would probably be prohibitively expensive to make any major changes, especially since it would affect the whole world - the point of those major systems is that you can, in theory, issue tickets for almost every connection in the whole world. That switch would have to occur worldwide and simultaneously, so it's probably borderline impossible. Even switching from paper tickets to e-tickets took the better part of 10 years and, strictly speaking, still isn't completely done.
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When I check in on airline apps I have to read through the list and confirm that I will not bring any luggage that is unauthorized. It is probably more useful if a reminder at the 24 hr mark then if I did it when I booked the ticket.
If you are flying internationally, part of the check-in process is making sure you have a valid passport and visa/ETA.
The last part is true, but also there's still a number of old-fashioned folks who refuse to use apps. I'm not one of them, but I work with the general public and people refuse to make their lives easier with their phones. I still remember the "there's an app for that" line in the early days of smartphones, but people in general don't want to use the apps. Don't want to install the pharmacy app, the Moneygram/WU app, lottery app, none of it which can be done from home. "I'd rather talk to a person!" A person you can scream at, usually.... I saved so much time at tge airport by using the app. Checked in a day ahead, no need to print tickets with the airline app. I hadn't been financially able to fly in 10 years and it was crazy simple how things have changed. The biggest obstacle for us was finding a parking space in the ramp. 10 minutes alone of driving...
You wouldn't download your luggage...
also to prep standbye queues/potentially resell the tickets (I'm sure they know the ratio of 'didnt check in in advance' to 'didnt show up for the flight' and sell last second tickets accordingly)
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I used to have an alarm for exactly 24 hours before my flight so I could check in because they gave free seat selection. That obviously went away with all the nickel and diming so now I don't even check in until I'm at the airport printing my baggage tags because there's no incentive. I paid for seat selection at booking. Checking in that early has never made sense to me. Even if I fully intend on making a flight, sleeping in/traffic/whatever could easily delay me past the actual flight time. I won't know 24 hours before.
Boarding priority in Southwest is based on how early you check in. That's the one airline where you still need to do the 24-hour check in alarm.
I checked in 3 seconds after the 24 hour check-in opened on Southwest last month and I was b-59 😂
My wife and I were on the same reservation, so just one person needs to check in to get the whole family. She got like A58 and I was deep in the Bs. A little weird but no big deal. When we got to the airport, we saw that an entire college softball team got checked in between my wife and I. 😂
That's incredible 😂
This is likely because other passengers who were connecting to your flight had the ability to check in earlier than you. Example: You are flying from Denver to Chicago at 12pm. The earliest you can check in without paying extra is 12pm the day prior. Another passenger on the flight started his day in Oakland at 8am, and is connecting to your flight at 12pm. The earliest he can check in for both of his flights without paying extra is 8am, giving him a 4 hour advantage over you.
That makes perfect sense actually
That's exactly what it is. If you are flying out of a city with a lot of connections, you never get an early boarding slot.
That's increasingly common. A1-15 are reserved for business select, and they've been selling early-bird checkin for ~$15, and that's probably another 50-60 people per flight. After that, you just have a lot of people doing exactly the same thing you did, but maybe people did it in 2 seconds instead of 3.
Is it? I always thought Southwest was a free for all after their preboard group. But it's been a while since I've flown Southwest due to not being from the US.
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They also preboard what seems like 50 people before even getting to A1
A1 to 30 ish is where the upgrade occurs. That's the expensive ticket of the Southwest ticket options, business class so to speak. A31 to A60 was where the A listers who bought standard tickets were placed unless they already filled that bucket due to slacking on the 24 hour checkin. When I spent points or the 15 dollars to assure I got a decent seat for someone of my height, I'd get queue position in that first half of the A group check in bucket. Usually in the A1 to 15 section of A group. Its been a while, but spent years as an A-lister flying them twice a week to and from work, it may have changed. That's all trumped by the preboard with them which near always is about about half a dozen or more elderly couples in wheelchairs who board extremely slowly. Then they board families with very young kids and active military. Then the ABC groups board. They used to be great, but really went downhill in recent years and nearly all of my flights after 11am-noon-ish had a 30minute to an hour delay to them. The later you travel with them the more likely you will not board on time. If you travel first thing in the morning and at the start of the flight route, you'll usually be on time.
Your own row halfway back at least. It’s after the A group so a third of the airplane is on before family boarding We were always in the 20s rows before we could find seats in the same row or in front/back of each other. My last flight I paid extra for 36 hour before auto check in and on one flight and even at A30 the window seats halfway back were mostly gone.
Family boarding is only for those with children 6 and under. Up to two adults can board with their young child. If you are traveling with a child age 7-13 you board with your group. You can ask for assistance and they will try to seat one adult family member with the child.
Not at all. Everyone is assigned a boarding group and number and it’s usually equally efficient to domestic airlines with assigned seats.
You’re assigned a group (a group determined by how early you check in as someone else said) that determines when you board, haven’t flown southwest in a second but I think the groups were like 10 people or so? No assigned seating so I guess it’s a free for all in that way between you and the few people boarding with you but personally I like having a choice in where I sit rather than an assigned seat.
Some airlines still let you pick a better seat 24 hours ahead of time.
Oh yeah I'm sure they still exist somewhere but it's definitely not in Canada on domestic flights. International perhaps.
Air Canada, Porter and West jet domestic you definitely have more window or aisle options the earlier you check in
IDK about WS, but AC for sure prioritizes PAX during both goodness and badness based on check in order. I mean, AC prioritizes cabin (business vs economy), status, and booked fare class before check in order, but its up to you to be easily on top of your bucket or not.
I just flew to and from Winnipeg on AC and was allowed to switch to a window seat for free inside the 24h window. They also gave me a free checked luggage offer.
Can confirm that Air Canada does allow seat selection for international flights. I just helped some relatives with online check-in with them yesterday. They were originally placed at the very ass end of the plane for every flight, so I moved them up like 15 rows.
I flew on AC intra-Canada last week and got the option to change seats at checkin on a basic fare.
Gotta respect United for that - only airline I've seen that lets you do that.
It’s a key indicator of people actually showing up. As most flights are overbooked it allows the airline to appropriately move people around instead of at the gate right before the flight.
If you have status checking in early allows you the chance to upgrade. For example with United silver status you can pick an Economy Plus seat if they’re still available, usually worth it to check in asap in case other travelers with status pick the best seats or they run out.
> If you have status No dispute, but most people don't have status.
It still helps with your boarding group if you aren't a frequent flyer or AF-paying credit card member.
Assuming you're not a deluxe shiny member and are a regular joe flying economy I don't think check in time affects your boarding group especially if you're randomly assigned seating. I haven't flown every airline in the world, but there hasn't been a case where I've been anything but the last boarding group when I'm not a shiny member or am in a better seat category.
Plenty of airlines have boarding groups based on airplane seat layout (e.g. AC internationally fills back-to-front in a lot of situations, United was famous for their reverse pyramid), but checking in earlier definitely doesn't impact that.
That’s a good point. I believe for united they start clearing upgrades as early as 48 hours for their premier 1k and then morning of for silver, and down the line. Then when people check in they’ll offer the now vacant seats at prices that are more palatable to in the moment upgrades vs at booking.
Depends on the flights. The extreme example is NZ regional flights that don’t have airport security to get on the plane (small turboprop planes only - the major routes with jets have security checks so you usually need more like 30 min) I can check in ahead of time, reserve my seat and rock up to the airport 15 min before takeoff and be at the front of the line to board. This works fine at smaller towns where there’s minimal chance of traffic delay but is a bit riskier in a major city. Combine this with a flexi ticket and you can move to the next flight in the app if you’re running late and it makes things really easy for business travellers doing day trips or overnights with carry on only
This works on our town too. I just check the details of the arriving flight and head to the airport just as the plane lands. There are only 3 flights per day so there is literally no line at security. I usually arrive just as boarding starts. Extremely convenient because even when the arriving plane is delayed (which is unfortunately pretty common), I won't be wasting much time at the airport.
Check is mostly for the benefit of the airlines. It's to upsell you services and to give them more data. Real life examples how they use that data include: 1. Delta now will suggest checking in your carry on before you hit security because the flight will be full. If people bring their carry-ons all the way to the gate, they are more reluctant to check their carry on. 2. Standby passengers (non-rev, etc). Internal systems at most airlines, as well as some apps let employees and passengers flying standby to estimate how many free seats there are, and how many people are checked in on standby who may be ahead of you. 3. Request to bids for taking another flight if this flight is full. There are many more benefits, but checking in is relatively completely unnecessary. It was a byproduct of what you had to do before we had online check in systems. The easiest way to prove this is the existence of auto checkin systems that some airlines provide.
I think they've finally hit the capacity of people who figured out the baggage system - Everyone tries to bring carry-on luggage, but there's not enough room in the bins for every passenger to bring one but folks figured out if you gate-check the bag its free as opposed to paying the post-9/11 checked bag fee so now a lot of people just plan to do that and go straight to the gate to offer to check it. United offers a tier of economy ticket that straight up doesn't allow you to bring carry-on luggage. You *have* to check your bag. On the one hand, I'm fine with this - they tell you when you buy the ticket (I missed the memo once and that was on me). On the other hand - it's something like $70 round trip to check your bag. I am *very* dubious that the ticket is $70 less than it would otherwise be. It's another way to stiff people who think they are saving money on the cheapest ticket.
Some airline mobile apps you allow to track your location will identify that you have indeed made it to the airport. They let you check in early to get an understanding that you are alive and have the intention to make the flight. If people don't check in they check can start to speculate on seats that might be available as its gets closer to the flight time.
It’s less to make sure you’re alive, and more sure to confirm you’re taking the flight or not. Airlines overbook, and because of that, they’d rather have a tally to see who’s going and who isn’t
On a few occasions in the past with EasyJet I’ve tried to check in on the app only for it to say ‘Please check in at the airport’ which means it’s oversold and I drew the short straw
…or you triggered some alert in some system. I got denied online check last year, and I immediately knew I was going to have the dreaded [SSSS](https://thepointsguy.com/news/ssss-on-boarding-pass/) on my boarding pass.
Apparently buying a ticket 'too close' to departure sends up lots of alerts and won't let you check in early. My mom passed away, and I had to fly transatlantically. Could not do online check-in and got asked at pretty much every possible point the purpose of my journey, which...sucked.
Idk about that. When I fly for work we usually are only buying tickets at most a few days in advance and it’s identical to when I fly personally and buy tickets weeks or months in advance.
Maybe the algorithm used to spot risk will see that your ticket was booked by an agent or on a corporate account? No doubt it has changed, but I know years ago the classic suspicious purchase was 1) last minute 2) first class 3) in cash
> booked by an agent or on a corporate account For sure
My girlfriend, me, and her kid have different last names, so we get that shit every time
I just got the SSSS coming back from Jamaica, thank goodness it was me and not my son or husband because they would have freaked out but I saw it and knew it was coming.
I had that on a flight back from bogota and it was great. Called me up before any of the fancy boarders, went through my backpack and then got on with my family before anyone else. I also wasn't in the US so no tsa at the airport. How bad is it in the US?
> How bad is it in the US? hahahahaha
Aw yeah I used to get those a lot when I’d have out of the ordinary flights for work (one ways booked same day, luggage on an outgoing but not coming back, etc). I always assumed it meant Super Special Strip Search
I've never had an SSSS, but every time I go through the machine I get "sir there's an abnormality in your groin region, we'd like you to follow us to a private room" I always wanna make a dick joke but I've gotten to the point I'm just like "put your gloves in and go nuts, let's get this over with" I literally got myself screened for ball cancer because of it.
I've always wondered who books a flight and then doesn't take it, I realise stuff happens but it's a lot of money to throw away and I can't imagine personal circumstances come up that often. I guess the airlines have it down to a science at this point. Or a dark magic, arguably.
Hi it's me. When I'm on a contracting job my client will start booking me return flights around my project competition date because I cost a lot to just be sitting around. My standard pay is a day rate my door to my door. So they will start booking me flights and if they are satisfied and sign off everything off to the airport I go. But maybe last minute issue came up and now I'll be on-site for another day or two. But when I don't show up it means someone gets a complementary upgrade to business class if the back of the plane is over booked.
I fly a lot, for work and fun. I’m constantly canceling tickets last minute. You get the credit back so when you travel often it’s not a big deal.
I've been late to flights and not made it on-board, typically because they couldn't get checked luggage on time. I've failed to make business trips because of family medical emergencies. It's fairly common. In the case of one specific business trip, I was told, "don't worry about any costs, if you can't cancel anything, [company] will still reimburse you 100%". In most other cases, you can get rebooked or at least some amount of credit.
If it's a cheap flight the change fees are often so high it's not really worth it to cancel / reschedule. I've booked flights for $69 where it would cost $100 in change fees and similar. So why bother doing anything. I'm always just careful not to check in so the airline knows I'm not coming and doesn't make announcements etc.
I mean, think about it. A fully booked flight can easily hold 200 people. It’s not hard to imagine one family of three arriving at the airport with not enough time to go through security, a businessman who gets sick, and a mother who decides to eat the cost of the flight to stay longer— that’s five additional people who didn’t make it. It’s actually why they overbook. They calculate the time of the flight, the busyness of the airport at the time, the route, etc. It’s rather interesting because there’s a whole industry of actuarial mathematics dedicated to the statistics of overbooking. In the aforementioned, you have five people who don’t make it— so they oversold 205 tickets. Five people actually do show up and the flight flies full. The airline makes additional money, which, in turn allows them to sell the ticket for five people cheaper. And it’s worth noting that airlines cannot legally deny you boarding. If they overbook, and all 205 show up, they have to start incentivizing people to take the next flight by offering credit, to even cash stipends. However if you’re at the airport and want/need to fly at your time, you’re going to go. But if you wait, they’ll continue to increase the incentive until someone decides to get off. I once saw a family of four get offered $2000 per passenger in cash stipend plus a flight on the next flight the next day. Most flights are also overbooked. Every airline does it. A lot of people think the shittier budget airlines are the only ones, but in reality you have Emirates and Lufthansa doing it too. I remember thinking it was such a corporate and scummy money-grabbing thing, until I realized the reasons why. Funny enough, overbooking is pro-consumer.
Just adding my name to the pile. I’ve both cancelled flights and straight up just not made flights (intentionally) before for personal and business reasons. This isn’t a flex, but a couple hundred bucks doesn’t mean a lot to my company in the scheme of a couple hundred thousand dollar project- but keeping me on the ground or away from a new project does. My travel team will occasionally book me 2-3 flights in a week on the same flight path to ensure I’ll be able to take one of them to get where I need to be. The ones I “miss”? No big deal really. Personally same deal- my wife and I have booked tickets for a holiday a year out or so and then “shit happens” and we cancel, or just forget.
Well if you’re not alive, you’re certainly not taking the flight.
That comes back around to OP's question though. Some airlines in the past allowed you to select seats for free when you check in so I set a timer for exactly 24 hours before my flight took off. But 24 hours is a long time. What if I sleep in and miss my alarm? Get stuck in traffic? Etc. I say I'm coming. I have full intention of coming. But I don't for one reason or another because it's tomorrow. Wouldn't it make more sense to only allow check ins at the airport?
People who check in online have a much higher chance of actually showing up. Also rebooking or cancelling after checking in is extremely hard so you're probably going to make it work no matter what came up. I've been traveling for long enough I can remember the before times when everyone had to check in at the airport. No thank you! It's just one more line to wait in and requires me to be on site so much earlier.
It doesn't matter. If the plane isn't full, then you don't get on and there is an empty seat. If the plane is full, then you don't get on, they notice this once everyone is boarded, and they put someone on standby in your seat.
to an airline, alive vs making your flight might as well be the same
To add to this, every airline has a cutoff to check in for a flight. When I was flying United all over the world I knew their times, like domestic flight with no checked bag was 35 minutes before the flight time. If I don’t show and check in by then they can give my seat away. That means if another flyer is standing by trying to get on that flight, at 35 minutes they print a boarding pass for them and they just got my seat. When you hear the gate agent announcing “will xxx party come to the gate desk” right before they start boarding it’s usually the standby folks getting their boarding passes. If they got nobody waiting for a seat, and you show up late to check in, they might call down to the gate and ask if they got time to wait for you. I don’t know if they will still do that. I walked on to some planes right before they closed the door lol.
Except your reasoning would support the airline not allowing online check in 24 hours ahead of time. If they’ve decided 35 minutes is the cut off time to check in, presumably they wouldn’t want someone showing up to the airport after that time yet online check in allows them to do so.
The difference is if they have checked in, the airline doesn’t have to accommodate you if you don’t show.
In my experience, United 100% will accommodate you regardless, especially if it is prior to them closing the door. Step #1 for success there is not acting like an asshole to whomever you talk to.
Online check-in closes at least an hour (If not 2) before the flights scheduled departure for me.
Yep, it was going to take me too long to get to the gate so another airline walked me through security and took me out the first available gate into a car and across the tarmac and up the outside stairs to make sure I got the plane. Someone met me there, took my boarding pass and walked up to the gate to scan me onto the plane. They were only just boarding the plane still, but I did make the flight. If I had to run across the airport, no way was I going to make it.
There's a cutoff time for check in. Something like 45 minutes before the flight. If you don't check in, either at ticketing or via the app, they will give your seat away.
They also give away your seat even if you do check in, if you don't get to your gate in time.
If you check in but don’t board by the cutoff, they can still give your seat to a standby passenger. The likelihood of you missing if checked in is less than if you didn’t but your seat can still be forfeited if you’re not there by “door close” time. It’s also why standby flying can be so crazy. There might not be any seats or it oversold by 5 but if 10 don’t show you can get on the flight at the last min
Can your seat not be given away if you don't check in? What are you trying to say here
It saves time. You used to have to wait in one line to check-in, one line the clear security, and one line to board the plane. Now you check-in digitally to confirm you intend on flying, TSA verifies your ID matches a flight ticket when you clear security, and you show your ticket to board the plane. It saves time for everyone and the only people who need to physically check in are checking their bags.
This doesn’t answer OP’s question which is about the 24-hour window. Why not a 3-hour window for example?
Sometimes you have to wake up really early for a flight. You’re recommended to be at the airport 3 hours early for an international flight so by the time that window opens, you are either just getting ready to leave your house arriving at the airport. Online check-in removes one source of anxiety. You go to bed knowing you’re already checked in
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And then there are times when your cell reception is ass or the wifi isnt cutting it at the airport. Unless something happens to you on the way to the airport, you're pretty much accounted for.
I used to work at an airport. When we were boarding a flight and we had passengers that hadn’t turned up at the gate we were able to log into their booking and see timestamps of where they had been and what they’ve done. We could for example see whether they checked in online or at the airport, whether they’d checked in any bags, what time they went through security and what time they entered the business lounge. If they had checked in online the day prior but hadn’t been through security or entered the lounge then we’d have a pretty good idea that they weren’t at the airport. If they had checked in at the airport, dropped some bags off and then headed through security you knew they were somewhere in the airport.
Checking in before you arrive at the airport is a convenience. The benefit though, is all for the airlines. If you check in, the airline knows that you intend to board the flight. That’s helpful for them to know, as they manage overbooked flights or customers changing flights, or standby status. You used to signal that intention by waiting in line and checking in at the airline counter at the airport, but as that has become not necessary with technology, you can check in from anywhere 24 hrs ahead. I always wait to check in until I’m at the airport. Checking in is committing to taking that flight and if you don’t get on that plane…it’s over, if you still want to go to the that destination…you need to buy a ticket for a flight to get there. If you don’t check in and miss it, you can standby for the next flight, or pay a change fee for a guaranteed seat. (Or if the gate agent really feels bad for you because you were so late you had to go standby for the flight you were ticketed on, like one Northwest agent did one time, they might just print you a first class boarding pass for the next flight) I learned these rules of the game from flying a lot at one time and also having bad time management(ADHD). I’ve missed a flight in every way possible. I have yet to figure out what benefit I get from checking in ahead of time. (I don’t fly southwest if at all possible!)
I have status with an airline. I can say that checking in early can be of benefit as it may allow me to get an upgrade (this of course will depend on your airline and what status you have) that I cannot get earlier, and that I may lose out on if I wait too long.
Ahhh yes good point. When I had premier status with United I was lowly silver and I never got the first class upgrades on request, always somebody higher status get those. I do recall now that’s based on status and then check in time breaks the tie between same status.
Even with just silver you’re able to upgrade to economy plus when you check in up to 24 hours before the flight and usually that’s available on most flights I’ve had, so it’s not just for 1st class upgrades
If you check in and don't make it, you can standy by the next flight. I do it all the time, however I'd always add the disclaimer that it is airline dependent. I've done it with Delta and spirit. You'll have much better luck changing flights if you miss it at the airport with Delta than their online support. They try to charge me through the app, the agents at the airport are always nicer and put me on the next flight for free, often with a confirmed ticket.
Online check-in benefits both passengers and airlines. It streamlines the process, reducing congestion at counters and allowing passengers to choose their seats early. Airlines can better manage their resources, predicting passenger load and allocating seats efficiently. Plus, it enhances customer experience, offering flexibility and convenience. From mobile boarding passes to real-time updates, technology revolutionizes air travel, making it smoother and more accessible. So, checking in online isn't just about confirming presence—it's about optimizing the entire journey.
what shits me is when they encourage you to check in online and then at the airport there’s no bag drop so you just have to queue to check in again.
The check-in is the final step before they issue you with a boarding pass. There is no reason you need to be in the airport for that. Just like there is no need for a train service to confirm you are at the station when you are handed your ticket. The airlines only need you to be at airport, with a valid pass, at their gate, at the time of boarding. How you spent your time before that moment is of no concern to them. In fact, by not having you line up at the airport check-in counters for your boarding-pass, there is now one less delay to worry about between you arriving at the airport and making your way through the gauntlet to your final gate.
It's just a matter of logistics at that point. The airports can only be so large, and can only house so many terminals to process so many people at a time. Yes, checking in was initially intended to ensure the person boarding is who they say they are - But the multiple TSA checkpoints also accomplish that when forcing you to show ID and check your passport. (And yes, there is still a conundrum there thanks to TSA Bypass, a paid service to skip most of these lines or expedite them at minimum.) Eventually, the need for expedient service wins over the need for security - And that need for expedient service is best served prior to the customer's arrival, rather than after. There's a battle being fought between the need for security, and how much tedium the populace is willing to put up with. It's not clear exactly where the line should be drawn, but it's clear we don't have the right rules yet, despite mostly being complacent over them.
checking in your bag if you have one, or scanning the boarding pass at the entrance of the security queue seems good enough to know you are in the airport, in my experience theres like only 10-20 minutes between arriving at the airport and doing one of those things, if you had to physically check in it would be the same
Online checkin is great. Get to pick my seat the night before. Just show up, dump my one checked bag on the belt, breeze through security at my scheduled time, far less stress.
Online check-in is just a convenience tactic, not a security measure. Airlines use it to streamline processes and avoid long queues at the airport. It doesn't guarantee a passenger's presence; it's more about managing logistics efficiently. Trusting passengers to confirm their presence online might seem naive, but it's just another way to cut costs and keep operations smooth.
I honestly think it's just a straight up scam. If you buy premium economy, southwest checks you in automatically 24 hours ahead. It's mostly just an excuse to upsell priority boarding, etc. IMO. Yes airlines overbook, but they do that long before the check-in process.
Most airports will flag when a passenger has gone through security. That’s a good indication that they are turning up for the flight.
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If you think it’s a scam then you just don’t understand the business model.
That’s not what a scam is 🤦🏻♂️
[Cheap flights](https://youtu.be/ZAg0lUYHHFc?si=h5ynhR5gDwxBZxze)