Airline check in question

[Jeri Lynn]

My daughter is in CA and is flying home tomorrow. I just got an email from United telling me that it is time to check in for the flight.

Should I check in for her?

She has no way of printing out the boarding passes where she is.

[Fangorn]

Reality is, it doesn't really matter.

If you check in for her, she can just get her boarding pass at the airport, either from the skycap at the curb, from the United ticket counter or from a United kiosk if there's one at her airport. As long as she has the confirmation number everythings is simple.

If you don't check in for her, she'll have to check in at the airport, again via any of those 3 methods.

Fortunately, it's not like the bad old days when you had to have a paper ticket and if you lost it or forgot it at home, you were out of luck.


The airlines like for you to check in early so they get an idea sooner how many actual passengers will be flying (and if they've oversold the flight). They also like for you to print your boarding pass at home - cuts down on their cost for paper and printer maintenance just a tad. (Frankly, I'm surprised some of the airlines haven't started charging a dollar or two if they print your boarding pass).

Steve

[Jeri Lynn]

Thanks for the reply Steve!

[Ian]

(Frankly, I'm surprised some of the airlines haven't started charging a dollar or two if they print your boarding pass).

They have. I'm pretty sure most of the large carriers now charge a fee of like $5 per boarding pass if they have to print them.

[Fangorn]

They have. I'm pretty sure most of the large carriers now charge a fee of like $5 per boarding pass if they have to print them.

Interesting. I haven't run across this yet, but then I haven't flown anything but Southwest for the past year or so, and I haven't heard it mentioned by anyone. But certainly not unexpected.

Next up - charging for pressurizing the plane and that seat belt thingie...

Steve

[Jared]

They have. I'm pretty sure most of the large carriers now charge a fee of like $5 per boarding pass if they have to print them.

I haven't experienced this either, and I travel quite frequently. In the past month alone I've flown with Delta, U.S. Airways, JetBlue and Air Canada, and none of them charged me to print my boarding pass at the airport kiosk.