The last 4 flights on US, I've gone the kiosk at the airport to print my boarding pass, and the machine requires multiple criteria to find me. First, I insert my credit card (which always worked in the past), and I get a screen saying it needs more info. So, I elect to input my DM number, and get the same screen again asking for more info. Now I have a choice between PNR, ticket #, or flight number. So, I input flight number...and FINALLY it finds me. What's going on? The only thing I'm doing different lately is using OLCI from the office, but then waiting until I get to the kiosk to actually print my boarding pass. Is that the cause?

Kiosks have been really picky with me lately. The past few weeks the only way I've been able to retrieve my itinerary is to actually type in my last name. My DM card and my CC don't return anything.

Record locator usually does it for me with the US East kiosks.

Swipe DM Card/Type in DM# for US West kiosks does it.

I had problems in DCA last week with the kiosk not reading my CC. I typed in my last name and div #, then it needed a flight number which of course I didn't know. I had to go to the check in line and wait another 15 minutes to get a boarding pass, it was really annoying.

In my opinion this is one area where west (old HP) is far superior. I think the user interface is much more intuitive. Your DM number is all you need to remember -- no record locator, no flight number. There are also fewer screens from beginning to end. It's one thing the IT folks did well.

The last 4 flights on US, I've gone the kiosk at the airport to print my boarding pass, and the machine requires multiple criteria to find me. First, I insert my credit card (which always worked in the past), and I get a screen saying it needs more info. So, I elect to input my DM number, and get the same screen again asking for more info. Now I have a choice between PNR, ticket #, or flight number. So, I input flight number...and FINALLY it finds me. What's going on?

Maybe it's not just the kiosks that are confused - maybe it's the reservation computers? I've had similar experiences with kiosks, and not just US kiosks. To make a bizarre story even more bizarre, my wife (on HP ticket stock + flight numbers) and I (on US ticket stock + flight numbers -- note we are on identical flights, but separate PNRs), when we recently "won" a schedule change and I called US to fix the tickets, the agent at US East could see me, but referred me to US West because she couldn't fix both reservations (all hunky-dory so far). So - call US West, and then find out that the agent there, not only can't see my reservation, can't even see that I exist on the flight, only that there's a body occupying the seat I am assigned (checked by PNR, name, flight #, date etc) -- so getting seats together and ensuring we're on the same flight was pretty much impossible. I had to tell him my flight #'s and seat assignments one-by-one and he assigned my wife the seat next to me.

Of course, in the meantime, there's been yet another schedule change (making for an astounding 7-segment 17-hour transcontinental journey to come home from Albuquerque) and now I have to call back, yet again, twice, to fix the problem. Sigh. Merge the freaking computer systems!!!

7 segment 17 hour journey - now that is a mileage run ;-)

7 segment 17 hour journey - now that is a mileage run ;-)

Indeed!

Though 1) billywife123 deplores my mileage runs, and I certainly can't wait to see how happy she is after 17 hours including redeyes... and 2) it could have been 9 segments were it not for an illegal connection or two that had to be corrected!

Head start on *A gold this coming year, I suppose.

Interesting posts....so it is just not me that this is happening to. Out of the clear blue about 2 months ago, I received a new CP card. (Even though the old one was not going to expire until 2/07....and at the time, I had not qualified for CP next year).
Anyway, I threw out the old card....and I have been unable to use the new card since then. The kiosks refuse to recognize the card...and insist that I am inserting it incorrectly.
Until this week, I just put in a credit card and I was ok. At PHL on Wednesday, the credit card wasn't recognized...and I had to speak with a counter agent.
Of course yesterday morning at ORD...the CP card once again didn't work.
I'll call the Service Center to request a new card....however I expect the response to be "your new CP card is already being processed".

I had problems in DCA last week with the kiosk not reading my CC. I typed in my last name and div #, then it needed a flight number which of course I didn't know. I had to go to the check in line and wait another 15 minutes to get a boarding pass, it was really annoying.

I've done the same exact thing. I wish there were flight monitors on the walls behind the check in counter at DCA.

With United, I put my star alliance gold card into the kiosk and it doesn't seem to work.

Happened to me yesterday, as it usually does. I put my DM card in, it wanted more. So I typed in the flight # and it found it.

The last 2 times I tried to use the kiosk after doing OLCI at the office:

Swipe DM card - Not enough, it wants more info.

Enter record locator - Machine comes up with another person's info. Same first flight, different connection.

Start over in case I got record locator wrong. Manually enter my name - Machine comes up with a different person that isn't me.

Tell person tagging bags - He shrugs.

Go stand in line. Tell agent about machine - Another shrug.

My experience hasn't changed recently -- but has always been that if I've done OLCI then the "regular" method of swiping the DM card doesn't work.

If I use OLCI, but then need to get a boarding pass at the kiosk, I don't swipe any card, but start out using the "type information" option - and type my name and flight number.

On my last flight the kiosk was even smart enough to know that my connection was cancelled and it offered me a different routing automatically....i was relatively impressed!

Oddly enough, the other day I used one of the kiosks and got someone else's reservation. Walked up, swiped credit card, no more info required and the res for some guy with the same last name as me pops up. Strange, but I cancelled it and just did it all manually, entering my name and DM #.

But if i'd wanted to I could have moved his seat to the back row of the plane...

Absent the flight number, I've never been able to make the East kiosks work with simply a credit or DM card. Ever.

Yes, I too frequently have difficulty with the kiosks requiring multiple bits of information. Big waste of time.

I think it's just part of the growing pains regarding the merger. I've personally found that manually entering my last/first name plus flight number has always worked. While US's kiosk software might not be the best, I do think it's a pretty good system, it's fairly easy to navigate/make changes to your details.

If they end up "merging" with DL it would be cool if they adopt DL's barcode scanners on their kiosks, they make it really easy to checkin.

The US check in process and systems are a joke. Flew LAX-LAS this weekend. At LAX, I went to the first kiosk, swiped my credit card, then asked for more info. Entered the flight number, still needed more info. Entered my confirmation number and still couldn't pull up my reservation.

Went to an agent who said I need to try the other kiosks. Went through the entire process again and still can not get a boarding pass. Talk to another agent by that set of kiosks and she says I need to try the first bank of kiosks. I tell her I already did and she says then I need to go wait in line, thankfully not long, and somehow that agent was able to check me in. But, clearly the agents don't really know what is going on just telling passengers to go from one set of kiosks to another.

On the return it was the same story, not able to check in thru the kiosks. Now they want to merge with Delta.

Is this primarily an issue with HP flights? In any case, I'm sticking to UA for domestic travel from now on.

those machines are picky. i only have sucess with them like 25% of the time.
what really frustrates me is that after the check-in attempt has failed with them, trying to flag down a CS rept to manually check me in. Its not so bad in PHL, but in PIT ill stand there for like 5+minutes waiting (in the FC/DM preferred line) to be checked in with the one agent running around. This while i see 5+ agents at the eco line...with at least half of them doing nothing. :mad:

Is it true that if you have an exit row seat that you can't use the kiosk? Rather, you're required to see an agent to check-in? I seem to recall hearing that somewhere (something about needing to verify that you meet the exit row criteria)...but doesn't make sense based on the fact that you can do OLCI for an exit row seat.

You can check-in from the kiosk if you have an exit row seat. I do it all the time.

No, you can use the kiosk for exit row seating. I do it all the time. When you get through with the seat selection page a page will come up listing the exit row seating requirements asking you to confirm that you're willing and able.

You can check-in from the kiosk if you have an exit row seat. I do it all the time.

No, you can use the kiosk for exit row seating. I do it all the time. When you get through with the seat selection page a page will come up listing the exit row seating requirements asking you to confirm that you're willing and able.

You know, I just had a gut feeling that I had read somewhere that you can't use a kiosk to check-in if seated in an exit row, so checked the website:

http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/traveltools/checkin/airportcheckin/qikcheckin.aspx

"Emergency Exit Row / Airport Kiosk Notice
Please be advised that airport kiosks will not print a boarding pass for customers seated in exit rows. The FAA requires that an agent verify in person that a customer is qualified for exit row seating. If you have selected an exit row, please check-in at the kiosk and continue to the kiosk agent to receive your boarding pass."

I read that as you can check-in at the kiosk, but it won't bring a boarding pass. However, like you said, I too recall seeing that screen on the kiosk with the exit row notice, so I feel like I've used one for exit row before.

I read that as you can check-in at the kiosk, but it won't bring a boarding pass. However, like you said, I too recall seeing that screen on the kiosk with the exit row notice, so I feel like I've used one for exit row before.

Regardless of what the website says, I'm also certain that I have checked in and received my exit row BP at a kiosk (and even at home using OLCI.)

Speaking of the kiosks...they've definitely become LESS reliable in the last few months. It almost always requires multiple criteria from me (quite annoying to have to fumble around for an itinerary with flight numbers and confirmation numbers etc when trying to hurry to catch a flight.) And after giving multiple criteria I've been given someone else's BP!

Like most FFers, I want to get in and out as quickly as possible...a working kiosk is a win-win situation for the customer and airline, but the hassle that has now become checking in with US will only serve to frustrate customers and increase the reliance on GAs for checkin.

You know, I just had a gut feeling that I had read somewhere that you can't use a kiosk to check-in if seated in an exit row, so checked the website:

http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/traveltools/checkin/airportcheckin/qikcheckin.aspx

"Emergency Exit Row / Airport Kiosk Notice
Please be advised that airport kiosks will not print a boarding pass for customers seated in exit rows. The FAA requires that an agent verify in person that a customer is qualified for exit row seating. If you have selected an exit row, please check-in at the kiosk and continue to the kiosk agent to receive your boarding pass."

I read that as you can check-in at the kiosk, but it won't bring a boarding pass. However, like you said, I too recall seeing that screen on the kiosk with the exit row notice, so I feel like I've used one for exit row before.

Regardless of what it says, it will print a BP for the exit row. If it will print one at all. Last couple times I've tried it, it won't let me in (regardless of criteria) with multiple "keys" (DM card, credit card, flight #, etc). I usually say "F' it" and grab the first agent I see.