Bizarre and painful new passport restrictions in T5 for hand-baggage travellers
#31
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: LHR- ish
Programs: MUCCI, BA Blue
Posts: 4,295
#32
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, LH Sen, MUCCI, Junior Jet Club.
Posts: 8,091
You really couldn't make it up. Less than a week of launching a massive ad campaign about technology and innovation, which feature mobile boarding passes heavily, BA announce they are effectively useless for a huge group (all EU travellers) of passengers.
#33
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: The greatest wee nation on earth.
Programs: Iron Maiden FC, GE, Rapidly falling down the Tiers to oblivion.
Posts: 2,604
I heard over the tannoy while waiting for the inlaws to arrive last week at GCM that anyone waiting to board the returning BA flight to LHR and had checked in online had to go to the desk to get their passports re-checked. Just thought it was a new cayman funny. Guess not!
EDIT - ps maybe BA listened to someone on here - i assume it is all about making sure people that OLCI are actually at the airport for their flight. Recent thread on here about delays caused by bags having to be unloaded due to pax not turning up for their flight (for various reasons of course, but im sure OLCI and sleeping in / car breaking down etc is a major factor - and also would require they checked their bags the night before where allowed...but you get my point!). I foresee many many people getting unloaded from their flights and their seats being given away not knowing that they have to effectively re-check in, and they don't find out until they go to board and their BP is refused and their seats given away. People still struggle with the requirements of going through security!!
EDIT - ps maybe BA listened to someone on here - i assume it is all about making sure people that OLCI are actually at the airport for their flight. Recent thread on here about delays caused by bags having to be unloaded due to pax not turning up for their flight (for various reasons of course, but im sure OLCI and sleeping in / car breaking down etc is a major factor - and also would require they checked their bags the night before where allowed...but you get my point!). I foresee many many people getting unloaded from their flights and their seats being given away not knowing that they have to effectively re-check in, and they don't find out until they go to board and their BP is refused and their seats given away. People still struggle with the requirements of going through security!!
Last edited by jcm9000; Sep 11, 2013 at 10:58 am
#34
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: UK
Programs: BA Exec Club Bronze, Hilton Diamond, Virgin Flying Club Red
Posts: 1,257
Just so I understand, if you have done OLCI and either printed your own BP or got one in Passbook, you still have to visit a check in kiosk/desk at T5 if you're travelling to one of the above destinations before you go through security?
If that's the case, why on earth would a non-status not particularly loyal to any one airline customer like me book BA over EasyJet?
If that's the case, why on earth would a non-status not particularly loyal to any one airline customer like me book BA over EasyJet?
#35
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, UA Silver, CC Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,000
Gatters just got a whole lot more interesting.
This is really frustrating though.
Those of us with multiple passports will, I assume, have to remember to have the right passport when travelling
This is really frustrating though.
Those of us with multiple passports will, I assume, have to remember to have the right passport when travelling
#36
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Ipswich
Posts: 7,543
I don't see why. I have one of my passports stored as my API on every record and travel with either of mine. When I check bags they do a passport check and never query the difference. I don't see why this would change.
#38
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Phuket Thailand
Programs: HH Diamond, BA Gold, IHG Gold, Oman Gold
Posts: 1,036
Am I missing something, but this is only for non EEA countries, does not effect UK passport holders, thats what the BA page says. Seems a standard visa requirement for all non EEA passports, nothing really that new.
#39
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold, UA Silver, CC Gold, SPG Gold
Posts: 2,000
someone post here if the passport does not have to match your passport stored on ba.com
#40
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mostly UK
Programs: Mucci Extraordinaire, Hilton Diamond, BA Gold (ex BD)
Posts: 11,203
If this is just a T5 thing does that mean PRG is moving back to T5? Then again it looks like all the T3 destinations Austria, Gibraltar, Poland, etc have made the list, so I don't know what they were thinking when they put this list together.
#42
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: London, UK and Southern France
Posts: 18,351
#43
Join Date: Apr 2005
Programs: Eurostar Carte Blanche, SBB-CFF-FFS GA-AG, SNCF Grand Voyageur LeClub
Posts: 7,831
What? What's gotten into them? This is completely idiotic as it adds another stop on the way to the plane.
Moreoever, the one important piece of info was missing though: until when do you have to re-print your boarding pass/have your ID checked? One of the niceties of having the BP on your mobile or a printout in your pocket is that check-in deadlines no longer matter. Just be on time at the gate. Will the new rule mean that the ID check/re-printing of the BP will have to be done by the CKI deadline? I am afraid so, which would be seriously
If they absolutely want to check ID before letting people through security, why don't they do what other airports do: for instance DXB or airports in the US: you bring your own BP (mobile, printout) and your ID to security, it's being checked there and then, and all is well. No worrying about check-in deadline, no extra queue, just showing that ID that you brought anyway at the same time as your BP when you go through security anyway.
I am not sure why this ID check is required, but fair enough. But I really don't understand why they have opted for the most annoying way of doing it.
Moreoever, the one important piece of info was missing though: until when do you have to re-print your boarding pass/have your ID checked? One of the niceties of having the BP on your mobile or a printout in your pocket is that check-in deadlines no longer matter. Just be on time at the gate. Will the new rule mean that the ID check/re-printing of the BP will have to be done by the CKI deadline? I am afraid so, which would be seriously
If they absolutely want to check ID before letting people through security, why don't they do what other airports do: for instance DXB or airports in the US: you bring your own BP (mobile, printout) and your ID to security, it's being checked there and then, and all is well. No worrying about check-in deadline, no extra queue, just showing that ID that you brought anyway at the same time as your BP when you go through security anyway.
I am not sure why this ID check is required, but fair enough. But I really don't understand why they have opted for the most annoying way of doing it.
#44
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Mostly UK
Programs: Mucci Extraordinaire, Hilton Diamond, BA Gold (ex BD)
Posts: 11,203
#45
Join Date: Jan 2011
Programs: BA Gold, FB Ivory (no more AF), Accor Plat, VS Silver, HH Gold
Posts: 198
Has BA been delivering ineligible pax to EU destinations and received fines? Has this increased? Would it not be easier to have this effected through HAL security, ie add to an existing process rather than create a new one? EEA passengers travelling on ID cards will presumably be unable to use SSCI.