Mirk

After years of investments into online check-in, KLM website now shows this message for ALL my reservations.
Go figure why they changed the message which previously said to check-in online 30 hours before the flight. This is completely stupid because for example the desks at Birmingham open 2 hours before the flight ...

I told them over twitter :


After that, I started to turn red ...

caliform

Funny, I have seen this message too. It was for a OTA booked flight, Delta issued tickets and KL metal. The entire OLCI was utterly broken. It might have something to do with how it was ticketed?

irishguy28

I think you may have misinterpreted this statement.

It is not "advertising" airport check-in; neither does it say, or mean, that you cannot check-in online.

All my bookings, when checked on KLM.com, have this statement on every flight. I merely interpret it as meaning that passengers should turn up in good time for their flights. (There are increased security checks now at Schiphol so there have been frequent reminders from our corporate travel agent, and in the media, to turn up in good time/30 minutes earlier).

I do not interpret this as meaning that KLM are "switching off" OLCI for all flights [the statement appears on sectors for which they are not responsible or for which they neither operate nor handle check-in) and you will still receive an email after OLCI checkin opens.

Besides, the Dutch version states "you may/you can check in" so perhaps their translation may not be ideal.

Xandrios

It is a little weird to emphasise airport check in though. If I remember correctly it used to advertise online check in opening in X days. To indicate that airport checkin is available is kind of useless, and in this case, confusing.

The message shows up for all bookings by the way; even my AF bookings made on airfrance.com now show this message.

irishguy28

I agree that it doesn't make much sense. BUT - I don't think it means that OLCI is *not* available. And I'm not sure that most people will notice or ever see this message. It doesn't show up on the e-ticket or emailed confirmation, and I am guessing that not everyone consults their bookings online.

I was able to check in just fine online 2 weekends ago with this notice on my booking.

But then again...I have seen the question posed here many, many times in the past: "how early can I check in at the airport?"/"what time do the check-in desks open"?

(Not to mention that the KLM check-in desks at AMS are open all day, and I don't know if they would turn you away as an Economy/Ivory passenger if you tried to check in earlier than 3 hours)

Maybe this was KLM's sloppy attempt to fend off any further such queries!

Goldorak

I really don't see what is the problem here
They are not emphasizing or advertising airport check-in. They are just informing you that sometimes, OLCI might not be possible for your flight (or specifically for you) for security reasons (because they want to see your passport, your visa, or any other reason), and in this case you have to check-in at the airport. Or you have also the intermediate situation where you can do OLCI but the BP can only be issued at the airport check-in desk. So just an information given by this message...

irishguy28

Given that you can only select a seat for free on KLM now when check-in opens - I would recommend not waiting to get to the airport to check-in.

In fact, AMS-originating pax will be at a disadvantage, as all the connecting pax (70% of KL's passengers) will have "early access" to the flights, and early pick of the free seats.

Mirk

At first, I understood that OLCI was not available and I thought something was wrong for this particular booking. When I realised all the bookings had the same thing, I suspected the bug. But as I've now just made an OLCI on a booking which displayed this message I definitely think this is a stupid change.

I understand that OLCI can not be available for some airports or some security reasons but when you see the same thing for over 10 bookings for 5 different persons ...

3 hours before the flight can works for some airport where the desks are open all day but not in the smaller ones where they open 2 hours before and you can't know that before going to the airport.

AlicorporateUK

There are several self check-in kiosks at BHX (including a couple between the train station/NEC and the air-rail, just as you approach the escalator for the bus station) and, more than once (when travelling with luggage), I remember checking-in even ~3 hours before the flight, the last time being literally a week ago for the 1432 service to AMS. Same applies to other airlines - yesterday, for instance, I checked-in for SK2534 just after 7AM and noticed that both FRA & MUC (LH - with the latter departing at 11) were also open for check-in at the nearby desks in the downstairs area.

G

tezzer

I tend to fly from Humberside........try turning up there 3 hours before the 06.10, the doors would be locked, with not even the cleaners in by that time !

Xandrios

I don't think there is a problem, we are just theorizing here

What you describe would be logical and I have seen that in the past (though presented in a different form). However this message we talk about now is put up on the page as some sort of 'alert' which (at least to me, and the OP too) comes across as if this is a special case and only airport check in would be available. If it was just a line of text somewhere on the page I would agree with you 100%, but the way it is presented makes this line seem like the most important piece of information on the page. While it should be just an additional 'by the way, bla bla'. In my opinion at least

irishguy28

It's only displayed when you click on the "Trip Details" tab.

And it looks very different to how KLM show an "alert" which pops up as soon as you enter the booking details (see below).

Mirk

There used to be a counter till the opening of the OLCI but it disappeared and I guess it got replaced by this stupid message.

ibefly

I noticed this too on my trip, however the app still says "checkin opens in 12 days" for my flight on 11 october.

tobitronics

OLCI works fine even with the "airport 3 hours" message, just type in your PNR on the OLCI page and voila