WineCountryUA

Yes, Auto-Checkin has gone away for all -- first reported last November -- http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...oing-away.html

Doc Savage

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MY-OTHER-BROTHER-"TED"

Well then how long do you suppose the wait was in line after they couldn't get their b/p's at the kiosk in say, "tick tock on the clock time?" (quote from the OP)

I certainly am NOT defending UA, nor am I blaming the daughter or his wife, I'm simply saying that when there is obviously an issue with a print out of a b/p at home, something is most likely haywire, and an agent probably will need to fix it, so better on boogie on out there earlier than planned..

I've been screwed over many, many, times by wise guys at the gates,and f/a's, as recently at a few weeks ago in DEN, but I don't blame everyone, and thus refuse to fly a certain airline because of a few jerks.

TomMM

And driving on our interstate is better?

TennisNoob

Unfortunately we don't have a train network like they do in Europe. Skymiles have become skypesos and we are seeing more and more devaluations across all 3 programs.

As usual, this is why I dislike mergers.

hughw

I'm trying not to be snarky...but it's pretty hard to do a lot of things in modern life without one or the other. For example, if you're a Yankee fan, you're not going to get into Yankee Stadium with out a mobile ticket shown on a smartphone. So at some point, I think people should stop giving a pass to those, elderly or not, that refuse (unless physically or mentally limited) to learn how to use modern technology.

Often1

When one has a problem with OLCI, the first thing to do is to pick up the phone. Period.

OP knew that there was an issue. How much of an issue and what type? Who knows.

But, that is what the phone call resolves (or not). There are hundreds of threads on FT from people who advise that they can't OLCI and asking for advice. They then receive anecdotal answers about what happened in some other instance.

The sole way to figure out whether there is a problem or something which requires nothing more than a printer is a phone call. Better accomplished from home/office where the phone can sit on speaker while you do something else before an agent answers.

jtwiz

I've been reading through the comments to this post and thinking of the situation my 79-year old Mom might have been in this winter - if not for the fact, I was there to help her out.

Mr jtwiz and I were in FL for the month of March. My 91-year old Dad finally threw in the towel on air travel about 4 years ago, but Mom was eager to come see us. She flew out of PHL to RSW via AA. She used a travel agent for her flight (because that is what elderly people without smartphones and limited computer skills do.)

The fly in the ointment was the snowstorm predicted to hit the Northeast on the day she was flying home. Long story short, I got on AA as soon as their weather waiver hit, changed her flight home to a day earlier (getting 1 of 2 seats left on the plane), then did OLCI for her at 24 hours.

But of course, no boarding pass. We were in a rental house with no printer and she has no smartphone. We got her to RSW and printed out the boarding pass, and got her off to Security. Sure, we had no issues at the kiosk - but you never know...

I have to be honest - I have no idea how she would have handled all of this without my help. Her memory is not the best anymore (heck, mine isn't either!), she gets stressed over unfamiliar situations, etc.

I guess I can see why the OP and his wife have said "no more." In any case, I would suggest train travel! While it takes a lot longer, it is a pretty stress-free way to go. We were at a wedding recently where the Grandparents of the groom travelled via train from Pittsburgh to Denver, with a stop in Chicago for sight-seeing. They had a ball!

Baze

And how long was that tick-tock? Could have been 5 minutes, could have been 2 hours. Again, the OP never gave any time frames so why speculate? And OP did not say whether they hustled to the airport as soon as they couldn't print the BP at home. I try not to read things into posts that aren't there. Sure the OP could have given us a lot more info but I get the impression it was all second hand info from their spouse and mother as the OP wasn't actually there for any of it.

MY-OTHER-BROTHER-"TED"

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mduell

Sure, we're missing a number of details that OP chose not to provide.

But we've also seen/heard this story enough, combined with our own experiences/observations of United at the airport, we can pretty well guess what happened rather than playing 20 questions.

halls120

According to some here, your 79 year old mother and my 77 year old mother need to get with the program and be just as tech savvy as everyone else. There's no excuse for them to not be.

ysolde

I know. While that may work for some (and bless them for it), it certainly is not the reality for my 70-something mother, who is simply not as tech-savvy as younger people, and is at an age where she can get a bit upset and/or confused when things don't go as expected.

The last time I traveled with her, she started to get antsy when we were not picked up by the wheelchair handlers to take us through TSA as quickly as she expected. She wanted to forget them, and push me through on her own. I had to talk her down, and counsel patience, not really understanding what was going on. It turned out she had to have breakfast, as she had to have her morning medication, and getting up hours before in order to make it to our car service and then the drive to JFK and the check-in had put her on the edge.

We were finally picked up by the wheelchair pusher, and made our way through TSA, and then I took her to The Palm for breakfast, which certainly made her feel better. Bottom line is, things are different when you hit a certain age, especially when you are not used to travel, and are traveling out of an unfamiliar airport.

GrayAnderson

For this general reason, I hope Steve Jobs wound up in Tartarus, and my opinion of companies deciding to push you to use their (cr)app isn't much higher, particularly when that "push" involves making other channels less usable. Yes, this extends to Amtrak and their de-staffing of stations. No small part of my objection, FWIW, is that they're effectively outsourcing part of their costs to your data plan.

(The fact that at least some element of the latest security missense comes from the fact that you can get all the way to the TSA without having to deal with a single human being doesn't help my opinion of the situation.)

TMOliver

to answer some objections to the plight of my wife, daughter, and granddaughter, OP chimes in....

1. When early on attempting to download to IPhone, the BPs weren't available.

2. A call to UA revealed a hangup over last names, to be cured by arrival time.

3. I'll admit 2 hours plus early arrival would have been better than the actual 1:30.

4. The major hangup was after the kiosk wouldn't print out BPs, between the lines at the counter and the time for the agent to "help", they were down to 30 minutes before DPT time. A call by UA to the gate, not to hold the flight, but that the 3 were on the way might have helped.

5. My daughter didn't short circuit TSA. She simply went before my wife & grand daughter, "double timing" to the gate. Actually, TSA was not a problem, and my wife at 74 and grand daughter at 4 were more than competent to navigate the intricacies of security (with stroller/seat and carry-ones). Lord sakes, the 4 year old is as smart phone literate as many adults in their prime, including many of the BS artistes who I encounter at airports.

6. My daughter claims that 20 minutes remained before DPT time when she arrived at gate, but 'standbys" were already loading and the "door was closed"

7. The later snafu was due to a GA unwilling to take responsibility for ticketing on another airline, AA, and NO supervisor being available, be it coffee or toilet time.

My termination from flight status is based n my wife's decision that UA failings were enough to terminate her flying. When you manage to survive the same wife for 52+ years, your sensitivity to their decisions, rational or even tinged with a bit of irrationality, is rampant and undeniable. I don't have many benefits left to lose, so flying while she drives or rides the train ain't gonna happen!

Further tracing the source of the BP problem, my daughter uses her maiden/business last name on the CC used to buy the tickets. It's a last name not shared by my wife and grand daughter. As a word to the wise, DON'T!