FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - FAQ : Why can't I check in online? OLCI and boarding pass difficulties

Sep 18, 2018, 4:59 am

#127

snuffi

Join Date: Jun 2014

Location: London

Programs: BA GGL

Posts: 1,406

Just a quick one as this tale has a good conclusion, but I just wondered a couple of things for the next time

I initially booked EDI-LHR-BWI / IAD-LHR-EDI, but within 24 hours changed the final leg to GLA. The ticket was booked in mid-Aug, and I travelled in mid-Sept.
I checked in for IAD-LHR bang on 24 hours and had assumed that the reason I could not also check in for GLA was that it was >24h
I forgot to deal with it in the IAD lounge….you can see where this is going!
I had a connection of 1h25 and we landed late. Wheels down I fired up my phone again and this was when I remembered I had not checked in for GLA, tried to do this on the app and could not, and then realised the reason - the change had not been reticketed, the LHR-GLA app MMB had no ticket number.
We arrived at B gates, in 52J on a 747 I was almost the last out and I reckon I had about 1 hour to go by the time I set foot on the airbridge. Luckily a transit departed 10 seconds after I got on it.
At this point I did not know what the best option was and it is this I would like some advice on for next time.
I figured that as I had no onward boarding pass that flight connections might not work very well (it was also busy at 7.30ish am), and so I went through the border and landside, back up to departures, and headed to a ticketing assistance desk. They sorted me out in about 5 minutes, by which time I had 4 minutes before conformance kicked in. I made it, and then of course it was bus gate 4. I boarded the plane a sweaty mess.

Any number of small delays could have stuffed me up – a wait for a transit or a lift, a longer queue at the border (my chip is bust so I can’t do egates), a customs search, a busy departures area. What could I have done differently airside? Is there a ticketing desk or assistance desk that could have helped? As I live in London I rarely do flight connections at LHR, which is probably why I thought that my safest option was to take the route that I knew. But I very nearly blew it and it was all a bit stressful, especially after my lovely and very comfortable long sleep in Y. Of course all of this could/should have been avoidable had I checked that the change had been reticketed before I travelled, but then again half of me says that this should not be the passenger’s issue and this is the airline’s fault – a point I was fully prepared to bring up if I had missed my connection. I’ve just read the guide upthread, but this particular scenario seems not to be expressly covered, ie failing to deal with issues 1 or 2 and arriving at LHR without an onward boarding card due to ticketing issues. Any thoughts?

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