Originally Posted by bobbytables

Every time I’ve flown with Cathay, the machine has beeped red when I’ve scanned my boarding pass, and the gate agents have had to swipe my passport again and enter some data from it in the computer.

I’ve always just assumed it’s due to the fact that my passport has a character in my name that CX systems don’t accept, meaning that the names don’t exactly match between boarding pass and passport (the character is just missing on the BP).

However, while standing in line at the gate recently, one of the gate agents noticed my backpack and proactively asked if I had any checked luggage. When I said no, she said she needed my passport to re-enter the details. Now I’m curious - Why would these things be connected?

All my passport details are saved in CX systems and always attached to my bookings, and I always OLCI.