Originally Posted by
SAN-man
In practice though, if using the self service machine, is there really a difference (other than the extra step of swiping the passport)? Do they actually have different cutoff times for the machines based on if it's domestic vs. international checkin?
Can't answer that about AA, but UA definitely does. They cut off kiosk check-in at 60 minutes prior to the flight if it's an international itinerary, even though a domestic check-in for the exact same flight would be allowed (in the case of say XXX-ORD-LHR vs XXX-ORD-LAX). You can still check-in with an agent at that point, but the kiosk will cut you off.