iOS app - wrong gate
 

Since the latest update, the app has been giving notifications about boarding (nothing fancy, just a reminder 1 minute before scheduled boarding). The interesting part is that so far, it has consistently directed me to the wrong gate. It failed at YYZ, YYC and OGG without a single irrop or gate change. Anybody else had this experience?

AC: I don't use Twitter and I refuse to spend more time on phone/email with you than necessary, so this is the only notice you'll get from me.

These things, should be just a simply programming logic?

Well there's yer problem.

Try TripCase or TripIt, rather than the AC App

Much better at notifying you of gate changes

Yes, I've had the same experience. Last 2 flights out of YYC the app was showing the wrong gate.

I do use worldmate and it has shown the right gate every time... Which is why I started noticing :)

Terrible implementation.

And as for the boarding notification, what use is it when it still notifies you of the original boarding time when the flight has been delayed an hour or two? Or for your old flight when you have been moved to a different one?

I had the same experience in YYZ yesterday. The AC app displayed the correct gate, but the push notifications showed the wrong gate.

Add insult to injury: it doesn't forget old reservations! I get boarding notifications for flights for which I don't hold a boarding pass and that don't show up in "my flights" anymore because I've changed / cancelled them! Very confusing AC :td::td::td:

Um, has looking at the departure boards in terminals gone out of style?

I've been in a boat-load of terminals on my Mini-RTW over the last 3 weeks and they always told me
a) what gate,
b) on time or delayed.

IST was a bit slow in posting, but did post the gate in time for us to get there before boarding started...

I honestly don't use the boards. Too slow. E.g. at the YYZ PPL, the boards have to cycle through two pages of flights. Wastes time IMO...

I don't use the AC app as they don't support my phone. However, the free app I use pulls data from Bing and it's always updated ASAP once a gate change is made. Maradori can probably vouch for me on this too as he most likely uses the same app called "Flight Status". 'Dori?

I've got worldmate to tell me what gate and if there are delays (unfortunately it doesn't seem to read cancellation confirmations very well).

What annoys me is that AC sends wrong information. I've reverted to disabling it now... Still classified as a major fail in my book.

Yes, but the point of the update is that now you'll be able to get incorrect gate information on your Apple Watch.

The boards downstairs right after security are fine and they don't cycle. I always check the boards - they haven't steered me wrong yet. Smartphone apps - not quite as reliable. I've more than a few AC app (both BB & iOS) notifications tell me that my next flight involves time travel. :rolleyes:

Yes, but if you're headed to say gate 40 at YYZ, you have to turn right to then look at the board. Then you have to find your flight, and then your gate.

I'm not sure how Bing figures out the gate #, i'm sure AC is feeding them the same info as the airport (or whatever the feed is), but when there's a gate change, I get a thing that pops up at the top of my phone with something like AC XXX has updated flight info - or something, and I go in and I see the new gate. Right down to the minute-ish they announce it via the PA that there's been a gate change. I'm not as big of a time stickler as you jaysona, I just like hacking life and ever being more efficient while building in sufficient time "just in case" (traffic etc as I live far from YYZ)

Does the AC app do that? I mean if AC has an app for the iOS platform, surely it can do that. Oh wait. :rolleyes:

TripIt beats everything :p

Yes.

Along with paper boarding passes and checking in at the airport.

I am probably one of the most high-tech, geekiest people on this board, and I still prefer paper boarding passes for various reasons.

You can't make a post like that and not elaborate...

I like a paper boarding pass, if someone handed it to me as I walk towards security. I don't like a paper boarding pass for every MANY other reasons (got to go and print it and the kiosk is slow as [expletive] and I'm sure as heck not waiting in line.

I don't like paper boarding passes that you print at home either as it doesn't fit easily into my rear back pocket of my dress pants, versus a BP printed at the airport fits nicely in (cue: Up In The Air movie. I slot the BP in my pants like Clooney does :cool:)

1. I don't care if TSA agents put their greasy fingers on a piece of paper. I do care if they touch my phone.
2. I've seen way too many people with mobile boarding passes clog up every single scanning point for reasons as simple as the official airline app rotates, and pushes the barcode offscreen (so this isn't even a user issue).
3. Another reason I won't get into on FT, but I believe the above two are enough.

In terms of reasons why you don't like it, if I fold it twice, the barcode is still visible on the outside, and it fits perfectly in my rear pocket. Although on that point, the "real" boarding passes are a little long, stick out the top of my pocket, and tend to get folded/creased if I manoeuvre the wrong way.

I'm amazed that anyone uses the AC app for anything. Holy cramoly! :eek::confused::eek::confused:

I'm the most non-geeky person here, and I know it's garbage.

Well, for online check-in, it's way faster. I can do it while waiting for a crosswalk rather than having to think about it when at a PC. But, I often go and collect a physical one from the check-in counter for the reasons cow mentioned. With my #3 reason being it's easier to prove if AP miles are missing.. :D

Regardless on whether you use it or not, if they push out a feature it should have undergone at least minimal testing. This one is an obvious fail. :td:

I've only noticed this thing once and it was right. What amazed me was the timing. I got the boarding alert and within seconds the gate agent called for boarding, I was wondering if he hits a button or types something in on sabre that sends out that notice, but it sounds more like it was just good luck on the timing.

As an unrelated sidebar that doesn't deserve, does anyone know if the passbook app on the apple watch will actually let you board with it? On the ads it looks more just like a list of flights as opposed to the barcode that'll actually let you scan in. I want the watch but if I have to pull my phone out constantly it kinda defeats the purpose.

Apparently the app even has the interesting feature of notifying you that a flight is boarding even when you cancelled your reservation. I'd cancelled a flight on Monday, and the flights disappeared from the AC app. However I still got the notification today that my flight was boarding, even though I cancelled the ticket 4 days ago. Well done AC IT, well done.

Great. The alert functionality reenables itself on my phone. Now sent me to gate D22 to board 161 at YYZ. I was suspicious as YVR is always around 40... And sure enough it's 37. And no, it wasn't boarding, people just got off :-(

Would it be a coincidence that ahead of me a flight attendant made a sudden u-turn? ;)

Seems like the AC iOS app is pretty consistent at getting the wrong gate. Flight out of YUL yesterday where the app was saying gate 54, and the screens in the airport were showing gate 9. Long walk for anyone who followed the app only to find out that the gate info was incorrect.

IME the app's "Flights" screen shows the right gate but the boarding notifications show the wrong gate. Consistently. As in every time. It's mind boggling how the app that generates an incorrect notification contains the correct information :confused: