WaytoomuchEurope

As often reminded by my wife, I have much to be modest about.

Plumber

Not sure if this is the right thread, but here goes:

Overheard at the Gate today... passenger in Wheelchair waiting to board first on a CR9.

Passenger: "I have a Comfort seat. What is the difference between a Comfort seat and a Preferred seat?"

Gate Agent: "Preferred is just more leg room. Comfort is more leg room and a bigger seat."

canopus27

I think the correct answers are:

• Preferred seats have a surcharge, and may or may not give you more legroom depending on the plane
• Comfort seats include a free beverage, which you may or may not get depending on the cabin crew

marchelli

Reading this thread reminds me of a conversation years ago, which can be summarized as follows:

1st Interlocutor: That's the incorrect briefing.

2nd Interlocutor: You're wrong, I work at the airport.

1st Interlocutor: I work at Transport Canada as an enforcement officer......

2nd Interlocutor: Ladies and Gentleman, can I have your attention please for the following briefing.

canadiancow

I forgot to post this here. Or if I did, then my memory is going.

New agent at SFO refused to print BPs at T-45. The flight was closed.

We were checked in already.

He called the gate to ask permission. Then he made a one time exception.

Needless to say, when I ran into a supervisor airside whom I hadn't seen in quite a while, we chatted about it.

pilot007

Interesting, I just noticed on a new booking under the "General conditions of carriage" section (from the itinerary email), point 1 says:
So, which is it? What did the supervisor say canadiancow ?

PB53x11

I'm sure he already had his boarding pass (electronically), this was just asking for a printed one. So he had already met the conditions of carriage that you refer to.

pilot007

That's what I thought, but what if the app / your phone isn't working (e.g. lost the phone between OLCI and the airport)? I'd think it's a simple case of re-printing it at the check-in counter, but curious if AC sees this differently. Seems like at least this one agent disagrees with our prevailing view on it.

vernonc

As I posted in another thread, my colleague had checked in and had a email link to BP from AC several hours before the flight. The link did not work at T-30 and the agent at SJC refused to reprint as they said check-in was closed and he missed his flight. When he complained to AC, he got a token AC e-voucher for approx $200.
So now I always screen shot my BP since I am not sure when AC's website or App or IT systems may be down.

RangerNS

Like Cow, my livelyhood is based on computers, and I don't trust my phone well enough to not get paper boarding passes.

But they do; they could lawyer up and argue that your have received a BP and the agent was technically correct. And at smaller stations, the TA could well close that station and move airside, so really one might have no chance to do their landside things, after T-45. All technically valid points, which will burn a customer sometime who shows up after the TA moved.

But goes to show a anti-work, anti-customer, anti-service attitude. It would take 15 seconds to do the right thing.

I'm all about schadenfreude (which is why I'm not in customer service), but you would think that AC would screen for people who derive personal joy out of minor acts which make people happy, as opposed to screening for people like me.

yyznomad

Interesting. I always OLCI but then have an actual BP printed at the airport. Even when I miss the official cutoff in person, they print the BPs for me without issues (I simply tell them I would like to have a reprint as I've already checked in). Granted, this has always been at the hubs... including YVR.

Oh, and even this year as a piddly E75K I've had no issues doing this.

HECK, just last week I completely forgot to OLCI and arrived at YYZ premium check-in AFTER the cutoff... the agent made a comment about how the flight closed but after 30 seconds and several clicks of the keyboard, managed to print my BP out.

I suspect you encountered an agent who was relatively new at the check-in counter role (yes, pure guessing here). I've got some noob employee stories for you in that regard.

I'm not opining what should be done... just providing actual firsthand experiences. If I'm told to go pound sand, I understand that I'll have to accept that fate.

canadiancow

Sorry, I don't think I was clear enough with "new agent".

I do this all the time. It's allowed, and easy. He kept using the wrong words on the phone to the gate too. He thought he had to "re-check" me in.

I do this enough that I know it's allowed. Checking me in would be an issue. Printing a boarding pass is not.

I mean what if you spill orange juice on it at the UC, which I've done... Oops can't print a new one.

The point about outstations closing check-in are valid. I wouldn't try this anywhere that doesn't have another flight later that day within a few hours. SFO isn't SMF. It's not quite YYZ, but the check-in counter doesn't close until after T-60 for 754 (unless the flight isn't operating that day).

But there were agents at check-in, so that's all moot. I debated giving up and walking over to another one. In hindsight, that would have been faster.

yyznomad

Yeah I was going to say I get my BP reprinted even in the MLL, 10 minutes before my flight (and it's not even a ML*1 BP or anything like... just a simple reprint).

yyznomad

Actually, now my theory is that the agent took issue that he was asked to reprint a BP for the "coolest Super Elite ever."

canadiancow

FTFY