OLCI and Docs - Flight to US
 

not a regular AC flier so not familiar with OLCI process. Traveling YVR > PHX > YVR if that matters.

Hoping to avoid dealing with check in counter.

- Will I be able to specify checked bags at OLCI and print bag tags at the airport so I can head straight to baggage drop?
- Do I need to print the COVID attestation or can it be done electronically at OLCI?

Yes you can specify checked bags at OLCI, or just do it at a kiosk.
The attestation is all electronic.

Worth noting that if you skip the check in desk you should present yourself at the gate to get your passport scanned (and they may ask for Vax proof Again). Otherwise you’ll get called to the gate before boarding.

This. A lot of people forget that traveling outside the country you need to speak to an agent somewhere along the line. It’s best for everyone if you do it before boarding since otherwise it can slow down the line. (The lounges sometimes do it as well.)

Just keep in mind that if you skip the check in counter there is a chance that you will get stuck in a doc check lineup at the gate.

I skipped the check in counter at AUS, and then my SE status meant nothing to the contract agents at the gate doc checking what seemed like 100 pax. I had to get in the back of the line and wait. They started boarding before finishing the doc check and they sent J pax that hadn't doc checked to the back of the doc check line...so the next time I was at AUS I did the doc check at the check in counter.

That's odd. In the times they haven't paged me, they've always just done it as I've boarded (at other airports--don't think I've been through AUS before). But I try to remember to do it prior to that since it holds up the line by a minute or so.

Usually when I roll up to the gate around when boarding is about to begin I just ask them if they need to do a doc check and they tell me "ya I've paged you 3x!" At AUS there was a huge line at the gate when I tried to do that, for doc checks...

Interesting. Maybe things have changed, but last time I flew AC ex-YYZ to the US, which granted was last Oct., gate agent didn’t want anything to do with any checks, docs, attestation, nothing, except for the standard passport check at boarding. I used OLCI, and didn’t check a bag, so skipped check in counter. Even asked specifically when arriving at gate if they wanted to see proof of negative antigen test which was required at the time (was specifically told they don’t check for that, I agreed to the US attestation at check in, and that ‘they’ could spot check for proof though she hadn’t actually seen that happen, but when I asked who ‘they’ were that might conduct a check, she couldn’t answer that either).

Yup. Same happened to me at LHR. On-line check in but had to contend with a snarly gate dragon who wanted to see all of my documents.