San Gottardo

I rarely change planes in CDG or AMS, so I really don't know how this works: I am flying xxx-CDG in about 23 hours, then have a 16 hours stop in Paris, and then fly on from CDG to the USA.

I received an invitation to online check-in, and both flights are offered for check-in. However, I invariably get an error alert. Is that because even for the first flight OLCI opens only 30 hours before the *connecting* flight?

I'd like to know because OLCI errors are often an indicator of some problem with the ticket (and calling the airline and asking "is everyting OK with my ticket" often doesn't help because when not knowing what problem to look for specifically they typically just say that all is OK - and then the problem pops up at the airport when it's often too late to fix it). But if it's only a question of OLCI deadline then I don't worry, at least not yet.

Thanks.

Grouchy

Some possible reasons:
Is the CDG-USA departing the next day?
For USA flights OLCI open 24 hours before departure, you may wait until that deadline is there.
You also might be randomly selected. At that moment you only can check in at the airport & you will find a SSSS on your BP.

edit: Depending on the airline I think that a layover of more than 12 hours means the second flight is a new one in terms of baggage so your 16 hour might be a stopover and you only can check in for that 24 hours before departure.

MarLim

The 30 hours count from the first flight, the connecting flight can be out of this window. However, I never tried with the second flight being a US bound AF flight. If second flight is on DL metal it won't work. I recently had a 15 hours layover in CDG and I could OLCI for both flights before the 30 hour deadline for the second flight. The second flight was on AF to LatAm.

irishguy28

What does the error alert say?

Are you checked in for the first flight? Were you able to check in for neither flight?

It comes as no surprise that you are on an itinerary to the US - such "problems" are par for the course on such itineraries. Even if you have filled in all the API information, most airlines seem to like to want to actually see you at the airport of departure, rather than letting you connect without any human contact.

If you rang up to enquire about problems with your ticket, and were told there were none, then I doubt a problem of the magnitude you suggest - such that it cannot be sorted out at the airport, which is the best place to sort out such problems - exists here.

Good luck, and please come back to tell us what the problem was!

San Gottardo

The error is this one:

Quote:

Une erreur s�est produite lors de votre enregistrement. Nous vous prions de nous en excuser et vous invitons � nous contacter ou � vous pr�senter au comptoir d�enregistrement � l�a�roport. [003.009.023] Si vous effectuez un parcours en train, veuillez ne pas tenir compte de ce message et poursuivre l�enregistrement pour votre vol.

Which basically says "call us or go to the airport".

I called the Premiere special line, they couldn't sort it out. On the phone now with the Platinum line, I have the impression they are a little more resourceful (although it may not be one phone team vs. another, I actually have a suspicion that it's the same team, but I just got to talk to a different agent and the one that picked up the call to the Platinum line is a little more interested in getting this fixed)

Grouchy

It should work if the 2nd flight is on DL. I mean..been there and done it plenty of times in the past. Earlier today i checked in for my US trip that is departing tomorrow and can confirm that on this day it is still working.

Only time it doesn't work is if your got 'Secondary Security Screening Selection/SSSS' or something like flight/trip changes with related technical ticket issues/different ticket no's

lynxy

I always had this error in the past when I was going to the US on a Visa, and not an ESTA. Is that your case? If so, you will have to show your visa at the check-in airport, and pray that good seats are still available...
Also, even if you make several trips with the same visa that is still valid, you will have to show it at the airport every time for the US-bound flight, which is very annoying (AF can't/won't remember that you have a valid visa).

San Gottardo

Nope. Both flights are AF. The return flight is on DL.

Nope. Visa waiver and Global Entry.

In any case, the AF people couldn't help either. Will have to sort it out at the airport. Thank God it's Sunday where I actually have the time to go earlier. If I was pressed for time I'd be rather unhappy having to leave home/office earlier and waste time at a not very interesting airport only because there is a bug in the system. We'll see.

THanks for all the responses.

San Gottardo

And here is the solution to the riddle why I couldn't OLCI (posting this here as this may be useful for others). In fact this was the result of a well-intended - but counter-productive for me - initiative by the ground handling team of AF.

My routing was ZRH-CDG (stop for 16 hours)-JFK, booked in Premiere on the CDG-JFK leg. The ground team in Zurich had the intention to do the full monty of Premiere assistance at Zurich airport: greeting by the station manager at the check-in counter, escort to the lounge and the gate, etc. To do that, they had checked me in and intentionally or unintentionally blocked OLCI. Which for me was more of a hassle than a help: because OLCI didn't work I spent time on the phone with AF, spent time online to see whether I can get it to work, at the airport - where all I wanted is leave my car, go to a restaurant and board my flight - I had to go once across the entire airport from where the car is dropped to the AF counter and back the whole way to where the AF flight left, I spent time with courtesy chatting to the ground staff, and most of the time I spent explaining to the over-excited agent who *insisted* to escort me that I neither needed nor wanted to be escorted. Her plan was to take me straight to the gate despite the plane leaving more than an hour later "because we are boarding now" (in fact I had seen the plane on final approach just minutes before), that there was unfortunately no time for the lounge (I never had the intention to go to the drab AFKL lounge in ZRH anyway), etc. The only thing she could have been useful for was to cut the waiting line at security, but there she just dropped me behind everybody else and went through the employee channel herself. At t-50 she got really nervous that boarding would start immediately, and it took me some effort to convince her that start of boarding is the moment when more than 100 people all line up at the gate and later fall over each other as they enter the cabin and that I'd prefer arriving at t-15 and spend my time with something else I wanted to do. She finally let go of me, but only after I promised her that in case her boss was to scould her for not having brought me to the gate I'll tell the boss myself that the best assistance I could get was to be left alone.

I applaud AF's efforts to take good care of their Premiere pax also on the ground. This morning in CDG it was a blessing as the lines even at SkyPriority were terrible, and the Premiere agent really sped things up by getting me in front of the line.But they should give people a choice of whether they want that service or not, and not force them into it and not block OLCI.

Goldorak

I recently flew CDG-USA1-USA2 all DL metal but booked under AF code-share and was totally unable to OLCI despite having received the invitation by e-mail and having the push alert on the app. I called the plat line and they were also unable to do something.

San Gottardo

I did manage to OLCI without any problem for my DL-operated return flight, ticketed on 057 stock. The only thing that doesn't work is that my TSA Pre doesn't appear on the BP. Couldn't enter it in the DL site either.

Goldorak

On the return, it was no problem too. Only leaving from CDG.

ShopAround

I thought PreCheck was only for domestic US airlines - even if it's DL metal, if it's ticketed on 057, can you add a KTN to an AF reservation?

If you're already at the point of OLCI, it's too late to add a KTN to your DL reservation, it has to be done outside the 72 hours out window.

San Gottardo

Not sure. There are cases of people who were on Lufthansa (220) ticket stock, flying domestic US and connecting to Lufthansa longhaul, and PreCheck worked. So ticket stock is not the issue.

What could be the issue is that it maybe doesn't work for international flights leaving North America (because for Canada it seems to work)? In any case, I haven't figured it out yet.


I am familiar with the 72 hour rule, but never quite sure whether this is 72 hours before the first flight of the reservation departs or before the flight for which I'd like to be PreChecked departs.