polkacat

I thought I'd see if anyone else has had the same issue I've been having with mobile boarding passes on my Blackberry. Where I used to get a link to a boarding pass, I now get:

[Attachment(s) None removed][Attachment(s) pnr.pdf removed]

This has been happening since summer. I called AA in November about it and ended up getting passed around to their BB mobile tech support, where I got voice mail, left a message, and could never get a call back. I went through the same chain of calls this morning and got a live tech person, who determined a senior tech person needs to call me back; 5 hours later, no call.

I'd really love to get this corrected and use the mobile boarding pass again! Thanks for any insights anyone has.

demkr

I'm having the same issue on Blackberry-since mid-last year as well. I've decided not to use mobile boarding until A) I get a iPhone/Droid (possibility later this year) or B) the boarding pass is improved.
On the BB, I've had to scroll down and the agent has to cringe to see "Priority AAccess"-it seems more trouble than its worth

Degan

I have thought of using a mobile boarding pass, as I always have my phone (Android-Dell Streak) with me, but then I wonder what I will do when I approach the first TSA clerk who inspects the boarding pass and identification. Do you give them you phone? Also, it seems that at some locations the first TSA clerk wants to write on the boarding pass. (For what I am uncertain, as I can go print another boarding pass if I want.) How do they accomplish whatever they are doing when confronted with a mobile boarding pass?

So far, I have decided it is easier to carry around several sheets of paper than explore this unknown. Besides not carrrying a couple pieces of paper, what is the advantage?

A4K

The mobile boarind pass it actually kind of neat. I have a droid and use it all the time on DL and AA.

When you go to TSA, they don't even look at your phone. There is a little black box in front of their stand and you scan the phone on the box. Just put your barcode in front of the red light. Your name, departure info, shows up on a little screen for the TSA agent to see.

Just make sure you go into a line that says "Mobile Boading Pass". At some airports it is only 1 line.

bver100

Do most airports separate it? I would have thought that all lines *should* be able to take it, if any can. That being said, I've seen people just get sent by tsa to get paper boarding passes, but they're allowed to slip in the front of the line when they get back (ORD T3). Guess the BB Boarding passes don't work all that flawlessly yet.

A4K

They don't seperate it - It's not like the line for mobile will not take a normal BP. But, only certain lines have the little black box.

For example in DEN, I would say 2 out of the 6 TSA stands have the little box to use the mobile boarding pass. I was just in BDL the other day, and they only have one line that you can use it in.

I have never had a problem scanning the boarding pass once it is up on my phone - When I first started using them, yes I was a little nervious that they wouldn't work, but have never had a problem. I have a work Blackberry and a personal droid and each have worked fine. I think the issue from the OP is actually getting the BP to come up on your screen, which you would realize before you got to the security line anyway.

I have really grown to love the mobile BP, you don't have the fumble around for the paper, saves a trip to the kiosk, and you can't lose it! Well, unless you lose your phone.

polkacat

demkr, thanks - good to know I'm not the only one having a problem! It probably makes sense to just wait, since I'm planning to switch to an iPhone later this year... it's such a bummer though after getting used to using the mobile boarding pass.

Spiff

Mobile boarding passes scan just fine from an iPhone.

Degan

That does sound neat. I will have to read-up on this topic and give it a try.

anaaflyer

Polkakat and Demkr - check your PM.

bchandler02

I just tried using a mobile boarding pass on my BB (Tour 9630) and it didn't work. The link pulled up with the header but the page was blank where the barcode should be.

This really sucks, because late last year I was able to use it on this exact phone with no problems whatsoever (aside from the TSA folks in OKC seeming surprised about it)

Hope AA fixes this fast so I can go back to using it. It's almost worth forwarding the email to myself on my iPod touch and using that instead of carrying the paper, but I tend to not carry the iPod on short trips and just use my BB exclusively.

stu52

I tried to use a mobile BP at BUR once late last year. There's no black box scanner there, only the TSA agent had some kind of hand-held scanner. He tried several times (on my Droid HTC Incredible) and finally gave up and told me to get a paper BP from the TA. Fortunately, he gave me a pass to cut the line.

Until they have scanners that work 99.99% of the time, I'm going to use paper.

jpmcdonough

The mobile boarding pass works okay on my iPhone. At DFW, the TSA (Terminal A) had no trouble with it, but at the gate (AA) the agent had to struggle with it, and could not get my wife's to scan at all.

In Seattle, the TSA had to dig out a hand-held scanner, which worked, and at the gate there was no problem.

The only problem is that I like to use my paper boarding pass as a bookmark. Oh, well, you don't need a bookmark if you read on your iPhone anyway.

Xero

I still would use a paper BP just incase. I saw this person at SFO in the regular line get to the front, only to find that his mobile boarding pass would not scan. He was sent back to ticketing, and he tried to come back to the front, but the TSA agent sent him to the back of the line. So there is a level of risk involved.

At SFO, the flyer has to make sure the BP scans. I remember when this was first introduced, the TSA would just look at your phone and not require you to scan anything.

Global_Hi_Flyer

Blackberry (or Adobe, not sure which) had a vulnerability a few months back that could potentially screw up your BB. Some corporate IT groups disable display of pdfs on the BB (mine was one). We eventually got it back, but it doesn't open automagically these days.

The mobile BP does work OK with my Android, though I rarely use it as TSA will not accept the mobile BP unless the machine can read it. And TSA's machines have been less than reliable for me.