Just encountered a problem with my e-ticket. my own fault really, but being short of time and witnessing a lengthy queue (well, in hindsight,it wasn't that bad but i digress!), i opted to go up to the lounge to checkin with an eticket. had the printout from mail, id, fine, i thought. wrong. the guy on the security desk bounced me back to get my email validated by the ticket desk since "you could have made that up". fair enough....

all got sorted out fairly quickly in any event, but even so... need to bear this in mind for the future, if any of you are tempted. (can't wait for the arrival of the new checkin machines!).

This has been discussed before, but I'm buggered if I can find it now. If I recall correctly, this is all ajamieson's fault...

Found it...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum16/HTML/000258.html

I should take some blame for planting the grubby little idea in ajamieson's mind, but I too reckon it's all his fault.

Nick

Bloody journalists! Always trying to save us from ourselves!

I know, one day I'll get a proper job.

More seriously, been meaning to post on this subject for some time. I discovered the other week that gate and lounge check-in with e-tickets has been suspended by the BAA plc domestic security managers at LHR. BD prints the phrase NOT VALID FOR TRAVEL on its itinerary receipts (both the white sheets that staff can print out from the res system and the blue ones which are printed onto blank boarding cards which check-in normally give you on your first e-ticket sector). Apparently - and I cannot get this confirmed - DoT rules state no-one should pass security without paperwork which is valid for travel. In other words, BAA plc is claiming BD's gate and lounge check-in is a breach of regulations (and always has been) when using e-tickets. Sounds ridiculous to me, but that's what two separate BAA supervisors have told me. Things came to a head last week when I confess I threw a hissy fit at LHR for being turned back by the security staff despite having queued for 10 minutes to actually enter the searching area. I had to go back to check-in, get a BP, queue again; at 0700 this meant the whole procedure from the Heathrow Express to the lounge took some 40 minutes. Thing is, they let me through three days ago with the same itinerary receipt with no questions asked. Diamond Club say they are still waiting for an answer on whether all the itinerary receipts will need to be changed.

V irritating, but I guess it might be solved soon by electronic check-in kiosks? Or is that wishful thinking?!

A similar issue: I often buy blank, undated, but totally "valid for travel", tickets (full-fare, routepass, etc). I've been waved past by (very confused) security people at LHR, but am not sure that's totally legit... I wonder if they'll start cracking down?

I don't suppose there's any CCTV footage or similar?

And I've been turned back several times, and told to get the ticket validated.