Last edit by: EsherFlyer
This thread is dedicated to explaining some of the reasons why OLCI (Online Check-in) doesn't work on British Airways' website BA.com and / or its App software. The first post give the main reasons, and subsequent posts give more background. By all means reach out in this thread if you are still unsure. If you are new to the BA Forum - perhaps Google brought you here - have a look in the forum's stickies and Dashboard for more reference material.
Note that there is a HTML typo in the first link of the first thread. Try this instead: https://classic.checkmytrip.com/plne...&SITE=XCMTXXNS
Note that there is a HTML typo in the first link of the first thread. Try this instead: https://classic.checkmytrip.com/plne...&SITE=XCMTXXNS
FAQ : Why can't I check in online? OLCI and boarding pass difficulties
#286
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,851
You may want to check the main VeriFLY thread, but the short version is that after VeriFLY sends over an OK to BA, BA isn't always that quick to clear the ADOC flag to release the OLCI. Sometimes after time it clears, sometimes it's automatic, sometimes it doesn't clear, so you have to go to a check-in desk. Having done VeriFLY means the agent doesn't need to check your paperwork or scan anything so it saves time in that respect. There are other reasons why OLCI doesn't work - see upthread, but SSSS is the well known factor.
#288
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,851
If it's BA metal, something straightforward such as JFK to LHR, no codeshares, children or on carriage, then I would normally expect that to be OK for OLCI.
#290
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,851
It may be a factor. Or the flight is just full. It may work for him later on.
#291
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL
Posts: 844
MLA->LHR in CE tomorrow. "Please collect your boarding pass at the airport" for both me and my travelling companion. No health documents to upload (as destination is the UK), no Covid certs needed anyway, no Verifly needed or possible. Flight still showing as on time. Perhaps MLA doesn't support electronic passes.
#292
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,851
Malta does support OLCI and self produced boarding passes. But your flight tomorrow looks very full, so maybe they have blocked OLCI while they reorganise things such as moving the curtain.
#293
Join Date: Feb 2016
Programs: BAEC GGL
Posts: 844
To be clear OLCI worked (IE I have checked in). I just can't download / print / whatever a boarding pass. Hopefully we won't be the ones picked to be bumped!
#294
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: London
Programs: Gold at BA, Hilton and Radisson.
Posts: 593
Couldn’t do this either yesterday, BOS-LHR. Was a very simple cash ticket and no changes. Boarding pass issued without difficulty at the airport, and then could do it in the app.
#296
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: BAEC (although I might just cut up the card)
Posts: 338
I have an interesting one. Well maybe not interesting. It's been a while since I flew BA. I was gold at one point but a change of product at work means I'm no longer travelling at all for business.
I have a normal flight booked into Italy. I filled in the form they provide, with vaccine status and dplf. This is verified and if I go check the status it still says verified. My current passport (expiring 2029) is entered on my account.
But when I try to check in it says "the travel document details you have entered are not valid for this flight". Except if I click on the page where it checks the documentation for the flight it shows all the items as "completed". It says I'm checked in, but cannot get a boarding pass and if the document (it doesn't say which) isn't fixed I won't be able to fly. It links an IATA site, which I visited, entered all the info into and it also says I'm fine.
Is this a new BA feature I'm experiencing? One of the things about BA used to be that this nonsense was such a rarity.
I have a normal flight booked into Italy. I filled in the form they provide, with vaccine status and dplf. This is verified and if I go check the status it still says verified. My current passport (expiring 2029) is entered on my account.
But when I try to check in it says "the travel document details you have entered are not valid for this flight". Except if I click on the page where it checks the documentation for the flight it shows all the items as "completed". It says I'm checked in, but cannot get a boarding pass and if the document (it doesn't say which) isn't fixed I won't be able to fly. It links an IATA site, which I visited, entered all the info into and it also says I'm fine.
Is this a new BA feature I'm experiencing? One of the things about BA used to be that this nonsense was such a rarity.
#297
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,851
I've personally used the Salesforce Document upload mechanism plenty of times, including recently and it has worked for me, but plenty of other people have reported issues in the Document Upload thread. In essence you should be able to get your boarding pass fairly swiftly at LHR and it shouldn't be a matter of concern, despite some of the wording. From what I can make out it's best to use Salesforce once the flight is in Fly, but well before OLCI works. The Salesforce team seem to need 3 to 24 hours, depending on workload. Once they send out their email confirming all is well then OLCI just seems to work, at least as far as I am concerned. But as I say many people have reported outcomes similar to you, but on the day of departure things tend to go smoothly. So check back in a few hours, then just allow a few extra minutes to collect the boarding pass if ncessary.
#298
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Birmingham
Programs: BA Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 294
I have an interesting one. Well maybe not interesting. It's been a while since I flew BA. I was gold at one point but a change of product at work means I'm no longer travelling at all for business.
I have a normal flight booked into Italy. I filled in the form they provide, with vaccine status and dplf. This is verified and if I go check the status it still says verified. My current passport (expiring 2029) is entered on my account.
But when I try to check in it says "the travel document details you have entered are not valid for this flight". Except if I click on the page where it checks the documentation for the flight it shows all the items as "completed". It says I'm checked in, but cannot get a boarding pass and if the document (it doesn't say which) isn't fixed I won't be able to fly. It links an IATA site, which I visited, entered all the info into and it also says I'm fine.
Is this a new BA feature I'm experiencing? One of the things about BA used to be that this nonsense was such a rarity.
I have a normal flight booked into Italy. I filled in the form they provide, with vaccine status and dplf. This is verified and if I go check the status it still says verified. My current passport (expiring 2029) is entered on my account.
But when I try to check in it says "the travel document details you have entered are not valid for this flight". Except if I click on the page where it checks the documentation for the flight it shows all the items as "completed". It says I'm checked in, but cannot get a boarding pass and if the document (it doesn't say which) isn't fixed I won't be able to fly. It links an IATA site, which I visited, entered all the info into and it also says I'm fine.
Is this a new BA feature I'm experiencing? One of the things about BA used to be that this nonsense was such a rarity.
#299
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: BAEC (although I might just cut up the card)
Posts: 338
I've personally used the Salesforce Document upload mechanism plenty of times, including recently and it has worked for me, but plenty of other people have reported issues in the Document Upload thread. In essence you should be able to get your boarding pass fairly swiftly at LHR and it shouldn't be a matter of concern, despite some of the wording. From what I can make out it's best to use Salesforce once the flight is in Fly, but well before OLCI works. The Salesforce team seem to need 3 to 24 hours, depending on workload. Once they send out their email confirming all is well then OLCI just seems to work, at least as far as I am concerned. But as I say many people have reported outcomes similar to you, but on the day of departure things tend to go smoothly. So check back in a few hours, then just allow a few extra minutes to collect the boarding pass if ncessary.
The odd thing is, that despite the documentation being uploaded and cleared by "BA Digital", on the app is shows I should still upload the documentation. Not sure if that's normal, like I say it's been a while and definitely before all these post covid changes came into place.
Anyway thanks for your reply. I suspect it will be fine at the airport. Just a bit annoyed that I did everything right and yet somehow it wouldn't let me continue.
#300
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,851
The odd thing is, that despite the documentation being uploaded and cleared by "BA Digital", on the app is shows I should still upload the documentation. Not sure if that's normal, like I say it's been a while and definitely before all these post covid changes came into place.