Passport check at airport
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2007
Programs: BA silver
Posts: 447
Passport check at airport
Hi,
We have just checked in for LHR-MIA tomorrow and have the following message alert on the boarding passes page
Your passport and/or visa(s) must be checked at the airport
We are required by certain countries to check your travel documents before you fly. Please see a British Airways representative at the airport.Passport and visa information
You can check the passport and visa requirements for your journey using the [IATA Travel Centre].
I was able to check in and have printed both boarding passes. Do we still have to go to a desk at the airport if we only have hand luggage?
I clicked on the IATA site suggested by BA but it wants all my passport details and it does not seem to show that the site is safe.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Sarah
#4
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#5
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I'd much rather have any issues like that flagged up sooner rather than later!
This is the second post to my knowledge in the last couple of days where BA has linked to the IATA site. Is this something new as not seen it before.
#6
Join Date: Jan 2009
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Not in this instance. In fact even if the OP had got a bp issued online travel to the US and to other countries needing a visa or visa waiver requires a visit to check in or a visa check desk prior to going through security at T5/T3. If that isn't done you wouldn't be able to go through security.
#7
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This is nothing new, the message is new with FLY (so a couple of years old). All USA flights must have a passport scan before Ready to Fly works (at T5), and that's done at the visa check desk. However here, given this is T3, which uses Positive Boarding, it can be done airside at the BA desk in the lounge or at the gate if the OP has the boarding pass, I wouldn't leave it to the last moment.
#8
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. This begs the question though, why would they even issue a boarding pass if that boarding pass can't be used to go through security? Usually when I'm in this situation and I try to check in online it says "Online check in unavailable see airport staff for documents check" or something like that.
It makes a difference if transferring, and there is a particular aspect of T5 which uses Ready to Fly. Other airports (T3, LGW, LCY) then you're ok to do it at the gate, but in the case of USA and Canada flights they must do a passport scan as part of the North Atlantic procedures. For T5 you can't pass Ready to Fly without that scan. If you were going (e.g.) to Chile then you would see the message - and the passport will still need to be checked at the gate - but Ready to Fly would be OK, there wouldn't be a need for the Visa Check, though the signs in T5 suggest otherwise.
#9
Join Date: Jul 2013
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Hi,
We have just checked in for LHR-MIA tomorrow and have the following message alert on the boarding passes page
Your passport and/or visa(s) must be checked at the airport
We are required by certain countries to check your travel documents before you fly. Please see a British Airways representative at the airport.
Passport and visa information
You can check the passport and visa requirements for your journey using the [[url=http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/]IATA Travel Centre].
I was able to check in and have printed both boarding passes. Do we still have to go to a desk at the airport if we only have hand luggage?
I clicked on the IATA site suggested by BA but it wants all my passport details and it does not seem to show that the site is safe.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Sarah
We have just checked in for LHR-MIA tomorrow and have the following message alert on the boarding passes page
Your passport and/or visa(s) must be checked at the airport
We are required by certain countries to check your travel documents before you fly. Please see a British Airways representative at the airport.
Passport and visa information
You can check the passport and visa requirements for your journey using the [[url=http://www.iatatravelcentre.com/]IATA Travel Centre].
I was able to check in and have printed both boarding passes. Do we still have to go to a desk at the airport if we only have hand luggage?
I clicked on the IATA site suggested by BA but it wants all my passport details and it does not seem to show that the site is safe.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Sarah
If they really select ~30+ (?) folks on each flight then likelihood of this happening is very high.
Or is this not related? Would kind of defeat the purpose if people knew ahead of time. Also, they let partners (who were not selected) keep selected person's things (like rucksacks, etc) and take them onboard . That kind of defeats the purpose of the screening.
Last edited by johnspenceruk; Jan 1, 2018 at 3:43 am Reason: typos as always, extra info added
#10
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#11
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Irrespective, if people know ahead of time there is secondary screening, then that kind of defeats the purpose.
#12
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#13
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#15
Join Date: Sep 2015
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But the "we can't check you in" message is a generic one so the passenger won't know why he can't check in. Could be visa issues, overbooking, etc... .