Spongthrush

Having just returned from a Mileage/BA Tier Points run OTP-PHX, I was wondering whether my actions in trying to check in for flights using any of the OW Apps that would let me (BA, AA, AY) would cause some of the issues I experienced with 'ADC" (Additional Document Check?) and ESTA failure to copy across the three PNRs that existed for my 10 sector itinerary? The excellent 'Why Can't I Check In Online' area of the BA Dashboard explains the issues that cause check in and boarding pass issuance issues. But I don't know whether using whichever app/PNR works for one sector and then changing for the next is going to cause some of the problems, e.g. the hanging/redundant/lurking sectors?

thanks
Ian

Geordie405

You would normally check in for a flight with the operating carrier and any attempt to check in using another carrier's app or web page should either result in an error or a redirect to the operating carrier. Certainly when checking in with AA for an itinerary that includes other carriers you would see the message saying you have been checked in not only for the AA sector but also for flights operated by the other carrier, and that boarding passes have been issued for those flights.

In terms of your ESTA, this is linked to your passport number and doesn't exist in a vacuum. The document check is required for all flights to the USA irrespective (I think) of whether you're travelling on an ESTA, a Visa, a US passport or have a Green Card. Did you have additional document checks above and beyond the usual passport check?

Spongthrush

Doc check: I asked what the problem was, each time 'ADC' was mentioned and when I asked what that meant they said it was copying information from one airline system to the other which should happen automatically but wasn't happening (assume API data?), but I had input this identically in each of AA, BA , AY prior to departure and checked it. When the failure to copy data happened, ESTA was then mentioned, as in 'do you have a valid ESTA' and a request to see it. One of the agents said they had to 'do it manually', another made a call to someone to get it fixed.

KARFA

That sounds odd. I didn't think there was a manual method of adding that - I thought your ESTA status was all taken from an electronic link from US CBP? Perhaps the incomplete API was resulting in the ESTA not being matched so once the API was corrected the ESTA was matched?

Spongthrush

"Perhaps the incomplete API was resulting in the ESTA not being matched so once the API was corrected the ESTA was matched"

Could be....my ESTA was definitely OK....Global Entry was a breeze so if anything awry with my ESTA I would have been snagged or not allowed to board the transatlantic. What you're suggesting sounds like what they were having trouble with.

I know all the OW carriers should redirect to each other but with the different PNRs something wasn't synching, I was just musing that my over-enthusiastic attempts to get one of the Apps to give me a Boarding Pass was a factor. I'll check in sector by sector next time at least as that's probably one thing I didn't do!

Ian