Do the Gate Scanners Even Work????
Mar 24, 2007 | 9:26 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Houston (Sugar Land/Booth)
Programs: UA 2 Million Miler, UA 1K, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 146
Do the Gate Scanners Even Work????
Greetings,
On SFO-IAH yesterday afternoon, in 3A (Y-UP). During boarding was approached by a gentlemen who had the same assignment as mine. Upon handing our boarding passes to the F/A (mine was from the kiosk, his was on printed stock from the gate), and the obligatory few minutes, he is reseated in coach. Didn't appear upset, actually seem more surprised that 3A was in front of the bus, a once a year traveller.
Later found out that the guy had the same exact name as I did and had approached the gate attempting to change his seat (middle), so it appeared that the G/A pulled up what they thought was his reservation, in all actuality it was mine, and the G/A just reprinted my boarding pass for him..... argh.......
OK, mistakes happen, but if we all get our boading passes scanned (they were doing this as we boarded, and we are all getting the obligatory beeps), how could their system let two people board with the same seat assignment and two boarding passes for the same reservation????
The second question is, will I lose the 2 EQM's and the miles when the systems get audited?
On SFO-IAH yesterday afternoon, in 3A (Y-UP). During boarding was approached by a gentlemen who had the same assignment as mine. Upon handing our boarding passes to the F/A (mine was from the kiosk, his was on printed stock from the gate), and the obligatory few minutes, he is reseated in coach. Didn't appear upset, actually seem more surprised that 3A was in front of the bus, a once a year traveller.
Later found out that the guy had the same exact name as I did and had approached the gate attempting to change his seat (middle), so it appeared that the G/A pulled up what they thought was his reservation, in all actuality it was mine, and the G/A just reprinted my boarding pass for him..... argh.......
OK, mistakes happen, but if we all get our boading passes scanned (they were doing this as we boarded, and we are all getting the obligatory beeps), how could their system let two people board with the same seat assignment and two boarding passes for the same reservation????
The second question is, will I lose the 2 EQM's and the miles when the systems get audited?
Mar 24, 2007 | 9:39 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: SFO
Programs: DL DM/MM; UA Premier 1K; AA EXP; ICH Plat Ambassador
Posts: 1,565
Greetings,
On SFO-IAH yesterday afternoon, in 3A (Y-UP). During boarding was approached by a gentlemen who had the same assignment as mine. Upon handing our boarding passes to the F/A (mine was from the kiosk, his was on printed stock from the gate), and the obligatory few minutes, he is reseated in coach. Didn't appear upset, actually seem more surprised that 3A was in front of the bus, a once a year traveller.
Later found out that the guy had the same exact name as I did and had approached the gate attempting to change his seat (middle), so it appeared that the G/A pulled up what they thought was his reservation, in all actuality it was mine, and the G/A just reprinted my boarding pass for him..... argh.......
OK, mistakes happen, but if we all get our boading passes scanned (they were doing this as we boarded, and we are all getting the obligatory beeps), how could their system let two people board with the same seat assignment and two boarding passes for the same reservation????
The second question is, will I lose the 2 EQM's and the miles when the systems get audited?
On SFO-IAH yesterday afternoon, in 3A (Y-UP). During boarding was approached by a gentlemen who had the same assignment as mine. Upon handing our boarding passes to the F/A (mine was from the kiosk, his was on printed stock from the gate), and the obligatory few minutes, he is reseated in coach. Didn't appear upset, actually seem more surprised that 3A was in front of the bus, a once a year traveller.
Later found out that the guy had the same exact name as I did and had approached the gate attempting to change his seat (middle), so it appeared that the G/A pulled up what they thought was his reservation, in all actuality it was mine, and the G/A just reprinted my boarding pass for him..... argh.......
OK, mistakes happen, but if we all get our boading passes scanned (they were doing this as we boarded, and we are all getting the obligatory beeps), how could their system let two people board with the same seat assignment and two boarding passes for the same reservation????
The second question is, will I lose the 2 EQM's and the miles when the systems get audited?
As for 2 boarding passes on the same reservation, maybe the system considered the duplicate actually to be just a reprint of the original.
Mar 24, 2007 | 9:44 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Houston (Sugar Land/Booth)
Programs: UA 2 Million Miler, UA 1K, HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 146
I don't know how it happens that 2 people can board with the same seat assignment. I have seen it though. We probably all have seen the confusion in the cabin when 2 people have the same seat assignment.
As for 2 boarding passes on the same reservation, maybe the system considered the duplicate actually to be just a reprint of the original.
As for 2 boarding passes on the same reservation, maybe the system considered the duplicate actually to be just a reprint of the original.
You're right about the duplicate seat assignments, seen it happen here and I've seen it happen in India where we got handwritten stickers indicating our seat, but in the US nowdays, this should never happen with the technology employed. IMHO, the more problamatic issue is that the same boarding card was allowed twice, seems like a big loophole in thier code.....
Mar 24, 2007 | 10:21 am
#4
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: NYC: UA 1K, DL Platinum, AAirpass, Avis PC
Posts: 4,599
I can picture exactly what happened. The guy went up to ask for a new seat. The agent, instinctually used to being pestered by elites wondering about upgrades recognized the name as someone on the F list in front of her (given they probably only preprint the upgrades that happen in the 1 hr window, they get a lot of people who appear to be already booked in first getting new boarding passes).
She then pulls up the name without noticing there are two on the flight list, and prints the duplicate BP. Given he already had a non-upgraded boarding pass in hand, wouldn't think twice about printing a dupe, since she'd think the UG happened sometime between him checking in and her getting to the podium.
A little careless on the part of the agent, she should have noticed two same names and double checked, or used the record locator printed on his boarding pass to look it up, but nothing earth-shattering.
What is strange is the original point, which is why the scanner didn't beep when 3A entered twice. Again, maybe it did and this same agent ignored.
She then pulls up the name without noticing there are two on the flight list, and prints the duplicate BP. Given he already had a non-upgraded boarding pass in hand, wouldn't think twice about printing a dupe, since she'd think the UG happened sometime between him checking in and her getting to the podium.
A little careless on the part of the agent, she should have noticed two same names and double checked, or used the record locator printed on his boarding pass to look it up, but nothing earth-shattering.
What is strange is the original point, which is why the scanner didn't beep when 3A entered twice. Again, maybe it did and this same agent ignored.