Check-in restricted to gate?
 

Got my email saying online check in was open but then the web site said that check was restricted to gate. Any ideas why? Equipment change or overbooked possibly?

Just curious as I have never encountered this before.

If it is a foreign destination your
docs. may need to be reviewed.

Sorry, forgot to mention this is an ordinary domestic flight (SNA-EWR).

Are you sure it read "gate" and not "airport" or something similar?

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I assume that you mean seat assignments are gate restricted, not check-in, right?

If so it is usually because too many seats are assigned and they need to keep them available to handle swaps and whatnot for families, etc. That being said, I've only ever seen that situation before OLCI opens. Usually at OLCI more seats are opened up to accommodate folks checking in.

This seems impossible. If you have to check in to get a boarding pass and you have to have a boarding pass to get to the gate; if you can't check in unless you are at the gate they won't have any passengers on that flight!

--PP

Here's the exact message from the Continental web site when I try to check in on line:

Check-in has been restricted to the gate. Airport check-in is required.

I agree that this is a confusing message. I will check in at the airport tomorrow morning and see what is up. I already have a seat assignment and have had for a month or so.

Ssss?

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Quite likely. Or the record is out of sync. The co.com help desk can fix the out of sync issue if that's the case. If it is the ssss then have fun at the airport.

Interesting thought. I'll report back after the flight. I haven't had an SSSS in a long time.

I get this sometimes for a heavily delayed flight.

Update from CO
 

As I checked in at the airport I asked what was up with online check in. Evidently a computer glitch: the flight had never been released for online check in. The airport staff noticed this and called in the problem.

So there are two software issues here that could be improved:

(1) the system that sends emails advising you to check in online should not do that if the flight is not available for online check in

(2) the message about "restricted to gate" should say "restricted to airport"

Not the end of the world, but getting the little things right saves a lot of grief for the customer service staff...not to mention the customers :)

Looks like this issue is back - don't think it's SSSS for my flight tomorrow as my MIL is on the same flight (but with a connection), separate PNR, and she's getting the same issue.

So yet another SHARES "bug" apparently.