Online checkin refused for multi-segment MR
 

Since this is NW-specific I am posting here.

Leaving tonite on a 6 segment 36-hour run, PURCHASED AS ONE TICKET on NWA.COM:

DTW-LAX-DTW-DFW-MSP-LAX-DTW


Online checkin gave me a boarding pass for only first leg. Attempt to checkin for 2nd leg gives message:"contact airport ticket agent"

I know this has been discussed somewhere before, but question is: will they refuse to give me a boarding pass in LAX (or elsewhere) and strand me?

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I got caught by this on a MR in December. It seems that the system does not recognize more than 3 segments and throws up when you try OLCI or at a Kiosk. So you just need to see the agent where you start and get your BP's.

Have a good trip

The worst that happens is you have to interact with someone at the ticket counter to get your BP's. They may be curious as to what you are up to, but they will never stop you from your mileage run. My biggest stress when I can't check in on-line is that I have the dreaded ssss on my boarding pass waiting for me when I get to the airport.

Enjoy your run!!

Unbeknownst to me, my school has a closing travel agent program. One of the ups to the program is that they have a fully interactice Sabre system for training their students, and the only limitation is that they cannot print tickets. My prof was telling our air transportation class about the lab techs who were well versed in the system... And what did they do? Booked a bunch of cheapie fares across the US, flew them, got a bunch of FF miles, and then took them and when to Europe. Most of the class thought they were nuts, I just smirked :)

What is a "closing travel agent program"? What kind of school? If the lab techs booked the cheapie fares, how did they take the flights if they couldn't print the tickets?

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No, I tried several times, as little as 10 hours out from the second leg,but no go. No success at DTW kiosk either. NW ticket agent at airport DTW also unable to issue any boarding passes. Said the computer told her "advance boarding passes not allowed", or something like that.

Finally got them from a WC agent after arriving in LAX

One concern was that I would not be on waitlist for upgrades, but WC agent also did that for me. Eventually upgraded on all but the last LAX-DTW segment at 10:30PM.

On that last segment the plane was overful, and it appears no one upgraded. No preboarding for elites (allegedly numbering 85) or for exit rows although the plane was at the gate for at least 2 hours prior to boarding (there is a related discussion going on now on another thread) The boarding process was among the slowest I have encountered in many decades of flying. I wonder if this is really the most efficient way to board. Elites are experienced, enter quickly and get out of the aisle. Instead we boarded strictly by row number, and many individual less experienced flyers with luggage would stop in the aisle for a bit, look around for luggage space, try to find their seats etc. Each time someone stopped everyone stopped. Wouldn't it be better to have the 85 elites already aboard to help with pointing out where seats are, and where luggage might go? In the end it took 40 minutes to board.

Ssss??
 

What is the dreaded 'ssss'? :confused:

ssss = extra security checks, no big deal, just time consuming (~5 min).

OK, to contradict what I said previously...
Saturday I did a same day run, SFO-MSP-ATL-MSP-SFO all on NW metal. I was able to check in at the 24 hour mark for the SFO-MSP-ATL segments from the my reservations page. At the 24 hour mark for the ATL-MSP-SFO segments, I couldn't check in from the my reservations page, but was able to check in from the home page by entering the conf # and departure city. Oh, and I had the pleasure of sitting next to a fellow FT'r on the MSP-SFO leg!. Anyway, was able to check in on-line for 4 segments on the same day this time at least.

Its No Problem
 

I had this happen to me on some mr's. I Goet BP's at check in desk and it has printed all 6 of my bp's. Agent will usually ask if I am supposed to be returning right away and I always tell yes I just have to fly out to get a couple of papers signed and they say OK. Have a good mr

Sorry for the delay in responding.

I go to a community college. As far as a "closing travel agent program," well, times, they are a changing. There is no longer a demand for a program to teach people how to become a travel agent, so when the professor retires at the end of the semseter, the travel agent program will be closing/shut down/stopped/disbanded/no longer offered, or whatever term you would like to use to describe the fact that it will no longer exist.

As far as printing tickets goes, well, I didn't ask, but I assume you can 1) Use an E*Ticket, 2) Ticket-by-mail, 3) Go to an honest to goodness brick and mortar travel agent, pay them $20 and get your tickets printed.

I had some extra time recently on way out to Kansas City, so I did a mini DL MR of MSY-ATL-SLC-CVG-MCI. As I was checking bags, I did the kiosk on day of departure and received the message to see the agent. After 15 minutes of questioning, I requested that the agent just go back to the old standard questions:

1. Who packed your bags?
2. Has your bags been out of your possession?
3. Has anyone asked you to carry anything on board?