Warning - Lesson Learned in DEN
 

Hi all.
Well, just paid a bit of "stupid tax" this morning.
Sitting here in DEN (no WorldClub, no Crown Room) in concourse C with four hours to kill as I missed my first flight on a technicality.
It appears that there are four airports that will kill your flight reservation if you check in less than 45 minutes from flight time. (I checked in 44 minutes prior). To the best of my knowledge they are: DEN, LAX, JFK(?) and ATL.
I did not know that. Thought I had plenty of time this morning, left early, hit traffic, lines at toll road (REALLY? TOLL ROAD ON THE WAY TO THE AIRPORT?IS THIS THE ONLY TOLL ROAD IN DENVER???), line at Hertz took 20 minutes, shuttle to airport started late, and on, and on). I know it is my fault as I always (except last night) check in online early, but the only time I didn't....
Rushed to gate and was told that I lost my (FC Upgraded) seat, got put on standby for next flight four hours later back in coach.
My @$$ is sore from me kicking myself, but thought I'd pass this on to help prevent others from this self-inflicted experience.
Can anyone confirm that these are the airports requiring at least a 45 minute check-in?
Just hit my GOLD level with this trip.
What a way to celebrate!

From nwa.com (http://www.nwa.com/services/electrav/esc.html):

"When traveling from Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles, Newark, Tampa or Washington, D.C.-Dulles, you must check in at least 45 minutes prior to scheduled departure. When traveling from Las Vegas, you must check in at least 60 minutes prior to scheduled departure."

This is where a phone with a data plan comes in super handy.

With the exceptions of EWR and LAX, looks like you have to hop on a tram or bus to NW's gates at each of these airports.

But no SEA or MCO?

Hertz GOLD...It's free! You can drop the car and print your reciept later.

Online checkin? :confused:

Hope you're checking....no crown room, no WorldClub is right, but there is a President's Club. It's at the end of the sky bridge, upstairs, close to the Midwest gates.

Good luck!

Ahh, yes. I believe that I was the first person ever to do OLCI with an old T-Mobile PowerPC back in 2002 or so.

Those were the days. :D

I was going to say, I distinctly remember eating breakfast in the CO PC last time I was in DEN.

My first thought was "you didn't OLCI?!", and was going to mention LAS is 60 minutes, yet see someone pointed that out.

I have no idea why these cities are more then 30 minutes, given you can OLCI 24 hours out. What's the point? History of no-shows, or expected security delays?

Steve B.

FYI: EWR is now a 60-minute check-in...looks like nwa.com needs updated.

For those who remember the old days (not sure when it switched), YX is now in A with Frontier and CO. I last remember them at the very end of C with DL and FL (now also in A)...was surprised the last time I flew in and ended up on A!

The toll road is an interesting one in Denver. It's a privately owned road intended to bypass the city, for those heading south to the Springs or north of the city (or anyone out there in the middle of nowhere on the eastern edge).

That's correct, and the CO Presidents Club is right above the A gates (basically at the end of the sky bridge going to the main part of DIA (with the big tent like structures).

I believe that the OP would be able to move between C and A without having to clear security (via the tram).

Yeah, it's very easy with the tram, maybe 5 min. tops.

A lot of people get burned by these requirements, but they're usually infrequent travelers. Recently in LAS, literally every flight was sold out and anyone who didn't check-in on time did not receive a boarding pass. People had been waiting on standby flight after flight but every seat was taken. One group of college-age students had spent the night in the airport the night before. It can get ugly.

IIRC, San Juan, PR has a similar advance check-in requirement >30 minutes too.