No bag drop more than 3h prior to departure in ZRH
Oct 11, 2019, 5:50 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: Swiss Senator, Flying Blue Gold, BA EC Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 330
No bag drop more than 3h prior to departure in ZRH
Second flight ever with QR and I made a rookie mistake.
I planned to arrive early (5h prior to departure) to get some conference calls done from the lounge in Zurich.
Getting to where the check in area is supposed to be I couldn’t find the counter. Then a friendly lady at the information desk told me that check in opens only 3h prior to departure.
Being used to European carriers I just didn’t even think about this problem. Even my BA Gold status was absolutely useless in this situation.
Next time I know obviously but I still feel kind of silly that I hadn’t even thought about this issue.
I planned to arrive early (5h prior to departure) to get some conference calls done from the lounge in Zurich.
Getting to where the check in area is supposed to be I couldn’t find the counter. Then a friendly lady at the information desk told me that check in opens only 3h prior to departure.
Being used to European carriers I just didn’t even think about this problem. Even my BA Gold status was absolutely useless in this situation.
Next time I know obviously but I still feel kind of silly that I hadn’t even thought about this issue.
Oct 11, 2019, 6:42 am
#2
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: BRS
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 4,985
Second flight ever with QR and I made a rookie mistake.
I planned to arrive early (5h prior to departure) to get some conference calls done from the lounge in Zurich.
Getting to where the check in area is supposed to be I couldn’t find the counter. Then a friendly lady at the information desk told me that check in opens only 3h prior to departure.
Being used to European carriers I just didn’t even think about this problem. Even my BA Gold status was absolutely useless in this situation.
Next time I know obviously but I still feel kind of silly that I hadn’t even thought about this issue.
I planned to arrive early (5h prior to departure) to get some conference calls done from the lounge in Zurich.
Getting to where the check in area is supposed to be I couldn’t find the counter. Then a friendly lady at the information desk told me that check in opens only 3h prior to departure.
Being used to European carriers I just didn’t even think about this problem. Even my BA Gold status was absolutely useless in this situation.
Next time I know obviously but I still feel kind of silly that I hadn’t even thought about this issue.
What did you expect the BA card to do?
Oct 11, 2019, 7:49 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: Swiss Senator, Flying Blue Gold, BA EC Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 330
But this is my first flight ever as BA Gold/OneWorld Sapphire so I was maybe secretly hoping there this would do something (maybe a combined OW bag drop or something). Unfortunately on a J flight with Qatar the added value of being emerald is probably 0.
But I have nobody to blame but my own stupidity.
Oct 11, 2019, 1:22 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: Swiss Senator, Flying Blue Gold, BA EC Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 330
Oct 11, 2019, 2:20 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: JFK, LGA
Programs: AA PRO, BA S
Posts: 185
Had this problem in BKK two days ago. Was on the 2am flight to DOH in J/OWS and the desk (which was open as they have like 5-6x daily flights from BKK) refused to issue me a boarding pass at 5pm when I arrived - they said check in opens 3 hours before the flight, even though they were there and open for checking in the earlier flights. Thankfully I did not have to sit there waiting for 6 hours as security was willing to accept my pdf of check in confirmation (not a mobile boarding pass) and Cathay and JAL accepted the same to let me into the lounge.
Will make me think twice about going to the airport more than 3 hours before.
Will make me think twice about going to the airport more than 3 hours before.
Oct 11, 2019, 4:47 pm
#7
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: LHR
Programs: QR Platinum, WY Gold, Shangri-la Diamond, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,151
Oct 11, 2019, 5:06 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: Swiss Senator, Flying Blue Gold, BA EC Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 330
Thanks. Have yet to truly benefit from it. But am sure there will be an occasion.
By the way, the boarding experience here at Doha is a total chaos, a Wild West feeling quite similar to Ryanair. Kind of ruins the nice experience of the QSuites.
By the way, the boarding experience here at Doha is a total chaos, a Wild West feeling quite similar to Ryanair. Kind of ruins the nice experience of the QSuites.
Oct 11, 2019, 7:47 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Hong Kong, France
Programs: FB , BA Gold
Posts: 15,542
Strange. I never had problem as J pax in DOH. Even with bus gates, they have a dedicated J bus.
Oct 12, 2019, 3:20 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat
Posts: 38,186
Those who have not flown QR from its home base are likely unaware that J pax have a separate bus and are not part of the Group 1 boarding when a remote stand is used, and are generally called after all other boarding groups. I've only once in almost a dozen flights on QR at DOH been boarded at a regular gate.
Oct 12, 2019, 11:38 am
#11
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Doha, Qatar
Programs: Qatar Airways Privilege Club Platinum; Accor Le Club Platinum
Posts: 1,077
Those who have not flown QR from its home base are likely unaware that J pax have a separate bus and are not part of the Group 1 boarding when a remote stand is used, and are generally called after all other boarding groups. I've only once in almost a dozen flights on QR at DOH been boarded at a regular gate.
Oct 12, 2019, 12:27 pm
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2019
Programs: Swiss Senator, Flying Blue Gold, BA EC Gold, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 330
Those who have not flown QR from its home base are likely unaware that J pax have a separate bus and are not part of the Group 1 boarding when a remote stand is used, and are generally called after all other boarding groups. I've only once in almost a dozen flights on QR at DOH been boarded at a regular gate.
What really annoys me about the Doha boarding process is that your are funneled into a closed off boarding area that is way to small for the large amount of passengers and does have not enough seats to wait. The complete mess in there is what created the Ryanair feeling.
Oct 13, 2019, 9:32 am
#13
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Germany
Programs: QR Gold, Skyteam Silver, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 144
Never had this problem. Always enough seats. Once the sweet transfer service guided me to one of the front seats. Boarding can be chaotic as many pax dont understand the system. In this case i usually just show my C boarding pass to one of the officials standing around at boarding who then quickly guide me to the front of the boarding line. Always works fine..not even bad looks from the other pax.
Oct 13, 2019, 9:39 am
#14
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: HEL
Programs: BA Gold, AY Gold
Posts: 649
Would it be technically (in theory) possible to check-in a person with luggage prior to the opening of the desk? For example, at another desk.
Perkerkeem, sorry to hear that. I would have been furious if that had happened to me. So ridiculous. They probably cited "airport rules" or something similar as the reason?
Perkerkeem, sorry to hear that. I would have been furious if that had happened to me. So ridiculous. They probably cited "airport rules" or something similar as the reason?
