Passport not scanning
 

I flew from MUC to JFK this morning on Lufthansa and could not get my passport to scan at the automatic ticketing machines.

I tried at least 6 different machines. When I finally went to the counter to get my boarding pass the lady assisting me also had problems and had to manually look me up.

How can I fix this? I think the page with my name and photo is bent a little. Can I get this replaced?

I often, but not always, have the same problem. But I am not ready to fork over more than $100 (for a US passport anyway) just to get a magnetic stripe that works (i.e. the only way I know of to fix it is to apply for a new passport). This passport will be full in a year or two, well before the expiration date and I will get it replaced. Already had additional pages put in (fortunately when they were still free) and the passport is not even 5 years old.

I figured that might be the only way.

What was your turnaround time with getting those new pages? I'm relocating to Vienna at the end of February and would like to get new pages before I go, but also don't want to risk not having my passport back in time.

As it is now I have about 4 pages left.

If you won't be full before you go, it is usually easier to get them at the US Embassy in the foreign country.

You can usually get them same/next day at embassies, but it costs more than a new passport now.

It's not a mag stripe, but just text, so if something is visually obscuring the text, then it won't scan.

I sometimes have the same problem with my passport, especially at LH machines. It scans fine at GlobalEntry kiosks though.

I do not know how often this is enforced, but if a passenger entering the US has a machine readable passport and the passport can not be (machine) read, the passenger can be fined. I saw a passenger with an Irish passport fined by Immigration once because of this 'offense'.

This is incorrect- the fee to add pages is $82, the cost to renew a US passport is $110.

I made the (stupid) mistake of accidentally running my passport through the washing machine. It hasn't worked for immigration officers when they've tried to swipe it, but they just always manually enter the data. One officer said it was no big deal and happens all the time. Aside from causing a bit of inconvenience with the manual entry, I wouldn't worry about it.

In Canada, we just type the passport number in if it doesn't scan.

Always seem to have problems swiping British passport through US Airways machines. UA, LH, Swiss all OK.

I'm not worried about hasseling border agents or airline personel.

More worried this could inconvenience me by always having to wait in line instead of using machines.

I had that problem with a UA scanner at ORD once the lady had to put it in manually. It was no fun, thankfully that one was due to expire in about a year so I replaced it then.

That makes a lot more sense than fining someone because their "machine readable passport" can't be read by the machine.

Where is it that you would get fined without a readable passport?

On those checkin machines my passport doesn't work either (maybe I don't do it right?) so I type the booking number or use my frequent flyer card or credit card anyway. As long as it scans properly in immigration controls I don't care.
My strangest experience with self service kiosks was in SVO. I checked in and selected a seat and it said boarding pass had been printed out, but I looked everywhere on the machine and no boarding pass. The machine had probably ran out of paper. Tried another machine and I got an error messag, so I went to a counter and got my boarding pass there.