kenn0223

Remember that there are two upgrade list; the one you see on-line doesn't get processed until the flight goes to gate control. Checking in latter really doesn't matter.

The behind the scenes one (which you cannot see) doesn't require you to be checked in and will keep processing until shortly before departure.

channa

Even a one-way can do this sometimes if they are needing to verify your return exists.

GBadger

I have the same issue with a similar itinerary. DEN-XXX-IAH-LHR-CPH, with LHR-CPH on SK. Can't get the BP for the SK flight... Were you able to transfer to T3 without the BP? I have two hours, but if I have to go landside to check in for the SK flight, things might get tight.

GBadger

Just an update -- T4 to T3 transfer was no problem. Followed the signs to the bus, bus took me to T3, cleared security at T3 and got my BP at the SAS transfer desk.

Guess this won't matter anymore in a couple of weeks -- too bad I miss the grand T2 opening by a few days.

HkCaGu

Two experiences:

Experience 1: Me and family member 1, both silver. 016 ticket.

Out: LAX-(UA)-LHR-(SK, coded UA)-CPH.
1. UA OLCI gives LAX-LHR, but TINABP for LHR-CPH.
2. Entered SK PNR on flysas.com, OLCI refused due to originating not UA.
3. LAX premier kiosk spits out same UABP/TINABP.
4. Staff denies LAX being "originating airport" mentioned on TINABP.
5. Bag checked to CPH.
6. At LHR, needed no BP to proceed to T1-T3 bus.
7. Got BP at T3. Claim check entered. No mention of UA code on BP.

Return: CPH-(LH)-FRA-(UA)-SFO-(UA)-LAX.
1. united.com refused OLCI due to originating not UA.
2. Received LH e-mail (I had entered info on LH, no registration) to OLCI all the way to LAX at T-22 hours.
3. Tried several Lufthansa country URLs for check-in, linked from e-mail or self-typed, all "cannot find ticket". (Look up reservation using LH PNR was fine; it even displayed the complete 016 number.)
4. At CPH, no LH personnel, used SK kiosk to CI. Kiosk took LH PNR fine, but lost our FRA-SFO seats. (Checking united.com, it immediately showed those seats empty, but were no longer so when we reached UA personnel at FRA.)
5. One SK-stock BP card for all 3 segments. PNR was SK's which I thought was no longer relevant! (Later UA FRA said SK BP card would be no good, beside not having Pre coding/logo.)
6. CPH bag drop agent couldn't fix our seats either.
7. 8 hours in FRA (daytrip into town), went to landside UA counter, which gave us good UA BPs. Took a bit of time to SHARES-split our PNR for CPU.
8. No troubles rest of the trip, except no more windows to see Ice, Green, and Canada.

Experience 2: Family member 2 alone. Platinum.
Out: LAX-SFO-NRT-HKG. Last segment NH911 ticketed as UA9727.
Return: Irrelevant for now.

1. UA OLCI gave two BPs and one TINABP.
2. LAX no-bag kiosk gave same.
3. Approached T6 Premier kiosk personnel. Personnel simply tried kiosk (hey we just did the same thing) and told pax to get BP at NRT.
4. Asked SFO UC if NH BP could be printed, and it was!

I'm semi-fuming. Why can't LAX print NH BP? If not possible why can SFO UC? NH system wasn't relevant as LAX kiosk CI was T-19 hours for NRT-HKG.

And if LAX could do it, could they do SK too?

And is there anything other than the front-facing kiosks? Are there SHARES computers behind the bag drop counters? Why won't the agents even try?

Owenc

We are going at the end of this week. Does this still happen??

TPJ

For the first time ever OLCI worked for my LH FRA-WAW flight (DFW-IAH-FRA-WAW connection). No chance to choose seats on FRA-WAW flight, but C was pretty empty, anyway.

havall

Lucky!

Our story: my wife and I are on one reservation, ORD-FRA-GDN (016 ticket, United metal to FRA, code share number to GDN). I was able to OLCI myself for the ORD-FRA leg, but for the FRA-GDN leg, I got:

THIS IS NOT A BOARDING PASS
Why can't I print my boarding pass today?
We are unable to provide a boarding pass for your connecting carrier.
How to obtain your boarding passes:
1. Your connecting boarding passes can not be processed online or at an airport kiosk.
2. Please proceed directly to the United ticket counter at your originating airport to obtain your boarding passes and check any baggage that you may have.
AGENT REFERENCE: GG ACI TCI

Better yet, my wife got the following, even though we traveled to Europe 3 times in the past 12 months, using same passports:

YOU ARE NOT CHECKED IN
Why didn't I get a boarding pass?
Your documentation must be verified at the airport before a boarding pass can
be issued.
These required verifications may be handled either at an airport kiosk or with a United
representative.
THIS IS NOT A BOARDING PASS

So, my wife and I have 1 out of 4 boarding passes.

A friend of mine who is travelling with us on a separate reservation (also 016 ticket, second leg was booked as code share, etc.), checked-in at the same time (within 5 minutes of our attempt) and got both boarding passes. He is a recent M+ *S but has not traveled to Europe in years.

channa

Did you have a seat assignment on the second leg? It sounds as if yours had no seat assignment (and CO's systems are too stupid to request one at checkin), while your wife's was the usual no passport swipe issue.

cfischer

Every intl. flight I take on UA I get the stupid 'we can't check you in' message. It's such a royal pain to deal with this every time. When I check in with DL or CM or AC or LH or LX I never have these issues ... it's just UA and every single time. So annoying.
It's clearly not any kind of govt regulation here so could someone with UA insight enlighten us why UA thinks this is good business practice?

channa

United's process to verify passports is to not generate the BP without checking the passport first. If you've been swiped or scanned at a kiosk with that same passport previously, they waive this requirement, assuming that you still have the passport, and let you generate a BP.

Delta, OTOH, allows you to manually enter your passport, and their check is to verify with an agent prior to first segment (if you don't re-scan at a kiosk or check in with an agent at the ticket counter). DL's computers will stop you from boarding at your origin city, beep, and the GA will clear you at that time.

Both accomplish the same result. I find DL's approach to be more customer friendly.

cfischer

Same passport. Have to go the counter every single time. When I try OLCI UA even has my passport details pre-populated and I just confirm them. UA is really a joke these days. I have to always add an extra 1/2 hr at the airport for every intl trip on UA metal because of this ridiculous situation

channa

Where are you going? Could be a place that requires additional documentation, or a place that's miscoded in CO's systems.

I got nailed for visa check on a place that had no visa requirement. CO IT!

cfischer

it doesn't matter. Any intl. destination. O.k., I see BLR w/ visa requirements but neither ZRH, FRA, PUJ, SEL, DUB etc. makes any sense. So yes, this happens to me every single time.

hughw

My wife and I are traveling to Paris tomorrow on UA. Although we travel internationally at least once a year, my wife got the "This is not a Boarding Pass" we have to verify documents message.. We've received it several times in the past and its not a big deal (although it makes my wife very nervous that there will be a problem) We usually just go to EWR, scan her passport in a kiosk, out comes a boarding pass, and off we go.

Well, tonight, I ran through the check-in again on my IOS 8 iPhone App and received a similar message, but along with that there was an invitation to add her passport by taking a picture of it with the iPhone camera. Sure, I said. The camera turned on...there were brackets to properly locate her passport in the camera window....it snapped....asked me to confirm the info on the passport...then said it would take up to five minutes to verify. Lo and behold, after about 3 or 4 minutes, it said passport was verified and we were able to pull up a mobile boarding pass and print out a paper one.

Score a few points for Apple, UA, and technology in general!!!!!