Singled out for document verification on an international flight?

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Sep 8, 2014, 5:03 pm

#91

ani90

Join Date: Dec 2004

Location: NYC, LON

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Quote:

Originally Posted by TomMM

I fly out of an airport that has no Intl connections and United has never checked my passport at check in when I am on the initial domestic leg of an Intl trip.

Are you flying to destinations that do not require a visa on your passport?

Are you using On-line check in with your passport details already entered and pre-verified?

Sep 8, 2014, 5:06 pm

#92

Airbridge

Join Date: Mar 2014

Posts: 360

Quote:

Originally Posted by PTahCha

This threads reminded me of my first international flight on CO, LGA-IAH-LIR. I was using a non-US passport, and sure enough, the machine beeped at IAH, and they had to do a secondary passport check, even though the agent at LGA had to manually verify the passport because the kiosks kicked me out of the check-in process due to doc check.

Yes, I did a

as I pulled my passport out one more time. Was I humiliated or embarrassed? Hardly.

BUT WAS IT A PASSPORT FROM A "DECENT" COUNTRY?

Sep 8, 2014, 5:31 pm

#93

mduell

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Quote:

Originally Posted by nanyang

- Would the following annoy you if you were in my shoes?
- Would you bother to complain?

Depends and no. They should be checking everyones passport before boarding; did you have your passport checked at the gate before boarding?

The hyperbole "basically group 1 boarding "privileges" not applicable to this traveller as a citizen of this European country" is obnoxious.

Sep 8, 2014, 6:01 pm

#94

TomMM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ani90

Are you flying to destinations that do not require a visa on your passport?

Are you using On-line check in with your passport details already entered and pre-verified?

Both, destinations requiring and not requiring a visa.

Yes, online check in with details already entered and pre-verified. Hmmm, thinking about this, I believe this is the key point.

Sep 9, 2014, 1:25 am

#95

Shareholder

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Quote:

Originally Posted by mduell

For flights to Canada, passengers will have their passports checked by an agent in advance and this will be noted by a marking on their boarding pass. Since OP did not have his passport checked in advance of boarding, there was no such marking on his BP and he was pulled aside for that inspection. As I posted earlier this is standard practice by UA, AC and AA when boarding a Canadian-bound flight from the US. OP was not made to do this because of the country of his passport.

Quote:

Originally Posted by pewpew

Weird. Despite numerous US-CA flights on AC, UA and US, US has been the only one that checked docs prior to boarding, and that was a single time. Then again, I'm also Canadian and check-in with agents instead of kiosks each time.. I think the TSA is the only one who writes on my BP though?

As I noted, I fly AC, UA and AA into Canada at least once a month and this is the standard practice by those airlines. The gate agent checks the passport and makes a marking on the boarding pass. An announcement is made about 10-minutes prior to boarding to go to the counter, even if your boarding pass shows DOCSOK. Many elites who use the UC until boarding time miss the announcement and thus are required to do what OP was asked to do. At some gates if there are two agents, one may walk down the boarding line(s) and do the passport check there. (Actually, a passport is not required by Canadians or Americans to enter Canada, but is to return to the US. A NEXUS or GE card is now acceptable for this inspection, though most agents are not aware of this.) Haven't flown WS, US or DL transborder so cannot comment on their practice in this regard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mahasamatman

I hope so, because it's 100% true.

I've found it's airport-dependent. I always see this at SFO, but rarely at other airports.

Well my sample includes SFO, LAX, DEN, LGA, JFK, IAD, EWR, BOS, MIA, PHL...

Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Sep 9, 2014 at 4:37 am Reason: multi-quoute