Why offer OLCI when it will fail - "documents need to be verified"?
Dec 15, 2014, 9:23 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Japan
Posts: 5,577
Why offer OLCI when it will fail - "documents need to be verified"?
Every time I fly UA now, and it's not much anymore, I get asked to check in online at the 24 hr mark like today for tomorrows' flight to the U.S. I go through all the pages, I give them all the details, the passport numbers, the expiration, the everything, the luggage details, tell them I fly without an infant and what not. Until I get to the final page and it returns this to me " Unable to check you in, verification needed". What the heck? Didn't they know this ahead of time? Just tell me that I cannot check in online because documents need to be verified. It's that easy. United, you are wasting my time!
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Dec 15, 2014 at 1:11 pm Reason: please use a more descriptive title
Dec 15, 2014, 9:39 am
#2
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: UA 1K MM, Marriott Life Plat, various others of little note
Posts: 2,763
United : Why do you screw with me every time I fly you?
Your time doesn't cost them anything, they don't care. And your entering all the information does save them time at check in so they can operate with fewer staff. They don't do it out of consideration or generosity, but rather self interest,
Dec 15, 2014, 9:41 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,068
You're kidding right? United's is the most labor-intensive passport verification process of any airline that I'm aware of.
Dec 15, 2014, 9:42 am
#4
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: MUC
Programs: LH SEN, SQ Gold
Posts: 479
5 out of 5 times which I had this happen the information I had originally entered during the OLCI process was discarded. So: No efficiency increase for UA, just plain "we don't care" or "we can't fix". It has been like that for many, many years...
Dec 15, 2014, 9:42 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Honolulu Harbor
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 15,016
I never though about that, but you're right. If someone logs in and tries to check-in online for a flight they can't, UA.com should just respond as such at the beginning. Seems a pretty easy thing to do - for any other entity...
I-O-T, jumping the shark, piling on, me too...
I-O-T, jumping the shark, piling on, me too...
Dec 15, 2014, 9:44 am
#6
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: LAS, ZQN
Programs: UA PP (2MM), BA gold
Posts: 2,198
They love you and want to be up front and personal.
My info is always in my profile and comes up with info. I fly a lot and still have occasions where I get the same. Just go with the flow.
Same as Pre-check. 99% on UA, 50% or less on others and just had a Maui-LAX-PSP flight whereby the LAX-PSP was marked TSA PC and the 1st leg was not. Things just happen.
Relax- UA can make your life more miserable (like my 7 hour delay of the OGG-LAX flight from 935pm to 258am).
My info is always in my profile and comes up with info. I fly a lot and still have occasions where I get the same. Just go with the flow.
Same as Pre-check. 99% on UA, 50% or less on others and just had a Maui-LAX-PSP flight whereby the LAX-PSP was marked TSA PC and the 1st leg was not. Things just happen.
Relax- UA can make your life more miserable (like my 7 hour delay of the OGG-LAX flight from 935pm to 258am).
Dec 15, 2014, 9:44 am
#7
formerly sahiljain22
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: BOS;NYC;YVR;YYZ;DEL;BOM
Programs: Amex Plat; HH Diamond; SPG Plat; Hyatt Diamond; United 1K; National EE; HSBC Premier
Posts: 532
Believe it or not this was my readon to stop flying UA to Canada and start flying AC everytime possible. So I don't have to goto the gate to have documents verified everytime!
Dec 15, 2014, 9:50 am
#8
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 140
Use the App to check-in, which now includes the ability to both scan & verify your passport information (vs having to type it in and then have it confirmed by UA staff), then you should be able to check-in (unless your travel requires a Visa). Or, on your return trip, scan your passport at a kiosk so it can store your info in your profile for future travels.
Dec 15, 2014, 10:17 am
#9
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Suburban Philadelphia
Programs: Marriott Lifetime Plat, IHG Gold
Posts: 3,392
Use the App to check-in, which now includes the ability to both scan & verify your passport information (vs having to type it in and then have it confirmed by UA staff), then you should be able to check-in (unless your travel requires a Visa). Or, on your return trip, scan your passport at a kiosk so it can store your info in your profile for future travels.
On my last 2 intl trips, I was able to confirm my passport information and have it verified by the mobile app, was able to print boarding passes, etc.
Was quick and painless for the most part.
Dec 15, 2014, 10:51 am
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: BOS, PVG
Programs: United 1K and 1MM, Marriott Ambassador
Posts: 10,000
If you are waitlisted with GPU, you may get screwed if you are not allowed to check-in at T-24.
Dec 15, 2014, 10:54 am
#12
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: near to SFO and LHR
Programs: BA Gold, B6 Mosiac, VS, AA, DL (and a legacy UA 2MM)
Posts: 2,274
Every time I fly UA now, and it's not much anymore, I get asked to check in online at the 24 hr mark like today for tomorrows' flight to the U.S. I go through all the pages, I give them all the details, the passport numbers, the expiration, the everything, the luggage details, tell them I fly without an infant and what not. Until I get to the final page and it returns this to me " Unable to check you in, verification needed". What the heck? Didn't they know this ahead of time? Just tell me that I cannot check in online because documents need to be verified. It's that easy. United, you are wasting my time!
You can use the mobile app to check in also.
Last edited by StingWest; Dec 15, 2014 at 1:26 pm
Dec 15, 2014, 12:18 pm
#13
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 8,634
Dec 15, 2014, 12:31 pm
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: SFO/SJC
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 14,884
Check in is one thing. I've heard of some pretty silly reasons for switching carriers, but switching to an another airline that must follow the same check passport at the gate routine seems like it would make it to the top of that list.
Dec 15, 2014, 1:07 pm
#15
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Boston, MA
Programs: UA 2P, NWA & AirTran A+ refugee
Posts: 188
Use the App to check-in, which now includes the ability to both scan & verify your passport information (vs having to type it in and then have it confirmed by UA staff), then you should be able to check-in (unless your travel requires a Visa). Or, on your return trip, scan your passport at a kiosk so it can store your info in your profile for future travels.
If, like me, you had been wondering why the United app asked for permission to use your smartphone's camera upon installation from Google Play or the App Store, the passport scanning functionality is the reason/culprit.
Last edited by flatlined; Dec 15, 2014 at 1:10 pm Reason: Fat fingers