whitethunder

I have used the app to scan my spouse's Canadian passport without issue, so it might be limited to certain countries.

As others have said this is so much not an issue, I mean if you hadn't scanned the passport into a terminal recently anyway you are forced to checkin at the airport anyways, so entering it online would have done nothing.

I fly international (from Canada to the US) on EVERY United flight I fly so I have had a lot of experience with not being able to check in online, and once the app came out with the scan function I have not have had any issues. (I have even had to go checkin at an airport terminal the day before then come back the next day for my actual flight, just so I could get checked in and get my name added to the UG list haha)

eng3

Just for clarification, reading UAInsider's post, it sounds like the passport field was removed from the site. However reading other people's post, it is unclear if this ALSO means that your stored passport has been erased (even if it has previously been verified by an agent.

I understand removing the input field as it can cause confusing. User inputs NEW passport information but still can't get a boarding pass because an agent (or app) needs to verify. However, I don't think completely removing it is a good idea either. They could have simply added a status field "Verified" or "Not Verified". They could have even made the field read only. That way, I can at least know if its in there or not.

Is there still a field for you to input your info if you do WEB checkin?


Like other's said, it can affect your ability to get upgrades. Not everyone has the app.

villox

I think there's still some misunderstanding going on. The passport field in the profile was worthless! It did nothing for you except maybe save you data entry the first time you check in for a flight. And I don't remember if it even did that as I travel enough my passport is always stored.

If United.com enabled you to update the field with your new passport, it wouldn't help you at all. You'd still have to scan or present the passport at your first checkin. Nothing about the profile functionality would affect your check in ability.

Which is probably why they removed it.

RockinRon

Anyone know if you can just walk into your local airport and update it there weeks before your trip? One of our minor son's passport expired and the new one just arrived. Went to enter the details and what should have been no surprise, ended up back on FT for the answers.

Also, would he have to be there or can I just do it as his parent?

I tried to call the Premier Line but today isn't a good day weather wise and I hung up after 30 mins on hold. I figured I'd get a more accurate answer here anyways.

euslaner

Of all of the "changes you will like," this has to be the strangest and most aggravating. There is no rationale for this.

UA Insider--tell the folks at WHQ that they have messed up big time. If they can disable this option, they can reenable it. Or if they can't they should contact me and I am sure that I can find someone who will do this for them for a reasonable fee.

I just don't understand why this was done. It makes no sense to argue that it is somehow "easier" to type on a small screen than on a computer.

SEA1K4EVR

Seems to me the most obvious reason is that it prevents someone from entering incorrect passport information...either intentionally or unintentionally, and on top of that it obtains way more info than simply the new number and expiration date. When the passport is scanned on the app or on the scanner at the airport it captures your photo and all of the information at the bottom of the page.

It might be inconvenient but I suspect this change is security related and coming at the government's request.

dgcpaphd

U/A often follows changes that Delta makes. However, Delta did not make this change to its site.

American Airlines and Koreanair have not disabled the passport access from their sites. I was able to update my new passport number and new expiration date on those two carrier's site.

I am not aware if other carriers besides the ones I mentioned disabled this feature. I only know about the carriers I use and U/A is the only one that took away the passport field from its customer web site, united.com.

If disabling the passport section of united.com is security related, why is it that the three other air carriers I mentioned have not disabled the feature?

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villox

Why do you want them to re-enable a feature that didn't provide any value in the first place?

euslaner

Oh I can make the drive to my airport (at least 60 minutes round-trip with no traffic), pay to park, and get on line to make sure that they have my correct info (at IAD, the 1K line is very long).

There is no possible excuse for removing this from the web site other than to annoy people. If UA is serious about becoming more customer friendly, it can undo this. Now.

euslaner

Who said it didn't provide any value? Most people in this thread think that it did provide value. If you disagree, just don't use it. But why do you think that you can tell me what I think--or ought to think?

mduell

You're saying it's a burden to not do something that provided no value or advancement? If you disagree, please explain what actual value it provided.

Yes, you can enter your passport during web checkin. It is not useful. It does not allow you to checkin. It tells you to go to the counter and swipe your passport.

Without the app, the web entry had no impact on your ability to get upgrades. Before the app you had to swipe at a kiosk. Without the app you have to swipe at a kiosk. Web entry of passport never changed the upgrade situation because it didn't allow checkin without a kiosk swipe.

Of all of the "changes you will like," this has to be the most confusing one people could be upset about. There is no rationale for entry/viewing passport on the website when it had absolutely no impact on your ability to checkin.

Typing in your passport is never useful. The only way to checkin is to scan it at a kiosk or in the app. The only way to checkin before the app scanning was to scan it at a kiosk. The online feature never changed your ability to checkin.

I assume it was removed because people were confused why they had to swipe their passport at a kiosk after entering the information on the web. No typing on a small screen provides any value or ability to checkin.

What value did it provide?

With online viewing and entry: You have to swipe at the airport for checkin with a new passport.

Without online viewing and entry: You have to swipe at the airport for checkin with a new passport.

dgcpaphd

Travel is stressful enough without having to be concerned whether our information stored with an airline agrees with actual government documents. Clerical errors happen often, in any situation.

Many people are meticulous and like to confirm details. In this instance, we cannot do that with respect to our passport.

With the removal of our ability to view or update passport information on united.com, "comfort level" has been diminished.

Hypothetically, if U/A disabled the section of united.com that shows our address and/or date of birth (because it doesn't provide any value) should we be concerned about that?

Maybe there is logic to removing the passport feature from united.com. Unfortunately, I am not smart enough to understand why.

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mduell

So you concern is the passport you previously swiped, were able to checkin with, and then traveled with is wrong in some way that will impact your next travel? This seems like an extremely marginal case compared to the confusion caused for all the people who put their passport in online or during web checkin and were then denied a BP and sent to the kiosk to swipe.

You're free to confirm the details when the meaningful entry (the swipe or scan) is made.

Again, no online update ever changed anything used. Any "update" to passport information requires a swipe at a kiosk.

Online entry/viewing of address provides value -- it's where UA mails you things with no further verification of documents.
Online entry/viewing of DOB provides value -- it's used for Secure Flight with no further verification of documents.
Online entered passport data was not used, the swipe was always used.

dgcpaphd

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All good points.

However, with respect to your comment "You're free to confirm the details when the meaningful entry (the swipe or scan) is made." ignores the fact that some people like to confirm, prior to the last minute, or day of check in, that information related to their travel documents, stored with their air carrier, are correct.

You did not comment on the fact that three other airlines (Delta, AA and Koreanair) have not disable the passport feature. As I wrote, I don't know if other carriers have disable the passport feature. I only know about the carriers I use.
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mduell

Sure you could check it, but you still have that problem that none of it really matters. If it's from a swipe, it's good enough to have worked for prior travel. If it's manually entered online, it's going to be ignored in favor of the next swipe data anyway. The APIS data can be wrong and no one cares much, or you can be using a different passport at one end or the other, and none of it really matters much. The immigration officer is going to do his own scan or swipe, and if the APIS doesn't come up right they just ask for your flight/origin.

I'm not familiar with flying internationally on those carriers. Do they let you enter your passport info online and complete check in (i.e. recieve a boarding pass) on the basis of that information?

When I flew SIA and ANA this year they did not; they allowed me to input all my passport details online and then told me it was pointless and to go to the checkin counter where they swiped my passport. It was a really disappointing experience for me with both, just as I was disappointed when Continental treated me the same way in 2010.

The old UA site and Apollo had a much more useful passport feature - you could enter your passport info and actually get checked in since they only required checking at the gate. But the legacy CO website and SHARES we've been using since the March 2012 PSS merger never had this, they always required the swipe for checkin. So removing the feature from that website means nothing to me.