dparkinson

The last 4 TATL trips I've taken out of IAD haven't asked me for my passport before I boarded, or just wanted to see it in hand and not on the picture page. I guess it's in there from the mobile app/checkin but seems a little risky on UA's part. Is this the same at EWR/ORD?

warrenw

I'm 50/50 for transpac flights out of SFO. In all cases they ensure you at least have a passport but only 50% of the time have they actually opened it.

LarryJ

The way I understand the process is that the passport is checked at check in, either electronically or by an agent, on your first international flight. That information is saved in your profile so the check is not required on subsequent international flights.

The check during boarding is just to see that your passport is physically in your possession. No need to show the picture page.

eng3

I've always thought the multiple checks were a bit excessive. I prefer not to pull out important difficult to replace documents during chaotic times to reduce the risk I misplace it. Check-in and boarding can certainly be chaotic.

emcampbe

Passport checks at the gate during boarding are policy, I beleive, and is more to protect UA from getting fined if they deliver a pax to a country without proper documentation. When I go to India, for example, they also check my OCI (visa) as well. It's not in most cases actually required - in fact, many international carriers don't check passports at the gate at all unless required. If an agent is checking a passport and not checking that it's yours, hasn't expired, etc, then they might as well not bother. Who's to say that I didn't check in online and grab my wife's passport by accident, bring the expired one instead of he new one, had it fall out of my bag sometime between check in and the gate (or left it at check in), etc. Done properly, the passport check avoids boarding a pax that UA will almost certainly need to return on their next return flight (displacing a paid passenger, if necessary) and a likely fine for bringing a passenger in without proper documentation.

There are jurisdictions that do require the passport checks at boarding. Canada, for example, requires all passengers on flights to/from there to show ID at the gate - domestically, it can be a DL, but I think internationally it has to be a passport or other valid travel document (i.e, Nexus cards for transborder flights). In fact, they've gotten more strict - UA at ORD often used to call folks up to the desk prior to boarding to do the check there to speed up boarding - it's been a couple of years since they've done it - had a couple of GAs tell me they got a directive from Canada saying it had to be done as pax are boarding (though apparently AA didn't get that memo - I flew ORD-YYZ A couple of months ago and they did it at the desk).

exwannabe

LOL.

Flying ATL-MSP-NRT (DL obviously) with all BPs printed and docs looked in order.

Get to the ATL gate and they want my BP. No big deal, but in the gate rush I put the BP back in a pocket of my bag.

Get to my seat, and as I always do I quickly toss everything up in the bin and sit down. Once the rush is over I realize I need to get my passport, and it is gone. Next minute searching for it was a bit of a panic to say the least.

Lesson learned. The passport should be assumed to be needed to board on any flight with an international segment in it.

findark

Well, it does verify you didn't accidentally leave it on a table in the lounge, which might be the most common of those scenarios.

MatthewLAX

On FRA/MUC flights at IAD they always check for signatures in passport since the Germans are so strict about that...

MSPeconomist

I would think the GA would want to personally verify required visas since the GA is likely to be blamed, at least in part, if someone isn't admitted even if there's an OK entered into the record by another UA employee or check in contract agent.

drewguy

Got that on IAD-ZRH last December too -- my daughter hadn't signed hers.

TomMM

The same for ORD.

Boraxo

Same thing happened at SFO last week, no passport check before a flight to Mexico. I used a mobile checkin and my passport was on file. But would not be good outcome for UA (or me) if I accidentally left it at home. And somewhat inexcusable given the effort needed by staff.

Often1

Other than for countries requiring a doc. check at the gate, the purpose is to make certain that a passenger has not left or otherwise lost their passport sometime between check-in and the gate.

UA faces substantial fines for delivering a passenger who is not properly documented. The fact that the proper docs. may be sitting in the lounge doesn't help when a passenger is denied entry, held in detention and shipped home on the next flight.

This is only a PITA if you haven't listened to the endless loop of announcements reminding people to have their passports available for inspection.

drewguy

It's a PITA if you're carrying hand luggage, a mobile phone boarding pass, and then are asked for a passport. I can deal with it, of course, but after multiple checks it does get tiresome.

fastair

Very simple solution to the 1st world problem, print the boarding pass, put it in the passport, put your phone away.