MarcPHL

[MODS: I think this is US specific and not really TS/S related]

Sat 10/13 flying US700 PHL-FRA. I arrive early to checkin--OLCI is not available to me because I have an LH connection--head to the club and hang out for a couple hours. About 15 minutes before boarding is scheduled to begin, I head down to the gate and see 100 or so pax in line for the GAs.

I'm thinking wow, another flight must have canceled, that sucks because this is a pretty full flight already. It's obvious they're about to start boarding so I wander over to the gate. Literally as I approach the door they start boarding, I smile, hand over my BP and am advised that I have to have a "Doc check". Confused, I say, "Excuse me"? The agent points to the podium and tells me I must have my documents checked. I hand her my BP and passport and say here ya go. She points to the podium and says "Over there".

...?

Noone at the club mentioned this needed to be done. When I flew PHL-MUC the other week they didn't do this. Didn't TSA verify my passport and BP when I cleared security? What's the point of zone boarding with this scheme? Is this a new policy? My row mate mentioned that he takes this flight just about every week and hadn't seen this before.

I was just starting out on 24h of travel to a client site and really wanted to just get settled in. I'm not generally a person who espouses their "entitlements", however ing this particular situation I did feel a certain entitlement. As a US2 and flying Envoy I frankly did feel entitled to not have to wait behind 100+ people for a GA to literally scribble on my BP without even looking at my passport and then get behind the very same folks to board.

drjochen

2 weeks ago to MUC there was no additional check. It wouldn't surprise me, though, if they added yet another check where some "idiot" will stare at your boarding pass for 3 seconds, and write something on there. I am sure they will have 1-2 agents for 300 people and in the end its the passengers fault if they don't know about it and the flight is delayed or they will miss it....

XUPhilly

I've had this happen to me on CO a few times while flying out of EWR. I'm not sure what triggers it, but it does happen once in awhile. Of course with CO anyone flying in BusinessElite didn't have to stand in line (which was about 150 people deep when I left the club) and it was done upon boarding. Of course CO tends to take care of their high revenue customers...

Jim_F

The US-west side has done additional documentation checks for international flights for a long time. Boarding wasn't allowed unless "Docs OK" was stamped on your boarding pass. I wonder if this policy is now being implemented on the east-side?

McFlyPHL

AA Prints this on your BP somwhere - DOCS OK or DOCS CHECKED. Simple, quick, and saves the extra step and associated cost.

jerseyfinn

Random doc checks have been a routine process for a while. I suspect that solo travelers might be more subject such a check.

For most of our TA flights this year, we find that the Envoy lounge announces boarding relatively late in the lounge so that even if you leave the lounge as soon as they announce boarding, you'll find boarding is well under way by the time you reach the gate. This can be a problem if you're flying coach and wanted to get on board in a timely manner to secure some overhead storage.

It's been a while since we've had doc check. But we experience the late boarding call routine in Envoy Lounge just a week ago. Doesn't affect us as we're in Envoy anyhow.

Barry

ClueByFour

US East used to do this all the time--you had to have someone at some point check the docs--but that could be at check-in, at boarding, in a connecting city, in the club, etc. With OLCI, you simply had to have someone do it--but not necessarily at the gate.

I had it happen in CLT not so long ago where they were doing this same BS (having someone at the podium do it), despite having been assured at origination (in AVL) and in the CLT club that it was already done.

The paranoia is that if they do let someone on without the proper documentation or who is not eligible to enter the destination country, it's usually on US (from a cost standpoint) to bring them back.

You would think they could flag it in the computer and while scanning the BPs it would kick out anyone who had not had a "doc-check," but that would be far too reasonable for US to actually implement. Instead, as mentioned above, they'll subject you to a line 150 deep for somebody to stare at the BP and passport for 5 seconds before inserting a pen mark on the BP somewhere.....

GAC

United does this on flights to say China where a visa is required but they do it at check in - where it makes sense because you have all your docs out anyway.

HereAndThereSC

Not US Air, but at PHL nonetheless.

AF had me show my passport (Canadian with a TN visa in my case) and get a Docs OK of sorts, this was on Sept 21st.

Annoying part was, I had to argue with the gate agent that I MUST get my TN visa back, as it's a multiple entry visa. They wanted to keep it. I almost got ugly with them. Argh.

JP