Check your boarding pass!!!

[inkkognito]

Just got back from our 31st Disney cruise, and hubby got a sex change in the airport!!
We flew ATA and checked in at the baggage counter to ask for an exit row. We were able to get one, so we headed to the security line, which can only be described as LONG LONG LONG!!! As we drew closer, they kept making the announcement "Have your boarding pass ready...etc." Hubby glanced down at his, and it was for someone named Janet!! Right away he wanted to leave the line and go back to the check-in desk, but since we had already waited so long, there was no way I was going to do that. I forced him to wait till we got to the ID checkers and then we explained what happened. They were really nice...they said they couldn't let us through but that once we got it straightened out, they would let us in where we left from. A quick trip back to ATA and hubby was back to himself. So check those boarding passes before you leave the check-in and you'll save yourself another trip to the counter!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Jillpie]

Welcome back Barb. That is a funny story and thanks for the advice. Just as a side, I was telling my DH about you today. I told him that there is a girl on the Dis (he knows my addiction to this place, lol) that goes on the Disney cruises all the time. I told him that I am convinced you have won the lottery in the past!! He couldn't understand how you can possibly go on so many cruises, but was very jealous. Please reveal your secret, because a week on the Magic is my dream now...even though I am a DVC member my points wouldn't even begin to touch the cruises, a week for the 5 of us is about 10K,(paying cash that is), ouch. I would LOVE to do one though!!!! You are SO lucky to be able to do this.

 

[Geoff_M]

After a really bad experience in 2001 I always check my boarding passes. You also need to check and make sure the counter agent gives you back everything you need. Check to see if your boarding pass has something like "Flight Coupon Required" stamped on it. If it does, make sure the agent give you BACK the ticket they tear out of your ticket booklet.

In August 2001 I flew from Washington Dulles thru Chicago, and then back home to Michigan. The Dulles agent gave me my boarding passes for both flights and then I remember him asking to look at my envelope one more time at the last second before I walked to a seat. He quickly tore out something and then handed the rest of the packet back to me.

When I went to board the second flight (one day later since mechanical delays caused me to miss my second flight), I was asked "Where's your ticket?" when I handed the boarding pass to the gate agent. I told them all I had was the boarding pass and that's all I thought I needed. She said "No, the ticket is supposed to be stapled to the pass" and pointed to the "Flight Coupon Required" stamp on the pass. I then remembered the guy back in DC tearing out and keep a ticket at the last minute.

The flight I was trying to board was cancelled due to a thunderstrom that had descended on O'Hare and I was sent to "Customer Service". The problem was that the ticket is a "negotiable document" like a check. Unless United could prove that I had turned the ticket over to them, it technically could still be used again. To compound matters, my tickets were issued by a partner airline with frequent flyer miles. If the tickets had been issued by United then it would be real easy to just "look up" the missing ticket in their system to see if it had been redeemed in Washington.

After lots of waiting, and having to go high up in the United "food chain", they finally agreed to let me board a much later flight home. Fortunately, I was travelling alone and didn't have our three young children with along, it those hours stuck in O'Hare would have been REAL fun!

So, CHECK THOSE BOARDING PASSES AND TICKETS each time you visit a airline counter!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Ah, the beauty of etickets you print out at home!!!! You are the only one that makes any mistakes. They have to punch in the reservation number to get the boarding pass, no spelling errors, no tickets to get "stolen". It is a beautiful thing.

 

[Geoff_M]

Gail,

I will add that having paper tickets in hand on one family WDW trip REALLY paid off. It envolved a "non-job action" by Delta pilots that cancelled our flight to Orlando, long lines at the Delta counter, an ATA flight that was leaving shortly, and a long line at the ATA desk too. We were saved at the literal last second by being "switched" to the ATA flight. If we'd have been e-ticketed, we'd have been sunk. The Delta staff was able to quickly "release" our paper tickets with a rubber stamp and we were off to the races with ATA.

 

[SueM in MN]

I don't have a "check your boarding pass" story, but I do have a "bring the airlines 800 number with you" story.

When we tried to check in on the computer at Minneapolis for our e-ticket flight this March, we got a message that said we needed to see an agent. We figured it was something to do with traveling with a wheelchair (although a year ago, we traveled with DD's wheelchair and had no trouble checking in on the computer). The agent at the check in told us that she couldn't confirm our seat numbers (which were printed on our e-ticket itinerary) because the flight was so full that all seats were being assigned at the gate. DH got in line right away when the gate agent arrived and she said she would have to wait for "some volunteers since the flight is overbooked and you are flying stand-by". That was news to us, since we had bought our tickets in, like October and had gotten seat assignments right away since we were traveling with DD in a wheelchair. According to the gate agent, we were not in the computer at all - so that meant we were standby. At that point, we looked at our "Boarding Passes" real;ly well for the first time and noticed they were not boarding passes, but "gate access passes" (or similar wording). DH got on his cell phone and called the 800 number for the airline; the agent on the phone said we certainly were in the computer (with seat assignments too). The gate agent did not want to talk to the phone agent "I told you, you are on standby - chances are good that we will get you on the next flight if we don't get enough volunteers for this one." The phone agent finally got her supervisor to talk to the gate agent and we got our seats.
So, bring the 800 number and a cell phone. if we hadn't had either, we'd probably still be waiting to get on.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Geoff_M
Gail,

I will add that having paper tickets in hand on one family WDW trip REALLY paid off. It envolved a "non-job action" by Delta pilots that cancelled our flight to Orlando, long lines at the Delta counter, an ATA flight that was leaving shortly, and a long line at the ATA desk too. We were saved at the literal last second by being "switched" to the ATA flight. If we'd have been e-ticketed, we'd have been sunk. The Delta staff was able to quickly "release" our paper tickets with a rubber stamp and we were off to the races with ATA.

Yes, that is one instance where paper tickets will pay off, but, you would not have been sunk, you would probably not have made that flight, however.

Luckily, I have not had a problem like yours and until I do, I will go with etickets and definitely not pay the extra fee for a paper ticket.

 

[inkkognito]

We love E-tickets too, but we often end up talking to an agent at the baggage check-in because some of ATA's exit rows are good and some are not. When we're not sure, we like to appeal to their expertise and get our boarding passes from them. But we have done E-tickets many times too and have printed out the passes at the kiosks, and thankfully we have never had any problems. They really are more reliable than the agents...on another flight, we asked for an exit row and the agent said he gave us one. We didn't double check, and it turned out that we were in row 7 on a 757-300...definitely NOT an exit row, but it IS the row in front of the lavatory. Our seats did not recline, but those of the people in front of us did. We were in a middle and window seat, and our front "neighbors" reclined so far back that we could not use our tray tables and hubby could not even get to his carry-on under the seat (he asked the man in front of him to at least put his seat up temporarily so he could get out is CD player, and the guy gave him a dirty look and put up and then right back a few seconds later). When I pointed out to the flight attendant that we couldn't use our tray tables, she shrugged and said, "Yeah, that's a problem." I thought that they would at least force the moron twins to put their seats up for the drink service, but no dice, so we didn't even get our drinks. So that's another reason to check your passes...from now on, I always make sure it really does say "Exit Row."
Jillpie, nope, we didn't win the lottery. We just put all our disposable income towards cruises. We live in a condo and drive an old Neon and Aztek while most of our friends and co-workers live in huge houses and drive huge vehicles (with huge payments to match). We'd rather do the trips!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Jillpie, nope, we didn't win the lottery. We just put all our disposable income towards cruises. We live in a condo and drive an old Neon and Aztek while most of our friends and co-workers live in huge houses and drive huge vehicles (with huge payments to match). We'd rather do the trips!

LOL, I hear that and I would prefer the trips too.

Barb, We fly SWA almost all the time, so seating is not an issue.
Dee and I are both tall and find that any seat on SW is fine, NOW, Delta ( my second choice), on the other hand is horrible if we don't get an exit row.

 

[inkkognito]

Gail, is Southwest's legroom comparable to American's? They advertise that they have more legroom, and I do find that to be true. We might give Southwest a try someday if the airfare is really good, but ATA typically is just as cheap in Chicago. But you never know!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Jillpie]

Barb, thanks for that explanation to my very nosy curiosity. Boy, what I would give to step foot upon the Magic. With three kids and DH and I...I just don't know. It is for sure a very big dream right now. Its funny how I can justify going to DW every year for 5 years, but have a hard time thinking about how expensive this thing is. Oh well, when we go I will definitely be asking you and everyone else a million questions...now that will be fun.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by inkkognito
Gail, is Southwest's legroom comparable to American's? They advertise that they have more legroom, and I do find that to be true. We might give Southwest a try someday if the airfare is really good, but ATA typically is just as cheap in Chicago. But you never know!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

I find SWA's to be maybe an inch less than American's. BUT...when someone fully reclines, it is not in your face and you can still use your tray table. Dee is 6'1 with long legs, I am 5'7.25" with a 32" inseam (long legs) and we have absolutely no problem sitting in any seat on SWA. On Delta, I felt like a sardine. On American, well, I was in a middle seat with two men who did not think the middle pax needed an arm rest, they used both. Buffoons!!! The seats, IMHO, on American are more narrow than SWA's (about the same as Delta's). I hope you try SWA someday, they are a hoot!!!

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> did not think the middle pax needed an arm rest

Neither did you, otherwise you would have taken half of each.

Pax, especially biztravelers, need to be taught that they cannot choose window and aisle seats and pretend that the middle seat is empty.

I wish I could adjust the height of the armrests sit lower because my elbows don't match up with them.

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[Geoff_M]

Yes, that is one instance where paper tickets will pay off, but, you would not have been sunk, you would probably not have made that flight, however.

I think "sunk" was the appropriate term. We were in line with Delta customers that had been trying to get to Orlando for over 24 hours. But the Delta pilots' unofficial "sick-in" kept backing things up and making a mess of the whole Indy to Orlando route during the New Year's travel season. I'm sure we eventually would have made it to Orlando, but we might have lost 20% of our park time in the process that trip.

Personally, I prefer hard-copy tickets. Particulary when travelling with the family. But with the new $25 per ticket fee that issuers are now charging, we'll probably not use them in the future and hope we don't have to switch flights in a hurry again.

 

[tlens]

Geoff_M: I've had an experience similiar to your but fortunately with a better end result. The gate attendant in Miami took my paper copy and tore off the perforated section of the boarding passes (pre e-ticket days) and I said "won't I need that" and they said no. Anyway, we were on a flight that had a stop in Atlanta but we didn't need to change planes. They strongly "encouraged" us to disembark so they could clean the plane. So, we did. When I tried to reboard, they didn't want to let me on. I told them what had occured and that my carry-on was still on the plane if they cared to check. Well, they finally agreed to let me back on. OF course this was all pre 9/11 so it probably wouldn't be as easy now.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Neither did you, otherwise you would have taken half of each

Actually, I tried and was pushed off many times. I finally asked the FA if I could move. Between sitting like a "praying mantis" and the beastly child kicking my seat and screaming, I had just about reached. So much for more leg room, the kid was small, but could reach.

 

[seashoreCM]

>>> force the moron twins to put their seats up for the drink service...

>>> Actually, I tried [using part of the armrest] and was pushed off many times

Now we are talking about unruly passengers, not talking about seating problems.

It is time to summon the F/A and whisper into his/her ear about the problem and then the F/A has the obligation to fix the problem fairly.

It is time to take action yourself, ask for a complimentary drink or headset, write letters to airline management asking for something like a voucher which equals a fare reduction for your next trip.

Or are the airlines threatening bankruptcy if not already in bankruptcy, and the F/A's complaining about their reduced pay as an excuse to shirk their responsibility?

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by seashoreCM
>>> force the moron twins to put their seats up for the drink service...

>>> Actually, I tried [using part of the armrest] and was pushed off many times

Now we are talking about unruly passengers, not talking about seating problems.

It is time to summon the F/A and whisper into his/her ear about the problem and then the F/A has the obligation to fix the problem fairly.

It is time to take action yourself, ask for a complimentary drink or headset, write letters to airline management asking for something like a voucher which equals a fare reduction for your next trip.

Or are the airlines threatening bankruptcy if not already in bankruptcy, and the F/A's complaining about their reduced pay as an excuse to shirk their responsibility?

Seashore,
I flew in October of 91, long before this silliness began with AA.
In the FA's defense, she did move me, happily and since I was on company business I was forbidden to drink alcohol and there was nothing I needed to hear on the earphones, I was reading.

 

[inkkognito]

seashoreCM, your advise is right on the money. Normally I would have been much more assertive...in the past, when I've had issues on United and ATA, both of them resolved things very well.
In this case, however, I didn't push because the flight attendants had already done me a favor. It was around the holidays, and we'd received a large, beautiful and fragile present. It definitely did not fit within the carry-on measurement specifications! I was going to check it, but the agent told me the chances of it surviving were slim to none. He advised that I throw myself on the mercy of the flight attendants. I did so, and they were very kind. They fit it into a bin and made sure that the other items were soft things that would not damage it. I was very impressed with the care they took to make sure that remained safe and unbroken. It was annoying to be crammed behind the Rude Twins, but it was only a two hour flight, and it was well worth it for my package to get to Chicago safely.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com