It happened this morning, it happens at least once a week. An administrative assistant at a company my client was visiting needed his record locator or e-ticket number so she could check him in for a flight tomorrow while he was in a meeting. In this case I know the client well, and I know he is definitely traveling.
But this woman also informed me she was checking in a number of people who were all attending a meeting at her company. In fact, I have heard assistants complain about needing to do check in for “dozens” of people in a day. Some of whom they have never met. And that includes some international flights where there are security questions about baggage.
I have been also told, by people who shall remain nameless, that for a very difficult or busy person, they might check a traveler in on two different flights, booked separately with different airlines, and sort it out later.
Plus, more commonly, travelers who know they may not make a flight will check themselves in, or ask someone to do it for them. Sometimes they are just running late, sometimes their expectation is that the flight time was unrealistic and they should have booked something later. But the boarding pass will save time if they do make it to the airport.
In fact, as many travelers who change their plan and regularly standby for alternate flights now, airlines regularly do get no-shows with checked-in passengers, which can free up last-minute seats. (For that reason, never a good idea to leave the gate area as a standby until the door is actually closed, even if the agents tell you at first that the flight has “checked in full.”)
In general, the biggest problem with these speculative check-ins is just the time wasted, the potential rudeness to other passengers, and potential airline revenue loss from seats that could end up unused.
But in a time of heightened security, I also have to wonder, is it a good thing that it is so easy to check someone else in online? All you need is a name and confirmation number. A passport number is required for international flights, but no identification for domestic itinerary. In fact, you need much more personal information to check a frequent flier mileage balance than to checkin for a flight.
Admittedly the traveler will be checked again at the airport, but in this case only by TSA or even a curbside baggage agent. An airline employee may never verify the traveler’s identification. Which is of course the point of the ease of online checkin. It saves the airlines money.
(Photo by daniel incandela/flick.com/creative commons)
Pingback: Tweets that mention Is it too easy to check in for flights? -- Topsy.com