Easy Check-In Methods Make it Harder to Miss Flights
One of the most stressful things about flying is the fear that you will miss your plane.
The check-in process for modern flights is a key factor in deciding whether one will be a nervous wreck or not by the time the boarding begins.
In past times, the only way to check in for flights was in person at the airline's check-in desks.
During peak holiday times, this would often involve arriving at an airport some three hours before flights were due to leave in order to join a long queue snaking around the terminal.
Fortunately, nowadays there is a fine choice of alternative methods, designed to save time and make the process far simpler.
Perhaps the most popular method these days is the online check-in.
This is available for most flights, although it is at its most effective for short-haul journeys with budget airlines that do not allow anything other than hand luggage.
Typically, the customer will log on to the airline's website and enter in their personal details, such as their passport number, in order to obtain an electronic ticket - generally known as an "e-ticket".
Closer to the day of departure - between 24 hours and 90 minutes - passengers are required to enter online the details of their flights, plus information about where they wish to sit and the amount of baggage being checked in.
If meals are available on flights, they may be asked to state a preference.
Confirming these details completes the check-in process and usually the option is given to print out a boarding pass there and then.
If the passenger does not have a printer or the option is not available, then self-service kiosks are available at the airport to print out the pass.
For people with luggage to book in, there will be drop-off points, but it is here that the passenger with only hand luggage finds themselves at a distinct advantage when it comes to speedy arrival at the departure gate.
The self-service kiosks are another way to ensure a fast check-in process.
Such kiosks are a great way of avoiding the long queues to check-in for flights at the traditional desks.
In order to retrieve one's details, check-in and receive a boarding pass, it is necessary to allow the kiosk to "read" the magnetic strip on one's plane ticket or e-ticket, and often the machine is able to scan one's passport details as well.
These kiosks tend to become available for passengers on individual flights between 24 hours and 90 minutes before their departure time.
The check-in process for modern flights is a key factor in deciding whether one will be a nervous wreck or not by the time the boarding begins.
In past times, the only way to check in for flights was in person at the airline's check-in desks.
During peak holiday times, this would often involve arriving at an airport some three hours before flights were due to leave in order to join a long queue snaking around the terminal.
Fortunately, nowadays there is a fine choice of alternative methods, designed to save time and make the process far simpler.
Perhaps the most popular method these days is the online check-in.
This is available for most flights, although it is at its most effective for short-haul journeys with budget airlines that do not allow anything other than hand luggage.
Typically, the customer will log on to the airline's website and enter in their personal details, such as their passport number, in order to obtain an electronic ticket - generally known as an "e-ticket".
Closer to the day of departure - between 24 hours and 90 minutes - passengers are required to enter online the details of their flights, plus information about where they wish to sit and the amount of baggage being checked in.
If meals are available on flights, they may be asked to state a preference.
Confirming these details completes the check-in process and usually the option is given to print out a boarding pass there and then.
If the passenger does not have a printer or the option is not available, then self-service kiosks are available at the airport to print out the pass.
For people with luggage to book in, there will be drop-off points, but it is here that the passenger with only hand luggage finds themselves at a distinct advantage when it comes to speedy arrival at the departure gate.
The self-service kiosks are another way to ensure a fast check-in process.
Such kiosks are a great way of avoiding the long queues to check-in for flights at the traditional desks.
In order to retrieve one's details, check-in and receive a boarding pass, it is necessary to allow the kiosk to "read" the magnetic strip on one's plane ticket or e-ticket, and often the machine is able to scan one's passport details as well.
These kiosks tend to become available for passengers on individual flights between 24 hours and 90 minutes before their departure time.
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