Airport check-in is the process by which passengers are received by airlines at the airport before traveling. The airlines usually use the airport service counter. Check-in is usually handled by the airline itself or a handling agent working on behalf of the airline. Passengers usually hand over luggage that they do not want or are not allowed to take to the cabin and receive boarding passes before they can proceed to their aircraft.
Check-in is usually the first procedure for passengers upon arrival at the airport, because airline regulations require passengers to check in at certain times before flight departure. This duration ranges from 15 minutes to 4 hours depending on destination and airline (with self check in, this can be expanded up to 24 hours, if checked in by online process). During this process, passengers have the ability to request special accommodations such as seating preference, inquire about flight or destination information, collect frequent flyer program miles, or pay for increments. The time required is sometimes written in the reservation, sometimes written somewhere on the website, and sometimes simply referred to as "the passenger must give sufficient time to check in".
The main function of airline check-in, however, is to accept a suitcase that will fit in aircraft cargo and issue a boarding pass.
The in-city check-in service is a service offered by several cities such as Abu Dhabi, Seoul, Hong Kong, Delhi, Kuala Lumpur-International, Stockholm, Toronto, Vienna and Taipei, where passengers can check-in baggage in places specified in the city but outside the airport. This reduces the check-in time and line up at the airport.
Video Airport check-in
Passenger identity registration
At check-in, one of the agency's primary duties is to check valid documents. This includes tickets, passports, visas, consent forms, and in some cases, passenger addresses and contact details to meet immigration requirements.
Maps Airport check-in
Baggage registration
Upon check-in, passengers hand over baggage checked by airport security and sealed. Anything that is above the weight limit or which should not be taken by the passenger himself to the aircraft cabin is usually left to the agent upon check-in. Baggage allowances, if any, are determined by the airline and anything excessive will require additional fees.
Decrease self-service bag
Many airlines have a self-check-in process that allows passengers with bags to check in at a self-service kiosk with luggage up to about 30 minutes before departure time. The passenger then attaches the baggage tag and drops the bag in the trunk drop belt. Passengers without checked baggage can go directly to the lounge (if entitled to lounge access) and check in at the kiosk there using ePass (a small RFID device for premium customers only) or go straight to the departure gate. Many airlines use electronic check-in such as ePass, mPass, or similar mobile apps, and this app serves as a plane ticket.
KLM also since 2008 provides counter drop bags at Schiphol International Airport, and Lufthansa does the same at Frankfurt International Airport and Munich International Airport. Stockholm-Arlanda Airport is introducing a ration of self-service packages in 2012.
It is hoped that the decline of self-service bags will be much more common.
Seating registration
Usually upon check-in, the option of selecting a particular seat is offered, with passengers asking if they prefer a window or an aisle seat.
Online Web check-in
Online Web check-in is one of the simplest check-in processes at the airport, where passengers can check-in (check-in is confirmation) for flights via the respective airline's website. It helps passengers to save their precious time while boarding a flight within the time specified for departure. This facility will be available from the previous 48 hours up to 2 hours before flight departs. Any passenger holding a confirmed ticket for an airline can use this facility.
Online check-in is a process whereby passengers confirm their presence on flights over the Internet and usually print their own boarding cards. Depending on the carrier and the particular airline, passengers can also enter details such as the choice of food and the amount of luggage and choose the seat of their choice.
This service is generally promoted by airlines to passengers as it is easier and faster because it reduces the time that passengers usually spend at the airport check-in counters. Some airlines, however, will still require passengers to proceed to airport check-in counters, regardless of preferred check-in method, for document verification (eg, to travel to countries where visas are required, or to ensure credit the card used to buy is genuine and/or matches the identity of the person making the purchase). If passengers need to continue the check-in process at the airport after checking-in online, special paths are usually offered to them to reduce waiting times unless all tables are designated as baggage drop points. In addition, online check-in for flights is often available earlier than face-to-face colleagues. The process is then transferred to passenger control upon check-in. Airlines can use this system because self-service is often more efficient to operate, with a greater ability to cope with the spike in passenger numbers. It also reduces airport activity, saves airline money and reduces waiting time for passengers.
Ryanair charges the passengers a fee of up to 60 Euros for not using online check-in, except under certain limited circumstances. Furthermore, at the beginning of 2010, all passengers are required to check in online, therefore eliminating the use of the check-in desk. Nevertheless, passengers are still charged for printing their boarding cards.
Online check-in is increasingly needed in other legacy operators, especially in Europe because the airport check-in desk is being degraded as the only baggage reduction point.
Northwest Airlines is the first to offer online check-in. The system was first offered on a limited basis starting in the second quarter of 1999, and is available to the general public on selected flights in the next quarter. Since then, more airlines have introduced this system.
Typically, web-based check-in for airline travel is offered on airline websites no earlier than 24 hours before scheduled flight departure or seven days for the Internet Check Assistant. However, some airlines allow a longer time, such as Ryanair, which opens online check-in 30 and 4 days in advance (depending on whether the passenger pays for seat reservation), AirAsia, which opens it 14 days before departure, and easyJet, which open immediately after the passenger is ticketed (but for easyJet, passengers are not checked automatically after the ticket, passengers have to click the relevant button). Depending on the airline, there is a benefit of seating or a better upgrade for the first class or business class offered to the first person who checks in for the flight. To meet this demand, some sites offer travelers the ability to request airline check-in before a 24-hour window and receive airline tickets by email when available from airlines. Some airlines charge for early check-in privileges before the 24-hour window is opened, thus making use of requests for desired seats as they are immediately behind the bulkhead or emergency exits.
Mobile check-in
In the mid-2000s, check-in was possible using passenger phones or PDAs. GPRS or internet-enabled 3G or PDA-enabled smartphones are required in most instances (Finnair allows check-in via text messages), and check-in features can be accessed by entering websites in the mobile browser or by downloading custom applications. This process then resembles what is expected when checking using a personal computer.
At the end of the mobile check-in process, some airlines send mobile cell boarding passes to passenger mobile devices, which can be scanned at airports during security checks and boarding. However, others send electronic confirmations with barcodes that can be presented to staff upon check-in or scanned at the kiosk to continue the check-in process (ie, to have a boarding pass issued).
One disadvantage of the initial checkin is that it limits the agent of someone who changes their flight, because the ticket coupon must be "opened" again before any changes are made, and this may take some time to set it up.
Booking changes
In some situations, it may be necessary to change the passenger travel plans and check-in counters to deal with this issue. This may include changing travel schedules, improving travel class, changing to previous or next flight but the change depends on the condition of the ticket issued. Economy class tickets usually have a high cost or need to buy new tickets for schedule changes, as airlines want to claim higher tariffs than business travelers, and requests from business travelers often include flexibility and late bookings.
Premium check-in and lounge access
If a passenger carries a first class ticket or business or presents a specific frequent flyer program membership card (usually a higher rate), or other arrangements with the operator, access to the premium check-in and/or lounge areas may be offered.
Premium check-in areas vary between airlines and airports. The main airport where the airline hub is located usually offers a more thorough and exclusive premium check-in experience, usually in a separate check-in room. For example, the premium check-in room at Auckland International Air New Zealand provides special customs counters and direct shortcut access to security checkpoints. Airlines operating in small airports generally offer exclusive and separate exclusive check-in line exclusives, often combined for their first economy, business, and/or premium passengers.
Singapore Airlines also offers this service to First Class passengers and Suites, whose flights depart from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3. These passengers have special sidewalk side doors and can wait on the couch while the staff helps them in check-in. They then headed to a special passport control desk.
EK provides its class/business class customers with individual and separate check-in links in the DXB hub, to divide most of the economy class customers from the main check-in lobby, and then ensure that one-class/business class is customer privacy.
SkyTeam provides a priority check-in service "SkyPriority", whose members can access the check-in counters to authorize priority check-in services, along with greater baggage capacity.
Check in city
In some cities (including Bangkok, Dubai, Sharjah, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, New Delhi, Chennai, Seoul and Taipei), certain airlines provide in-city check-in service, allowing passengers to check their baggage at the check- in is located in the train or subway terminal as much as one day before. This service allows passengers to catch the train to the airport without the burden of carrying their luggage to the airport terminal. In Seoul, for example, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, and Jeju Air offer check-in service at Seoul Station. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Airlines and Cathay Pacific offer check-in in the city of KL Sentral.
References
External links
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments