Qantas online checkin launched!!

[Shano]

DO they have slides on the Crash-8? Are they very short?

I must admit that I didn't pay much attention tp the safety presentation - nor did I read the safety guide in the seat pocket I assume that they do as it is still a reasonable drop from the cabin to the ground... although this would depend on if the landing gear was down or if you were up to your *rse in water :shock:

 

[RB]

Found OLCI a total waste of time bar the laptop I am going to win!. We fly into T2 from country NSW. Home airport still line up & they say you have already checked in but still need to go to line to dump bag- print of boarding pass did not work online.
T2 Sydney return flight. No spot obvious to just drop luggage. Dash 8 flight & advised by business class checkin ( shortest line) that "OLCI doesn't seem to work over here". Total waste of time & on actual flight row 1 unoccupied despite being blocked when doing OLCI.
Progress?

 

[JohnK]

Does it register you've checked in online the moment you hit the "Online Checkin" button, or only after you've printed off a boarding pass?

My guess would be at the point where you have hit "Online Checkin" and have had the opportunity to select a seat. I got to this point and backed out without going to screen to declare or deny explosives or attempting to print boarding pass and my status was already "Checked in".

Must remember to check next time I have domestic only flight.

 

[JohnK]

I'm not sure if it's OLCI or something else, but checking in at the Airport 3 hours before SYD-PER B743 flight and the only pair of 2 seats available to us via QuickCheck in business were the 2 we were auto-allocated - everything else was just single seats. This was very unexpected on an aircraft with 52 business seats. We were sequence 160/161.

My guess again would be that I think we are underestimating the number of people using online checkin.

Here is some useless statistics from my SYD-HBA flight 11 November on a 737-400. When I checked in the day before the only seats available were from row 14 back and there was plenty of these seats available. I had 4C so I stuck with it. On the flight there was 12 people seated in business and 124 seated in economy (132 max economy capacity). Only 8 vacant seats, 1 next to me (Emerald sitting in window seat and middle seat was blocked the day before), 2 next to the guy opposite ( I am guessing Emerald and seats were blocked the day before), 1 a couple of rows back and the rest down the back of the aircraft.

I asked the steward for a breakdown of the passenger manifest. In economy there was 3 Emeralds, 2 Saphhires and 10 Rubys. No one with status further back than row 13. If you are a bronze there is every incentive to use online checkin to see if you can improve your chances of a good seat. Seat allocation software had everybody with any QF membership a seat already allocated, from rows 3-13, 24 hours before flight?

 

[oz_mark]

Does it register you've checked in online the moment you hit the "Online Checkin" button, or only after you've printed off a boarding pass?

After you have selected the passengers and the flight. When you get to the screen for Review/Change seats, it clearly shows on screen that you are checked in.

In the words of QF on the OLCI instructions:

Note: Once you have selected your flights and the review/change seats page is displayed you have checked in.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Don't forget about connecting pax. They could be checked in very early depending on where they are coming from. My own record (not with QF) was checking in about 85 hours before departure!

 

[serfty]

Last week, both time when I used my printed OLCI paper, the FA at the gate cross checked my name appearing on the paper with that appearing on the monitor. :?:

I have thought about why they are doing it, but am unable to come up with any reasonable explanation other than the possibility of some sort of shenanigans.

I'll see if this continues tomorrow and if it happens I will ask ...

 

[Mal]

I believe the gate agent now checks your seat number against the monitor. This is probably to avoid the issue seen earlier when the system was first implemented with double ups on certain seats for whatever reason.

If using OLCI paper, use the gate agent who has the computer next to them ... not the GA across the aisle. Otherwise you hold up the queue while they run across and check.

I used it twice last week. System ran smoothly.

 

[rpmsol]

It seems to be taking a little longer that I would have expected for the whole process to run more smoothly.

During the Online Checkin / Lenovo giveaway, I did about 34 trips with 30 online checkins, and scored a laptop so have an extra special reason to be happy with the service!

Cheers,
Paul.

 

[garyjohn951]

Yes, I used it on tuesday and the gate agent said it was to overcome the "occassional double seat allocation". She said it has been rare since Xmas/NY. Wonder what it was like earlier ???

 

[Mal]

During the Online Checkin / Lenovo giveaway, I did about 34 trips with 30 online checkins, and scored a laptop

Wow. Congrats!

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

During the Online Checkin / Lenovo giveaway, I did about 34 trips with 30 online checkins, and scored a laptop so have an extra special reason to be happy with the service!

Congratulations ^

 

[serfty]

Ding!

I have found with QF OLCI that you can go back later and look for a different (better?) seat using the "Change/Seats" option (really it the same link).

So it would be possible to have two or more BPs for the one flight with different seats. Obviously only the last one selected is valid.

 

[oz_mark]

Re: Ding!

I have found with QF OLCI that you can go back later and look for a different (better?) seat using the "Change/Seats" option (really it the same link).

So it would be possible to have two or more BPs for the one flight with different seats. Obviously only the last one selected is valid.

Indeed. The ability to do this is in the OLCI instructions and FAQ:

Question
Can I change my seat after I have checked-in?

Answer
Yes. If you have already checked in online you can change your seat by going through the online check-in process again. You will need to print a new boarding pass.

 

[pauly7]

Re: Ding!

Indeed. The ability to do this is in the OLCI instructions and FAQ:

I think this is the best part of QF OLCI and makes it heaps better than Virgins. Virgin you will more than likey just get a cough seat and thats that. QF you can log back in a couple of times and bump yourself up - I do it all the time, really handy.

 

[serfty]

Flight yesterday and today no obvious cross reference with the monitor was evident. Maybe I looked cool or the people doing the gate forgot.

FWIW, there was only one reader being used in each case.

 

[serfty]

OLCI windows Obsercation/Circumstance

I have noted that within about 3 hours of a flight it no longer is available for OLCI. Fair enough, control has probably been given to the Airport Staff by then.

On Friday I had a booking for a 7pm departure and OCLI'd Thursday evening (seq#1). My ex BNE return was at 3pm Saturday. Both flights were on the one PNR/Booking.

I tried to OCLI just after 3pm MEL time Friday but the return flight was not yet available; I was able to have another look at my 7pm flight. OK, Daylight Saving is being taken into account; no issue there.

I tried again for my return flight at 4pm but as this was in the ~3 hour time window for my flight that evening OLCI was not offered at all; I had to wait until I arrived on BNE to do this.

No real issue with this, it's just something to be aware of.

 

[Tooner]

Re: OLCI windows Obsercation/Circumstance

I have noted that within about 3 hours of a flight it no longer is available for OLCI. Fair enough, control has probably been given to the Airport Staff by then.

On Friday I had a booking for a 7pm departure and OCLI'd Thursday evening (seq#1). My ex BNE return was at 3pm Saturday. Both flights were on the one PNR/Booking.

I tried to OCLI just after 3pm MEL time Friday but the return flight was not yet available; I was able to have another look at my 7pm flight. OK, Daylight Saving is being taken into account; no issue there.

I tried again for my return flight at 4pm but as this was in the ~3 hour time window for my flight that evening OLCI was not offered at all; I had to wait until I arrived on BNE to do this.

No real issue with this, it's just something to be aware of.

I tried something similar a couple of weeks ago for a return flight. Prior to heading for my 6:30 pm flight and within the 24 hour window for the next flight I couldn't access the return flight.

I wondered whether you cannot OLCI for a return flight on the same booking until you'd flown the outward leg? Does that make sense?

 

[Flashback]

Yes and no, it really depends on the time between when the last leg will start. If it's more than 24 hours, generally no it won't let you.

 

[thadocta]

Re: OLCI windows Obsercation/Circumstance

I wondered whether you cannot OLCI for a return flight on the same booking until you'd flown the outward leg? Does that make sense?

Nope - I flew SYD-BNE at 0705 last Tuesday, returning at 1715 the same day - checked in for both flights at around 1430 the day before (so was more than 24 hours before the return leg).

Dave