Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

[serfty]

Just checking back in on serfty's OP - did you have any luck with this last night?

None!

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ydney-30th-31st-july-29321-17.html#post478163

Hmmm ... refused at both the MEL QP and JL last night for JQ215. Maybe I should have gone to JQ domestic check-in.

They even looked shocked at my suggestion - "Can't do it for international".

Arrived at airport 6:30pm. No QF/JQ international departures for over four hours so all closed up there.

Tried at domestic QP and JL services desks separately with the quoted result.

At 8:15pm went and tried at the QF service desk (open for QF29) same result.

Asked JQ staff setting up for my flight ~8:30pm ... "sorry have to wait until we start check-in".

Was at front of queue whan check-in opened 8:45pm (late due to inability to get monitors over the check-in counters showing correct flight information).

Was at Flounge 9pm to be informed that they would be closing ~10:20pm, but would be welcome to use J lounge after that as it was staying open for an Air Pacific red-eye to NAN.

 

[djfuzz]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

So pretty much entirely counter to the earlier experiences of others? Damn inconsistency.

Did you try JQ domestic? Was it just printing out the boarding pass post-OLCI that was the issue, or did you need to check in as well? I'm interested in whether or not they'd print the BPs if Jetstar check-in was open for any other international flight, since it is supposedly just an issue of printing out the BP rather than checking in - similar I would have thought to web check-in for a QF international flight.

Also, slightly OT, but does the F lounge have any scheduled closing hours during the day? The only official statement seems to suggest it is open from 0430 until 'last departure'. I've once caught JQ 36 and got through to the F lounge only to be told it was shut due to QF 93 being delayed - would be really annoying if it's a regular thing.

 

[serfty]

Had exit seat so could not OLCI.

They did not even try - both times it was a straight out "can't do it" along with a demeanour of disbelief that I'd even ask such a thing. :-|

The JQ domestic check-in counters had lots of people queued up. I went upstairs instead.

Obviously the facility is there; It would be good if one could quote basic function names/sequences/instructions when rebuffed.

All in all I had about 80 minutes in Flounge and 30 in the business lounge.

 

[djfuzz]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Hmm, might be the exit seat / lack of OLCI that got you serfty, meaning they would have to actually have to check you in to an international sector which was too hard.

I rearranged a few things and did a last minute trial D sector run today and it went pretty decently. Did OLCI and arrived at the airport just before check-in for JQ 7 closed. Initially was told that it couldn't be done, but mentioned I just wanted to print the BP and I was already checked-in. Was directed to the service desk, but then called back (probably as there were no JQ 7 pax left) and had the BP and D sticker given to me after sighting my ID, no trouble at all.

Managed to get through security and get an extra hour or so in the lounge, just enough time to fit in breakfast, some work and casual reading, a spa treatment and a light lunch without hurrying through as usual. Skipped the anat0l-inspired 'lounge procured snack', though there were a few things on the servery (tarts and the like) that could possibly have filled that role. Too full after all the food tbh.

I hope that this isn't just a try-your-luck-type scenario - with the advent of OLCI, JQ is starting to be a little but more responsive to pax not travelling with baggage and working around the sub-3 hour rule, as it really doesn't seem to be that big a deal to print out the BPs (as opposed to whatever the issue is with actually checking someone in). I understand the need for someone physically sighting photo ID (well, I understand it's a requirement, not that there's any logic to it), but surely it isn't too anti-LCC to give pax the flexibility to do this on their own at a kiosk or through the service desk.

Also, I was very surprised to find the aircraft today had new interiors - QF Sicma-style Starclass with seat-back screens and the same in economy (though I'd swear they took away a bit of seat pitch). I had no idea JQ were updating interiors and, but for the seat pitch issue, I quite liked it. Not too LCC at all.

 

[markis10]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Also, I was very surprised to find the aircraft today had new interiors - QF Sicma-style Starclass with seat-back screens and the same in economy (though I'd swear they took away a bit of seat pitch). I had no idea JQ were updating interiors and, but for the seat pitch issue, I quite liked it. Not too LCC at all.

Sounds like you got EBQ which I had on Saturday. Its one of the new JQ/QF flexi aircraft.

 

[serfty]

Hmm, might be the exit seat / lack of OLCI that got you serfty, meaning they would have to actually have to check you in to an international sector which was too hard. ...

They did not even know I was in an exit seat. I was simply brandishing my itinerary.

Aside from that OLCI should not have been necessary in this case - see BrisVegas Traveller's post #16.

 

[markis10]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

OLCI does seem to make a difference though, and there is no reason why you cannot do it for exit rows, I OLCI for JQ35 with the exit row selected, the T2 QP then moved me forward in case I was short of time after asking me, so the did a seat change and a BP print (one of the QP ladies was being trained on the JQ system , I asked if she could be trained on how to do an ODU - no luck )

 

[serfty]

Dunno about you but when I OLCI for Exit row it tell me nada!

 

[markis10]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Dunno about you but when I OLCI for Exit row it tell me nada!

Yep, and it told me to print out the page and present to the checkin desk as it was not a boarding pass.

 

[BVT]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Like most things QF/JQ related, "it all depends".

If you get a good CSA on the day, then all is sunshine and joy; if, on the other hand....

OT, but, on Saturday I got a "dressing down" from a clearly bored JQ CSA for not printing my domestic flight BP when checking in online. There were five of them all in a row and nary a customer to be seen. I felt "terrible" about the imposition - asking her to print my BP.

 

[serfty]

Yep, and it told me to print out the page and present to the checkin desk as it was not a boarding pass.

I had no such option nor advice - it simply showed a new window which indicated nada along with a box of fields for the entry of information to check-in with another booking.

I am thinking MEL-SYD being domestic is being treated differently to real international segments such as MEL-AKL!

 

[djfuzz]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Didn't have a chance to do the T2 BP print out on the return leg and there was no JQ flight open for check-in with two hours of the start of JQ 35 check-in, so I rocked up just after sub-3 hours to find a modest queue.

However, there were some signs straddling the queues directing (not very well!) web check-in traffic to one of the queues (absolutely clear as mud which one it was). So I took my chances in the Starclass queue which was shortly confirmed for me by a helpful CSA - a much quicker check-in process than I've been used to on this leg. Ended up getting 2.5 hours in the F lounge thanks to a slightly delayed flight.

 

[serfty]

With respect, why would anyone want to spend LONGER at an airport (much less the tin tube itself) than they absolutely had to? .I always thought airport lounges existed to provide a modicum of shelter from the reek of the heaving great unwashed during enforced layovers or (for us oldies) that little bit of extra time one (eventually) learns to leave in order to avoid a coronary in the inevitable traffic jam on the the way to the airport. I am delighted to learn lounges also serve double duty providing sustenance to the homeless! Bravo JQ! Despite the consistent surliness of your staff, you do have a social conscience after all?

Now I better understand the reasoning behind your occasional deep discounting of tickets. We seniors should save up the pension to buy QFF membership rather than Whiskas and then get to lie around in airport lounges scoffing stale canapes washed down with copious quantities of vin ordinaire...

With all due respect to you Sir, I was being dropped off at the airport at 6:30pm for a 11:50pm flight.

Why would I not want to spend most of my time awaiting my flight in the quiet comfort of the Qantas International First Class Lounge that I, as a QFF Platinum, was entitled to access?

Note the Qantas International First Class Lounge at Melbourne airport provisions much better catering than "stale canapes washed down with copious quantities of vin ordinaire".

If such is not your style, so be it - but I would expect that you'd respect the desires of others and not criticise them for it so.

 

[FirstClass]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

With all due respect to you Sir, I was being dropped off at the airport at 6:30pm for a 11:50pm flight.

Why would I not want to spend most of my time there in the relatively nice comfort of the Qantas International First Class Lounge that I, as a QFF Platinum, was entitled to access?

Quite right too! Apologies for my pathetic attempt at humour. The SYD first class lounge is actually one of the nicer ones, although after my post they might withdraw platinum privileges...

 

[LAH]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

With all due respect to you Sir, I was being dropped off at the airport at 6:30pm for a 11:50pm flight.

Why would I not want to spend most of my time awaiting my flight in the quiet comfort of the Qantas International First Class Lounge that I, as a QFF Platinum, was entitled to access?

Note the Qantas International First Class Lounge at Melbourne airport provisions much better catering than "stale canapes washed down with copious quantities of vin ordinaire".

If such is not your style, so be it - but I would expect that you'd respect the desires of others and not criticise them for it so.

It wasn't Jetstar ..... but last year I was dropped at airport 5 hours before mel/akl flight. It was a QF flight. First class check in wasn't open, went to counter to check in, but they wouldn't do it - something about the flight not being open for check in yet. Moved myself to some chairs outside first class check in. Roaming QF staff member stopped to ask me if everything was alright and I explained that I had been dropped off at airport early for my flight. This guy was amazing - he took me to service desk, checked me in, printed my boarding pass and wished me a nice day! I was lucky!

 

[ozbeachbabe]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Serfty, do OLCI and take the printout it generates to a JQ service desk where they can issue your boarding pass, that works for DOM legs of an INT service.

I just don't know whether OLCI can be done for a JQ Intl flight operating an true international sector such as MEL/AKL as opposed to eg OLCI for JQ35 SYD/MEL.

On that note. If there is no sign of JQ staff at the International terminal. Head over to domestic, and ask the staff to reprint your boarding pass for you. If they say they can't, insist that they try to reprint your boarding pass.

Most say "Sorry that can't be done." when they really mean to say, "Sorry, I don't know how to do that"

What I would recommend if you have attempted OLCI for a JQ intl flight domestically eg JQ35 SYD/MEL is when approaching JQ to receive the actual boarding pass is to say to the checkin person "Hi there, I've already checked in for my flight but I just need a boarding pass reprint". This some how takes the responsibility away from that person having to initiate the checkin or find an obstacle as to why they can't.

I discussed the need to go to a check in counter when I checked in on my MEL-LHR trip. Staff in the F check-in suite basically said that staff in the lounge would need to check the passport, but in essence printing my boarding card and heading through security and immigration was fine.

Basically before heading through customs as a domestic passenger bound for the F Lounge you must have the actual boarding pass printed out (not just the OLCI 'this is not a boarding pass' version) whether it be printed out by a QF or JQ person. It depends what port you are in as some ports don't have the contract to do the JQ checkin eg DRW is handled now by Menzies (was Skystar prior to that) & therefore QF staff will not have a signon & password to access the JQ Navitaire system.

Once you have a boarding pass you could put your own orange D sticker on it (if you had spares with you), write your driver's licence or passport number on it then sign it - as long as it's present before you go through customs it doesn't matter how you procure it.

I arrived in MEL on a connecting JQ flight very early for a JQi flight. I tried checking in early for the JQi flight at the F check in at MEL. Charmingly, I was told it was not possible. I then went to the QF Service Desk - JQ was closed and was told, "most things are possible for our WP's! Here is your boarding card, enjoy all that time (5 hours) in the FLounge".

Objective achieved, but in a roundabout way.

Quite possibly you may have been more successful travelling first on a QF flight BNE/MEL (not JQ dom) connecting to a JQi flight as QF have an IATCI agreement to issue the boarding passes for connecting flights on certain so any QF person could therefore print out the JQi boarding pass from Altea - it would not be necessary to have to access to & sign in to the JQ system.

So have things now changed? Are you now able to check in for a JQi flight from the QF service desk? I thought this had previously not been possible as they used different check-in systems (certainly got the same response from the kind people at the F check-in).

If the JQ flight is not booked either on the QF website whether in conjunction with other QF flights or on its own then whoever does the reprint can only access the flight via JQ's Navitaire checkin system.

I think if you check in online, the system will officially check you in. But it won't issue you a boarding pass. Giving you a "This is not a boarding pass" any JQ service desk seems to be able to reprint a boarding pass. QF have D stickers if you are on a DOM leg, as not all JQ desks stock them.

That's my experience when several AFFers went to JQ checkin at BNE Domestic. The checkin agent said "oh it's showing you all as already being checked in so she just reprinted the boarding pass (JQ35 SYD/MEL) & we assured her we would get the orange D stickers from the QP or Transfer Desk at Gate 2 at SDT.

 

[markis10]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

I just don't know whether OLCI can be done for a JQ Intl flight operating an true international sector such as MEL/AKL as opposed to eg OLCI for JQ35 SYD/MEL.
.

They did have a webcheck line at the international checkin but that was JQ35.

 

[Simo]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

I was in DRW and was going to SIN on JQ.

I landed at app midday in DRW on QF metal and went to QP and they let us in because our next flight was a JQ at app 6pm the lounge lady checked my QF profile and noted that my next flight was a JQ.

Had to go downstairs to check in closer to time but got a few hours of QP time which was all scotches as was on a boys trip OS.

DRW QP does close in the afternoon so we did get kicked out at what ever time but we had consumed much alcohol anyway the boys who where non QP members thought it was brilliant all this free alcohol and food.

 

[Flying mermaid]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Last week the oldest Ms fm was flying on a really cheap jetstar ticket to AKl I had also booked her on a Qantas cbr syd flight arriving at 1 pm and the Jetstar flight was at 6pm. She did olci the night before picked up up her boarding pass at the service desk without any hassles (she only had hand luggage) and by 2pm was sitting in the J international lounge. (She has QC membership).

OT here but her friend who was traveling with her had a total catastrophe - she was on the 1:30 flight from cbr which was cancelled. Qantas then put her on a 4pm flight to Sydney arriving 5pm and even after she told them she was connecting to an international jetstar flight wouldn't put her on an earlier one. Needless to say she got to Sydney and wasn't allowed to get her boarding pass and had to go back home.

I assume part of the problem was that there were 2 separate Pnrs, but it seemed unusual to me that Qantas refused to put her on a flight that would make the connection - she is Gold as well?

 

[ozbeachbabe]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Last week the oldest Ms fm was flying on a really cheap jetstar ticket to AKl I had also booked her on a Qantas cbr syd flight arriving at 1 pm and the Jetstar flight was at 6pm. She did olci the night before picked up up her boarding pass at the service desk without any hassles (she only had hand luggage) and by 2pm was sitting in the J international lounge. (She has QC membership).

OT here but her friend who was traveling with her had a total catastrophe - she was on the 1:30 flight from cbr which was cancelled. Qantas then put her on a 4pm flight to Sydney arriving 5pm and even after she told them she was connecting to an international jetstar flight wouldn't put her on an earlier one. Needless to say she got to Sydney and wasn't allowed to get her boarding pass and had to go back home.

I assume part of the problem was that there were 2 separate Pnrs, but it seemed unusual to me that Qantas refused to put her on a flight that would make the connection - she is Gold as well?

It should not matter than the QF & JQ were separate pnrs - as long as the arrival time of new CBR/SYD flight would meet the minimum connecting time of 1.00hour. Leaving CBR at 1600 would be an arrival in SYD of 1650 so legally they could have tagged the bags through.

AFAIK JQi flights at SYD Intl close 1 hour prior before so there is absolutely no way anybody is going to be able to collect their bag at T3 ex the CBR flight then get the train or TBus around to the international terminal to checkin with JQi prior to flight close at 1700. You can't use QF airside shuttle from T3 to T1 if you have luggage.

Were there actually any other QF flights CBR/SYD scheduled to depart between 1330 & 1600 or was the flight she was on the next flight scheduled to depart?