Unable to board

[FrustratedQP]

Would've been a comment in the booking perhaps. Did you speak to any ground staff beforehand about something or say you had dangerous goods or asked for an earlier flight and was refused?

Didn’t speak to anybody, no dangerous goods.

 

[FrustratedQP]

I had this happen to me recently. Ticket was ASP-MEL-SYD with a 40 min connection in MEL.
Delays in MEL all day due apparently to the hot weather so the operating inbound MEL-ASP was late. Boarding commenced about 30 minutes behind schedule and at the gate I had a beep (OLCI about 20 hours earlier for both flights) and looked over at the screen where I saw "unable to board". There was some chatter about my chances of making the connection and if I should be put on the direct ASP-SYD leaving an hour or so later. They decided I would make my connection, punched something into the computer (manual override?) and waved me through.

No connections, simply Mel to Syd.

 

[TomVexille]

Were you sitting in the exit row by any chance?

 

[kermatu]

Would've been a comment in the booking perhaps. Did you speak to any ground staff beforehand about something or say you had dangerous goods or asked for an earlier flight and was refused?

That would happen at check-in surely, not the gate?

 

[kermatu]

Were you sitting in the exit row by any chance?

Wouldn't this also be an issue at check-in, not the gate?

 

[FrustratedQP]

Were you sitting in the exit row by any chance?

Row 1 (exit row) but row 1 on the way down too with no problems.

 

[Spongbob]

I have worked it out: you were in the downgrade lottery.

 

[TomVexille]

Wouldn't this also be an issue at check-in, not the gate?

Yeah, usually. But was the only other thing I could think of

 

[TheInsider]

That would happen at check-in surely, not the gate?

Staff can put in comments to advise other staff in some circumstances. For example a passenger may have been advised no earlier flights are available, so when they ask the next staff member they can confirm that they have already been told no. It can be all free text and can only come up in certain airport touchpoints.

 

[cgichard]

Weird things do happen. I had completed SQ online check in and checked in normally at MEL, but had no checked baggage - all HLO. Went to board as normal and was stopped and my boarding-pass taken. Everyone boggled as according to the system I hadn't checked in! Was told they had been calling my name, but I had heard nothing, maybe as I was already at the gate area. What's more, the woman from the check-in counter was one of the staff checking boarding-passes at the gate. I remembered her well enough but she didn't recognise me. Either that or she had inadvertently failed to complete the check-in process, and didn't want to admit it.

After some delay they printed another boarding-pass and I was allowed to board, and was in the seat I had selected. So all ended well, but I remain mystified as to what went wrong.

 

[Himeno]

I've only had 2 issues like this.
Once, when AA still through checked to other PNRs, I was in BOS heading though JFK and on to the west coast. 2 PNRs, checked through fine. Boarding passes issued.
While I was in the lounge, someone removed me from the BOS-JFK flight and when I went to board, the reader beeped. Got it fixed, but lost my front row economy seat and was bumped back to the exit row.

The other was in LHR, flying to China with their Transit without Visa scheme. All documentation was fine, just the check in staff had no idea about the Chinese TWOV system. 20 minutes and a number of phone calls later, and I was checked in and everything good.
Only when I went to board, I found someone had removed the DOCS OK flag from the system and had to go through the entire TWOV verification process again.

 

[JohnK]

I wish I knew the answer. It’s no big deal really, I just thought one of the wise people here would know.

I can't answer your question but sometimes funny things can happen with travel.

I had a confirmed award booking on SQ since May and when I went to check-in Christmas Day I was told I was on standby and took about 10 minutes to check-in and finally put in premium economy.

How did I go from confirmed booking to standby? Who knows.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Row 1 (exit row) but row 1 on the way down too with no problems.

SYD-MEL on a 738 in J row 1 is a bulkhead row but not an exit row. If you were in an exit row in whY and had done OLCI or mobile checkin sometimes staff have to acknowlege that you are suitable for the exit row or you'll get the dreaded beep at the gate. Once the GA has acklowledged and cleared the comment (about exit row suitability) on the ineligible to board list in the boarding application the pax will be able to board.

If someone's sequence number on the boarding pass has changed even if they hold the same seat number they'll get a beep at the gate. This may happen if they're moved to a later flight due to a potential mis-connect situation but subsequently moved back to the original flight in their original seat, however the OP didn't have an inward connection.

 

[33kft]

I recently flew from POM to MEL via BNE with QF and at POM they had issued me all my boarding passes. Upon landing in BNE and heading for the domestic transfer, the gate attendant scanned my next leg boarding pass, laughed, looked at me and said "did they do this in PNG?". I said yes (would have thought obviously??), she tore it up and printed me a new one. Not sure what they got so wrong, it looked okay to me. Maybe the funny part was in the free text field...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I can't answer your question but sometimes funny things can happen with travel.

I had a confirmed award booking on SQ since May and when I went to check-in Christmas Day I was told I was on standby and took about 10 minutes to check-in and finally put in premium economy.

How did I go from confirmed booking to standby? Who knows.

What class had you originally booked? You were potentially on 'standby' for a seat in a higher class in the event of an oversell. If your original seat was no longer required for another passenger you would have been put back in your original seat.

 

[JohnK]

What class had you originally booked? You were potentially on 'standby' for a seat in a higher class in the event of an oversell. If your original seat was no longer required for another passenger you would have been put back in your original seat.

I was booked in economy. No KrisFlyer status and my Virgin Gold number wasn't in booking.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I was booked in economy. No KrisFlyer status and my Virgin Gold number wasn't in booking.

Still might have been that they wanted your seat

SQ is quite generous with bumping. Happened to friends and they were put up at the Melbourne Airport hotel, given $250 each, and an upgrade to business class... and on the flight 8 hours later or whatever. They were very happy

 

[RichardMEL]

Wouldn't this also be an issue at check-in, not the gate?

If one is domestic with HLO and using a mobile BP or even checks in at a kiosk there's no interaction with anyone prior to the gate. Not sure how this works for domestic exit rows as I can't recall the last time I've sat in one.

re row 1 on the 737/330 - they're not really classed as exit rows.. just bulkheads since you're not directly by an exit, just have them in front.

but yes, the exit row seating was my thought too.

 

[kermatu]

If one is domestic with HLO and using a mobile BP or even checks in at a kiosk there's no interaction with anyone prior to the gate. Not sure how this works for domestic exit rows as I can't recall the last time I've sat in one.

Gets confusing with different examples added, but the OP's scenario had checked baggage and is the one (I think!) I was querying.

Interesting how many different problems can arise in what seems such a straight-forward process of check-in to boarding.