Auto checked-in for a flight I can’t take

[samh004]

Earlier this month I booked a return OOL-SYD ticket on JQ and checked the box at the end for auto check-in, where the system automatically checks you in and emails you your boarding pass.

Unfortunately, in the days since I have changed my flight plans to fly on to MEL instead of returning home.

When I phoned JQ earlier last week and asked if they could cancel my return only (so they could resell the seats, I had no intention of getting a refund) they advised they’d need to cancel the whole ticket, so I said leave it.

Now flash forward to this morning and auto check-in has activated, but only for the return flight SYD-OOL, quite stupidly, as it’s the last flight out of 3 that day to depart.

I have no intentions of causing nuisances to any other passengers in the airport, or make the flight back to OOL late, so do you think they’d be happy to uncheck me at SYD when I check-in to MEL? If there’s a fee involved, I’m sorry to all those passengers but I’m working on a very tight budget… anyone know if I should be OK?

I know I’ve read threads here where you could be charged for not taking a flight, but I enquired about cancelling the leg and JQ wanted to cancel it all, with no refund. That wasn’t acceptable. :-|

 

[opusman]

JQ don't strike me as the type of airline to wait around waiting for people to board. If you haven't checked any baggage in I'd say they'd just shut the doors and leave at the appropriate time whether you had boarded or not.

 

[ejb_nz]

You will be fine Sam, J* will not wait for you and as you would not have checked bags there will be no holdup for the other pax. As to them charging you for not taking the flight I have never heard of this on dom flights.

Very nice of you though to care about your fellow pax.

Enjoy Melbourne and I hope your sister gets in to her choice of uni.

ejb

 

[samh004]

JQ don't strike me as the type of airline to wait around waiting for people to board. If you haven't checked any baggage in I'd say they'd just shut the doors and leave at the appropriate time whether you had boarded or not.

You will be fine Sam, J* will not wait for you and as you would not have checked bags there will be no holdup for the other pax. As to them charging you for not taking the flight I have never heard of this on dom flights.

Very nice of you though to care about your fellow pax.

Enjoy Melbourne and I hope your sister gets in to her choice of uni.

ejb

That’s something to surely remember, a little alarming perhaps. But in this case, it’s good for me, and for other pax.

Thanks!

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Probably what would happen is JQ would close the flight at minus 30 & print the paperwork out for the crew then head up to board the flight.

They would only realise you weren't travelling once everyone else was onboard so they would need to reopen the flight and cancel you off it. Depending on the crew they may elect to keep the original paperwork and manually cross you off the list provided the skipper is okay with that or worse case scenario reprint the manifest if indeed they still do that.

They didn't make it easy for you considering you were doing them the favour not the other way around!

If the sectors were not part of a though fare I don't know why reservations couldn't have cancelled that one sector. If somebody had some foresight all they needed to do was ring the airport for them to
uncheck you in - that way you wouldn't have been on the final manifest and would have saved them from having to offload you.

I think sometimes when you call airline reservations (not just JQ) they have absolutely no about airport procedures whatsoever.....sort of like ringing the Westpac and asking about ANZ account fees and charges!

Cheers Oz

 

[N860CR]

I find that calling the Westpac call centre also often leeds me to someone who knows nothing about the Westpac procedures... let alone ANZ!

 

[samh004]

Well, about to go to bed in preparation for my day tomorrow. I’m going to assume they wont wait and not tell them I’m not going to be boarding the plane, it’s not like they could resell the seats at that point anyway. Some lucky person will have 2 spare seats next to them.