The thermal BPs

[AnonymousCoward]

I can't say that I'm a fan after getting a few of these from the quickcheck kiosks.

that said, when getting on the plane, I still see a lot of people with the older style cardboard BPs. Where do they get them from? Do they check in at a counter?

 

[Hvr]

The couple of cardboard BPs I've had recently were obtained from the GAs when I've asked for and received a seat change.

Also, there may be examples of people getting their BP from an overseas port when transferring after arrival in AUS.

 

[ejb_nz]

Hi all,

I always check in at the QP and they still provide old style boarding cards.

ejb

 

[Skoogle]

On a similar track, I rarely notice other passengers with A4 web-checkin printouts.

I have been wondering if they are exchanged for regular BPs at baggage check in.

 

[ejb_nz]

On a similar track, I rarely notice other passengers with A4 web-checkin printouts.

I have been wondering if they are exchanged for regular BPs at baggage check in.

When I do OLCI I quite often forget the printout (I always fly very early am) and get the QP to print a new one.

Slightly OT, but why to Int J get "Business Class" boarding passes while Dom J get the same as Y? Not a life changing question but I travelled on a Dom leg of Int flight recently (to check out the FLounge) and was issued a boarding pass that had a different colour and "Business Class" printed on the top.

 

[Harpoon]

When I do OLCI I quite often forget the printout (I always fly very early am) and get the QP to print a new one.

Slightly OT, but why to Int J get "Business Class" boarding passes while Dom J get the same as Y? Not a life changing question but I travelled on a Dom leg of Int flight recently (to check out the FLounge) and was issued a boarding pass that had a different colour and "Business Class" printed on the top.

That can often depend on whether they actually have some of the black "Business Class" cards to put in the machine or not. Sometimes they don't have any on hand. Other times your check in person may simply forget. I wouldn't read too much in to it.

 

[Dave Noble]

That can often depend on whether they actually have some of the black "Business Class" cards to put in the machine or not. Sometimes they don't have any on hand. Other times your check in person may simply forget. I wouldn't read too much in to it.

It is normal to receive a Black striped boarding pass for International Business and a Brown Striped one for 1st class whilst domestically (QF400+) all get the same standard boarding passes

The useful reason why I could think that they use different passes is to make it easy to spot for eligability to certain services at some ports ( e.g. Fast Track in the UK ), though I suspect the main reason is for ego massaging purposes



Dave

 

[albatross710]

One advantage of the thermal boarding pass is that it is smaller and can be folded into the shirt pocket. I dislike having the full length boarding card sticking out.

On the topic of OLCI print outs. The operators are always keen to swap them for airport printed passes. I think they sometimes have compatibility problems with scanning the code which has been printed by little johnnies refilled ink jet cartridge which has a couple of clogged jets. The sort of thing that can hold up aircraft loading.

 

[MelUser]

The one which the AA quick desk thingy churns out in the US are frightful! Better to ask in the AA club for a proper reprint

 

[Harpoon]

I think they sometimes have compatibility problems with scanning the code which has been printed by little johnnies refilled ink jet cartridge which has a couple of clogged jets. The sort of thing that can hold up aircraft loading.

Clearly Qantas should provide every customer with a Laser printer

 

[KiwiSurfer]

On the topic of OLCI print outs. The operators are always keen to swap them for airport printed passes. I think they sometimes have compatibility problems with scanning the code which has been printed by little johnnies refilled ink jet cartridge which has a couple of clogged jets. The sort of thing that can hold up aircraft loading.

Does QF scan the codes in Australia? At AKL and WLG they don't bother to scan the barcode on the OLCI check-in -- they just rip the bottom part off and key in the data later! It does seem like a slow process though and printing an entire A4 paper does seem like a waste too.

Unfourtently I can't find a way to get the QF kiosks to print a new BP -- my experience is that if I have used OLCI then the kiosks refuses to recognise my booking!

DJ at AKL and WLG does use the scanner though and it seems to work fine. I'll be flying on NZ on an award ticket on Monday so be interesting to see how they handle it. Have already printed my OLCI boarding pass!

- James

 

[oz_mark]

Does QF scan the codes in Australia? At AKL and WLG they don't bother to scan the barcode on the OLCI check-in -- they just rip the bottom part off and key in the data later! It does seem like a slow process though and printing an entire A4 paper does seem like a waste too.

In my experience, yes they do scan the bar code. I have only ever once been sent to the service desk to get another bp. as for A4 paper, one would guess they chose that size as it is what most people would have on hand.

Unfourtently I can't find a way to get the QF kiosks to print a new BP -- my experience is that if I have used OLCI then the kiosks refuses to recognise my booking!

used to be the case in Australia as well, although one of the upgrades fixed this.

 

[straitman]

Does QF scan the codes in Australia? At AKL and WLG they don't bother to scan the barcode on the OLCI check-in -- they just rip the bottom part off and key in the data later! It does seem like a slow process though and printing an entire A4 paper does seem like a waste too.

DJ at AKL and WLG does use the scanner though and it seems to work fine. I'll be flying on NZ on an award ticket on Monday so be interesting to see how they handle it. Have already printed my OLCI boarding pass!

- James

I've used the OLCI passes throughout Oz & NZ without issue. They seem to scan OK and not hold the stream up at all. The only time I have had issue is when OLCI first started and I used a fairly low quality printer.

Maybe, as someone else pointed out QF and DJ should provide laser printers for us all and eliminate the problem completely.

 

[oz_mark]

I've used the OLCI passes throughout Oz & NZ without issue. They seem to scan OK and not hold the stream up at all. The only time I have had issue is when OLCI first started and I used a fairly low quality printer.

Maybe, as someone else pointed out QF and DJ should provide laser printers for us all and eliminate the problem completely.

...not forgetting that they would need toprovide toner as well!

 

[straitman]

...not forgetting that they would need toprovide toner as well!

I'd probably settle for a good discount on the toner.

 

[albatross710]

Maybe, as someone else pointed out QF and DJ should provide laser printers for us all and eliminate the problem completely.

The new co-branded Canon Qantas Laser printer. 10,000 points on your first page, 5,000 points when you print your first QF boarding pass.

Like pre-paid mobile phones, the printer is 'locked' to the Qantas network and can't print Virgin boarding passes or itineries.

Available for a small upfront fee and a bank guarantee for the price of new cartidges.

 

[straitman]

The new co-branded Canon Qantas Laser printer. 10,000 points on your first page, 5,000 points when you print your first QF boarding pass.

Like pre-paid mobile phones, the printer is 'locked' to the Qantas network and can't print Virgin boarding passes or itineries.

Available for a small upfront fee and a bank guarantee for the price of new cartidges.

 

[KiwiSurfer]

used to be the case in Australia as well, although one of the upgrades fixed this.

Interesting. I'm flying on QF to WLG this Thursday so will be interesting to see if it is still the case at AKL. Perhaps the AKL kiosks were still using the older software when when I tried it a few weeks ago?

How long ago was it fixed in AU?

- James

 

[Fluid-Flyer]

whether they actually have some of the black "Business Class" cards to put in the machine or not. Sometimes they don't have any on hand. Other times your check in person may simply forget.

I don’t think "forgetting" is an issue, as the printer will actually stop, and prompt the agent to enter the correctly coloured boarding pass.

I only know this, as once when flying SYD-BNE to connect to an International flight, I managed to hold up the check-in queue for 5 minutes, while the agent tried to figure out why my second boarding pass wouldn’t print. It printed my first domestic J leg fine, on the standard QF card, but baulked at the second. Eventually someone else came over, and together they figured out they had to manually put a card into the printer (as it was subtly asking for a “black one”). Being SYD T3 of course, they didn’t have a black one (how QF Sydneycentric is that?! i.e. why would anyone fly domestic from SYD to connect elsewhere to International LOL) so they just fed in a standard one.

At AKL and WLG they don't bother to scan the barcode on the OLCI check-in -- they just rip the bottom part off and key in the data later!

Ooh, how very Jetstar!

I've used the OLCI passes throughout Oz & NZ without issue. They seem to scan OK and not hold the stream up at all.

You have not seen "a boarding" executed efficiently until you fly Virgin Blue or Tiger. In Australia, both these airlines now use hand held bar code scanners, so all you hear is beep, beep, beep… as people stream past to board (DJ & TT use two door boarding, as general procedure*, so quick processing at the gate doesn't tend to produce too much of a bottle neck further on). (* there are exceptions, e.g. ADL?)

All Tiger & Virgin Blue Boarding Passes have bar codes. Interestingly, I find, Virgin Blue has the most diversity of boarding passes presented at the gate (from OLCI, to shopper docket and auto-check-in prints, with every second person in the queue holding holding a different one). Of course, Tiger only uses shopper docket. (Now as a single docket ala DJ, rather than the detachable second print-out ala JQ.)

The Qantas system is a few seconds slower, per passenger, than both DJ & TT when scanning the bar code - as the Gate Attendant has to actually take the Boarding Pass from the passenger and place it under the scanner. (On Virgin & Tiger, you hold out your boarding pass, barcode facing up, out and toward to gate attendant, as you approach. Then when its your turn, in a flick of their wrist, you're scanned. There's not really any need to stop moving through the whole process.)

Jetstar, of course, persists with taking the second print-out/receipt rip-off portion of the boarding pass. But as they, like Qantas, (now) use single door boarding in major ports, a slower moving queue is probably a good thing?!

 

[AnonymousCoward]

One advantage of the thermal boarding pass is that it is smaller and can be folded into the shirt pocket. I dislike having the full length boarding card sticking out.

I had the opposite experience. I've folded mine up to put in my pocket, and then they have been mangled. Or, one time I almost lost it when I took my phone out and the BP fell out at the same time. I suppose I should just be more careful, but the older cardboard ones were harder to butcher, and harder to lose.