Why do airlines always have to deface boarding passes?

[jad01]

I am wondering why airlines think I am a total retard by circling 6 items on my boarding pass.

I'm a silver with Virgin Blue/Velocity and Qantas Gold FF, so clearly they can see this isnt my first time on an aircraft.

Looking at my boarding pass the other day they have used a big fat marker to circle 6 items so much that u can't read other parts around it.

Why do I need to have my seat, membership number, gate number, class I'm flying, boarding time all circled.....I booked the flight/class myself, I put in my own membership number and I just selected my own seat.

I have an idea next time I fly when I hand over my ID I'm going to use a marker and make circles all over it....."here's my name, there's my date of birth, that's what I look like and here's where I live"

I don't know why, but right after the person in front of me reclining on a very short haul, that's my second pet peeve.

JASON

 

[comint]

The Virgin Blue Lounge in Sydney T2 now stamps your boarding pass with a "Virgin Blue" aircraft - when you enter.

This leads to some amusing looks from Jetstar FAs as you board their service, with Virgin Blue prominently stamped on your BP. (After using Priority Pass the enter the Lounge, when flying JQ.)

 

[docjames]

The Virgin Blue Lounge in Sydney T2 now stamps your boarding pass with a "Virgin Blue" aircraft - when you enter.

This leads to some amusing looks from Jetstar FAs as you board their service, with Virgin Blue prominently stamped on your BP. (After using Priority Pass the enter the Lounge, when flying JQ.)

That'd be the point of doing it i'd suspect!

 

[dajop]

Aaah, have you ever flown in India? If you haven't you really don't know what stamping a boarding pass is all about. When I was last there, in the time between the boarding pass being printed and getting on the plane, I had at least two stamps and a few pen markings on my boarding pass, which had been looked at by at least 7 people.....

 

[N860CR]

I'd imagine it may be to cover their backsides in the off chance that perhaps one spends a little too much time in the Lounge or wherever, misses their flight and trys the "oh but it wasn't made clear which gate I was at, the agent didn't tell me" or "I confused boarding time with departure time" etc etc.

 

[JohnK]

Recently some QF checkin staff have been circling on my boarding pass, in pen, the seat number, the gate and boarding time. I prefer they did not write on my boarding pass but other than telling them not to do it there is not much you do about it.

As for recliners.... I will leave that for another thread....

 

[v8Statesman]

The boarding pass is just a piece of paper/cardboard that allows you onto the plane. Why do people care what the staff do with it?

I'd only care if they scribbled out 1A and wrote next to it 45H

 

[NYCguy]

Aaah, have you ever flown in India? If you haven't you really don't know what stamping a boarding pass is all about. When I was last there, in the time between the boarding pass being printed and getting on the plane, I had at least two stamps and a few pen markings on my boarding pass, which had been looked at by at least 7 people.....

That's fantastic... No-one does bureaucracy like the Indians!

 

[Keith009]

I never cease to be amused when the C/I staff circle the space where the gate number is meant to be printed even though there's only a big blank as the gate number isn't known yet. It's like some automatic reflex action.

 

[garyjohn951]

That's fantastic... No-one does bureaucracy like the Indians!

The chinese are not far behind.

A couple of years back at an airport I required to hire a trolley. I was directed to a table with 2 ladies manning the table. The one on the right told me the cost, 5 rmb, I paid the amount, she gave me a ticket. I started towards the trolleys, but was stopped and directed to the lady sitting next to the first one. She promptly took my ticket and handed it to the porter standing next to her who went and got the trolley.
If that is not double handling I don't know what is.

 

[JohnK]

The boarding pass is just a piece of paper/cardboard that allows you onto the plane. Why do people care what the staff do with it?

To some people it is a little more than just a piece of paper. It is something to look back on many years from now, if the ink lasts that long, as a reminder of past trips. I also have airline itineraries & tickets, bus tickets, train tickets, shop receipts, phone cards etc from previous trips. Always brings a smile to my face and wonderful memories when I look through the scattered collection.

Is a stamp, football cards, baseball cards etc more important than a boarding pass? Some people pay a lot of money for them as you would an airline ticket. You want to have them in the best condition possible. Not defaced....

 

[Mr_Gimlet]

It's like some automatic reflex action.

The OP assumes it's for his benefit. I actually think it's a checklist that the staff are trained to do, and the circling is the reminder that they've done it. Same thing applies with credit card transactions at places like JB.

 

[Warks]

When they start circling the SEQ NBR and explaining it you'll know they've gone too far!

 

[NM]

The OP assumes it's for his benefit. I actually think it's a checklist that the staff are trained to do, and the circling is the reminder that they've done it. Same thing applies with credit card transactions at places like JB.

I agree this the main reason for it. This way they (and any other airline staff) know that the right checks and information transfer has happened at check-in.

 

[ejb]

When they start circling the SEQ NBR and explaining it you'll know they've gone too far!

Hi,

I think too far will be when printing OLCI and you find the circles.

ejb

 

[pauly7]

Hi,

I think too far will be when printing OLCI and you find the circles.

ejb

I printed with OLCI, then took it to check in baggage and got circles, does that count?

 

[JohnK]

Got three circles on the boarding pass when checking in at BNE yesterday evening. Just as well otherwise I may not have not known where to go for my 45 minute delayed flight....

 

[oz_mark]

Recently some QF checkin staff have been circling on my boarding pass, in pen, the seat number, the gate and boarding time. I prefer they did not write on my boarding pass but other than telling them not to do it there is not much you do about it.

On my last one they only circled the bit that says ETKT.

Having said that my cardboard boarding pass was defaced by a large bar code in the middle!

 

[oz_mark]

Is a stamp, football cards, baseball cards etc more important than a boarding pass? Some people pay a lot of money for them as you would an airline ticket. You want to have them in the best condition possible. Not defaced....

But all the circles etc. prove that it is a used boarding pass, (much like a mark on a stamp indicates it was used). Mint unused boarding passes are not much good!

 

[JohnK]

Point taken! I should have seen that one coming.