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-   -   URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting (https://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-57/urgent-esta-checkin-us-airways-angry-shouting-707347/)

sir_eccles Feb 28th 2011 4:13 pm
URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Has anyone had this problem?

I am a permanent resident usually resident in Phoenix Az, I have been visiting my folks in Manchester UK. Trying to checkin for my flight back to the US on US Airways website. It doesn't let me complete checkin and print my boarding pass because "I don't have an electronic visa" and I should go to ESTA to apply online.

Phone calls with US Airways seem to indicate I should just turn up at the airport and check in then but I don't want to get refused by desk jockeys.

I am right, green card = no ESTA?

Is this just a problem with US Airways not differentiating between visitors and PRs?

Grr argh!

bruceba Feb 28th 2011 4:16 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by sir_eccles (Post 9208032)
Has anyone had this problem?

I am a permanent resident usually resident in Phoenix Az, I have been visiting my folks in Manchester UK. Trying to checkin for my flight back to the US on US Airways website. It doesn't let me complete checkin and print my boarding pass because "I don't have an electronic visa" and I should go to ESTA to apply online.

Phone calls with US Airways seem to indicate I should just turn up at the airport and check in then but I don't want to get refused by desk jockeys.

I am right, green card = no ESTA?

Is this just a problem with US Airways not differentiating between visitors and PRs?

Grr argh!
You will be fine with airport check-in, no ESTA

Orangepants Feb 28th 2011 4:24 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Yes I always fly USAirways and have had many conversations with them about their website excluding a % of people checking in online but it goes nowhere. Just turn up and check in at the airport.

sir_eccles Feb 28th 2011 4:25 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by bruceba (Post 9208039)
You will be fine with airport check-in, no ESTA
Thanks for the reassurance. I think this is the first time I have been back to the UK since ESTA came in. Clearly the airlines are yet to have caught on.

Rete Feb 28th 2011 4:39 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
This has been discussed many times ... you cannot checkin online without an ESTA which you don't have because of a green card.

The procedure is for you to checkin at the airport.

What is to catch up on????????????

You are not a visitor to the US. You are a returning permanent resident who does not require an ESTA to travel to the US.

sir_eccles Feb 28th 2011 6:10 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by Rete (Post 9208104)
This has been discussed many times ... you cannot checkin online without an ESTA which you don't have because of a green card.

The procedure is for you to checkin at the airport.

What is to catch up on????????????

You are not a visitor to the US. You are a returning permanent resident who does not require an ESTA to travel to the US.
Calm down. The catch up is clearly on the airlines side which doesn't have a box to tick to say I am a permanent resident.

Marocco Feb 28th 2011 6:33 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by sir_eccles (Post 9208032)
Is this just a problem with US Airways not differentiating between visitors and PRs?
My wife had a similar problem when travelling in the opposite direction. She is a USC with UK PR, and United would not let her check in online without proof of onward travel. We tried calling them, but their call center employees had no idea what we were talking about.

Rete Feb 28th 2011 7:08 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Can't see what the big thing is about checking in online. My daughter checked in online just after the blizzard the day after Christmas and still was not able to get on her plane. You still have to wait to check your luggage and get through customs. Check in doesn't take all that long in my experience of flying at least 3 times a year with luggage to be checked.

SEL_boy Feb 28th 2011 7:15 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by Rete (Post 9208512)
Can't see what the big thing is about checking in online. My daughter checked in online just after the blizzard the day after Christmas and still was not able to get on her plane. You still have to wait to check your luggage and get through customs. Check in doesn't take all that long in my experience of flying at least 3 times a year with luggage to be checked.

I have to disagree - I think online check-in is a beautiful thing. If you can get away with only bringing carry-on for your trip, it saves tons of time and aggro,

I had the same problem with online check-in on US Airways a few weeks ago. They need to get that sorted out - it's in their interest after all, saves the airline time and trouble too.

Bluegrass Lass Feb 28th 2011 7:54 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Can't say I've ever used online check-in. But then, I never have just a carry- on. It doesn't save any hassle when it comes to checking the baggage - and I'd assume that if one is traveling internationally, you're going to have checked baggage. Guess I really don't see what the big deal is. It isn't like they aren't allowing PRs to fly.

Bob Feb 28th 2011 9:00 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by Rete (Post 9208512)
Can't see what the big thing is about checking in online. My daughter checked in online just after the blizzard the day after Christmas and still was not able to get on her plane. You still have to wait to check your luggage and get through customs. Check in doesn't take all that long in my experience of flying at least 3 times a year with luggage to be checked.
Depends on the airport...but it can save a lot of time...in Boston, depending on the airline, if you're already checkedin online, you can go down a different line to dump your baggage, they check your checkin and passport and take the baggage, much quicker than being in the line for people having to check in as well.

Also, if you're travelling with just hand luggage, you can just avoid the whole thing.

It is a bit daft to not allow LPR's to do online checkin, it's not a huge thing to implement really, tick box, perhaps ask for the number on the card and away you go rather than just not allowing it. It's been in action long enough for these kinks to get ironed out.

Orangepants Feb 28th 2011 9:26 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Can make a big difference if you are like me and get to the airport late. Twice US Airways have refused me boarding with 58 mins to flight time and I wasn't checked in online. Found that if I am checked online - they accomodate you and get you through. I try to be a bit more responsible now and get there in good time :lol:

Englishmum Feb 28th 2011 9:41 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by sir_eccles (Post 9208032)

Is this just a problem with US Airways not differentiating between visitors and PRs?
I can't check in online with Singapore Airlines either when returning to the US and I have a green card (although I usually fly via Frankfurt). I guess the airline doesn't want to risk paying a huge fine and returning the pax to the embarkation point, preferring to manually check green cards. Oh well, Changi airport is a great place to hang out before the flight so I don't mind getting there early...:)

GeoffM Feb 28th 2011 9:53 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Several airlines allow you to choose your seats at online checkin if you weren't able to do so during booking which is a definite bonus if you have a group or just know some of the tricks of where to sit.

Bag drop is normally very quick, oftentimes barely a queue compared to checkin desks. If it wasn't for self-check cubicles we wouldn't have made our last flight out of Orlando because the queue was so long and didn't move for the half hour we waited. Several other flights have been uncomfortably tight despite arriving in plenty of time (in theory).

Zoe Bell Feb 28th 2011 11:26 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
People who haven't checked in online tend to be the first to be bumped as well

JAJ Mar 1st 2011 12:19 am
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
US visa holders also don't need to do ESTA.

Ultimately - take it up with the airline and if they don't respond, then take your business elsewhere, to the extent that you can.

Brit3964 Mar 1st 2011 1:21 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by SEL_boy (Post 9208527)
I have to disagree - I think online check-in is a beautiful thing. If you can get away with only bringing carry-on for your trip, it saves tons of time and aggro,.
Agreed. I regularly travel with US Airways (CLT is my second home!) and always check-in online. The earlier the better. You can select the best seats etc. and being Silver preferred I often get 1st class upgrades :) The earlier you check-in, the more likely the upgrade in my experience.

Bluegrass Lass Mar 1st 2011 2:47 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by Zoe Bell (Post 9209063)
People who haven't checked in online tend to be the first to be bumped as well
Not if you're there 3hours early like you are supposed to be for an international flight.

Zoe Bell Mar 1st 2011 4:03 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
depends , if everyone else got there 4 hours early.

A pilots/aircrew/travelling public forum that i frequeent listed the order of priority for overbooked flights

I don't rember the exact order but the bottom of the list were

people who haven't checked in online
people on standby
staff travel passes


given how much flights get overbooked . I would want to be as fasr up the list as possible

Noorah101 Mar 2nd 2011 12:44 am
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by sunflwrgrl13 (Post 9208615)
and I'd assume that if one is traveling internationally, you're going to have checked baggage.
LOL, depends for how long a trip. I spent 3 weeks in Turkey and only brought one carry-on and a backpack. No checked luggage. :D

Rene

sir_eccles Mar 3rd 2011 7:59 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Well there we go case closed, about the only buzzword not used was "we are taking this seriously" :)

Dear Mr. <redacted>:

Thank you for taking the time to contact Customer Relations at US Airways. Your feedback is important to us, and we welcome the opportunity to address your concerns.

Please accept our sincere apology for the difficulties you experienced when checking in online while using our website. US Airways is constantly working to make our site both current and user-friendly. We realize the frustration when something is not working as expected. We appreciate your feedback and patience.

We want our customers to be able to process their requests easily without challenge. I regret this was not your experience. It is never our intent to inconvenience our passengers, and we will make every effort in the future to ensure the situation you encountered is corrected.

Thank you for sharing your concerns with us. We value your business and appreciate your feedback. We look forward to providing a more pleasant experience the next time you use our website.

Sincerely,


Christa Binson
Representative, Customer Relations
US Airways Corporate Office

tonrob Mar 7th 2011 5:56 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
I'm an LPR, always fly BA and can always check-in online with no problems, so the issue is very much airline specific. Online check-in is great as has been said for things like seat selection, shorter queues, not getting bumped. Online check-in is one of the reasons why there is no reason to turn up as early for international flights any more (unless you have lounge access. More time = more champagne!) :)

scrubbedexpat091 Mar 8th 2011 5:09 am
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by Zoe Bell (Post 9210699)
depends , if everyone else got there 4 hours early.

A pilots/aircrew/travelling public forum that i frequeent listed the order of priority for overbooked flights

I don't rember the exact order but the bottom of the list were

people who haven't checked in online
people on standby
staff travel passes


given how much flights get overbooked . I would want to be as fasr up the list as possible
While airlines do overbook flights, the vast majority of the time there is either no shows, or they seek volunteers, involuntarily denied boarding due to overbooking is not that common in the US anyhow as its an expensive venture for the airline.

Doesn't really matter where you check in, all that matters is when you check in, if you dont have a pre-assigned seat, the earlier the better, pre-assigned seat, your chances at being denied boarding for overbooking is pretty small.

In 7 years I think I handled 2 or 3 overbooked flights that we could not get volunteers for out of several thousand flights worked.

babybyrd Mar 8th 2011 7:48 am
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
As a b1/2 visa holder i am never able to check in online with AA
I am a platinum member with them but this makes no difference
Their computer system is just set up so that they expect european and other waiver country passport holders to put in their esta number

tonrob Mar 8th 2011 10:56 am
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by babybyrd (Post 9225150)
As a b1/2 visa holder i am never able to check in online with AA
I am a platinum member with them but this makes no difference
Their computer system is just set up so that they expect european and other waiver country passport holders to put in their esta number
Hmmm..... after my earlier post I remember that I could also check-in online with Virgin Atlantic. Perhaps it's just the US carriers who can't be arsed getting their websites in order?

meauxna Mar 8th 2011 4:21 pm
Re: URGENT: ESTA checkin US Airways and angry shouting
 
Originally Posted by tonrob (Post 9225431)
Hmmm..... after my earlier post I remember that I could also check-in online with Virgin Atlantic. Perhaps it's just the US carriers who can't be arsed getting their websites in order?
Check with Bill.. I am pretty sure that 'crap US websites' is already on The List.


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