ON-LINE CHECK-IN

[Misky]

I've never done this before, and have always just checked in at the airport. My main question is about e-mail addresses though. I want to book flights today while I'm at my work e-mail address. When I come to check in on-line though (which I understand I need to do twenty-four hours before the date) I won't be at my work e-mail address, I'll be at my home e-mail address. Will this be okay? Also, I would rather not go on a computer while I'm away, so would I check in for the flight back at the same time? Thanks for any advice....

[jno]

they'll email your boarding pass to the address you give, and you print it out and take it with you (some airlines or airports have facilities for printing it out there). But basically if it's emailed to somewhere you have no access to, you won't be able to get your boarding pass.

Coming back - depends on the airline how far in advance you can check in.

[johnk]

You could forward all mails to your work address to your home address and then it's there. You can only check in up to 24 hours before the flight so you can't check in for the return. Some airlines still have an airport check in

[jno]

oh hang on, I didn't read that properly. You don't have to book the flights via an email address, and it doesn't matter where the computer is. Just give them your home email address when you book, and that's where they'll send the passes when you check in.

[BlueScorpion]

It might depend which airline you use but when we flew with Virgin last year, after the flights were booked we had to go onto the Virgin website using the flight information and effectively create a log-in, this allowed me to specify the email address I wanted to use. You will probably not be able to check-in for the return flight at the same time (we weren't) but if you have no access to a computer while away you should be able to check-in in the normal way for your return

[jno]

EasyJet let you check in online a month beforehand. With BA it's 24 hours. You'll need to check with the individual airline. With Ryanair you have to do it online or they charge you about £50 at the airport.

[TheNovice]

think you're gonna have to access internet while away as you will need to receive an email (boarding pass) from the airline. I've done this a number of times with different airlines and never had a problem. Save a lot of hassle

[Misky]

I'm booking with Jet2 - they have asked for an e-mail address while I'm booking. My query is, when I book they will confirm the booking to this (work) e-mail address. When I go to check in online later (in June) it will be from my home e-mail address and I worry that they won't recognise me as the booker. Thinking it through again, I guess it will be okay because if I do check in online for the return flight, that's going to be from a third e-mail address! The good news is, because I stopped booking halfway through, they've sent me a 10% discount for when I start again...

[BlueScorpion]

Although you are booking from your work email can you not include somewhere in your email the details of your other address?

[grasscarp]

I have often checked in on line with different airlines. The important thing is the reference number of the booking, and this is used together with your name when you check in. As for the boarding pass - there is the option of printing this when you check in on line - and this does not involve an email address, you just do it there and then in their website. If you do not have a printer this can be done at the airport.

[jno]

you shouldn't have to "use" an email address to book or to check in, just a computer. They will ask you to fill in an address so they can communicate with you about delays etc and to send you your boarding pass. Why not just fill in your home email address? They don't care where your computer is.

Jet2 will charge you £17.50 to check in at the airport.

http://www.jet2.com/Answers.aspx?Questions=4

[jno]

looking at that site further, it seems you have the option to check in online or at the airport, I don't know if the £17.50 charge applies if you select airport check-in, or only if you select online check-in and then don't do it.

You can check in online 28 days ahead, so should be able to get your return boarding passes before you leave home.

[Misky]

Thanks very much for all your help. I'll keep going through the steps and will probably have things sent to home computer. I know it's wrong, but after spending all day here on the things, the last think I ever want to do when I'm at home or off work is use a computer! Things seem a lot clearer now though, thanks to you all. X

[Misky]

All done - its not as cheap as the adverts say, is it?! Still, once I got into it, as jno says, I can check in up to 28 days beforehand, so will do both at once. Thanks again for the help, you lot.