Check in online will save you the hassle of waiting at the airports check in counter.
Also downloading your digital boarding pass while you still home is one of the thing most airlines work for as a response to the rising number of passengers and challenges, also it will save them time and put some extra on their pockets.
Even though the process of getting your boarding pass won’t always go as smoothly as you expect, sometimes there will be some flaws and you can’t just check in online.
And that is what we are going to cover in this post.
So read on to find out the top reasons why you can’t check in online in your airline website or app and what are the possible solutions.
Let’s dive right in.
9 Reasons Why Airlines Don’t Allow To Check-in Online
1. Check In Begin 24 Hours Before Your Flight
Most airlines do make check in available starting 24 hours before the scheduled departure.
If you booked your ticket, you can check the email or the text message notification you get from your airline, as they will send you the time the check in option will be accessible.
If you are already within the 24 hours window, then you can check the reasons below.
2. The Flight Is Overbooked
This is the most common reason why you can’t check in online with your airline.
Most airlines do know that some passengers won’t show up, or will cancel their flights, because they experienced it several times, so they took it another level, they let more people buy tickets and overbooked flights.
Empty seats are not profitable for airline companies.
Sneaky airlines.
They assign the same seat for more than one person, and the first passenger that checks in online early gets the seat to guarantee that the airplane is fully occupied.
So in case the check in won’t work for you there is a huge possibility that your flight is overbooked, ensure that you contact your airline customer service.
Airlines do that because they know that some passengers won’t show up, and that will cause them to lose some cash.
3. The Airline Website or App Is Down (Not Functioning correctly)
If the airline website or app has a technical issue or with their system, you will have a hard time checking in.
But most of the time glitches like this do not last for long hours.
The airline will do their best to fix the issue as quickly as possible because they are losing money and customers.
Just try again a few moments later.
If the issues persist and the flight time approaches; that will not affect the flight, you can still check in and finish the steps at the airport check in counter.
4. Some International Flights And Destinations Do Not Have The Check In Online Option
Some airlines do not have the option to check in for international flights or for certain destinations, so you will need to check in either in the check-in counter, the curbside check-in or the self-service kiosk.
Usually if you are traveling to a country that requires some type of visa or additional documents you won’t be able check in online as the airline will need to check your visa and other documents.
That is why airlines recommend arriving at the airport early, 3 to 4 hours before the scheduled flight, to gain enough time to go through the procedures, check in, declare your luggage and go through the security checkpoint.
Also if you have baggage to drop, it may be irrelevant to check in online, as you will still need to go over the airline check in counter.
5. The Airline Needs More Info For Security Reasons
Some airlines do have options where you can upload any required documents, even though this is not possible with any airline.
The reason some airlines may require you to check the document before you check in is for security reasons, to ensure the information is clear or the passenger has similar personal information with a suspected person.
If the check in online didn’t work do not stress out, just ensure that you head to the airport and you will check in normally and get your boarding pass.
6. Traveling With A Group
Most airlines do not support the check in online option when traveling with a large group.
If many people travel under the same booking reservation, they will need to go to the check in counter and declare their bags.
I don’t think this is an issue since each person needs to check in and declare their belonging at the check in counter.
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7. You Don’t Book In The Airline Website
If you booked your flight through a travel agent, you will need to ask them for your booking number.
If you don’t have the booking number you won’t be able to check in online at your airline website.
So it is better that you ask your booking agent for any details and information when he makes the reservation.
8. You Enter The Wrong Info
This may be a simple process, but it happened for me several times.
I entered the wrong ticket number many times, but when I contacted their customer support, they figured out that I wasn’t giving them the right reservation number.
9. Check In Online Time Ends
Most airlines open the online check in 24 hours before the scheduled flight, and it ends mostly 60 minutes before the flight departure.
So if you try to check at the last minute it won’t work.
If you have a small amount of time before the flight departure, ensure that you head to the check in counter and explain the situation to the agent there, that way they will find a solution, send you to the gate if there is still time or find another flight for you.
Usually late check in will cause assigning your seat to another passenger, if the airline notices that you didn’t check in early they will assume that you won’t show up, so ensure that you always check in early.
TIP
Final Thoughts
Online check in really makes the travel experience easy and comfortable.
Most airlines nowadays do offer this option, as you can choose your seat, pay for luggage, print your boarding pass and avoid long lines at the check in counter.
Even though there will be some occasions when you can’t check in online( as mentioned above ).
We hope that you solve the problem and that you figured out why you can’t check in online.
We hope this helps
Happy travels.
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