Jetstar has offered SMS check-in using any phone since last May, but I only got to try it for the first time yesterday. In line with my long-established ability to render almost any technology inoperable, it didn’t work.
I received the text message, but the reader at the gate simply couldn’t recognise it. After a couple of attempts, the flight attendant gave up and typed in my sequence number instead. That didn’t take very long so there was no major hold-up, but if the experience was widely repeated, it would definitely slow things down.
Anyway, I’m wondering: how have you found the SMS check-in experience? Is what happened to me a weird one-off, or is the system glitchy? Tell us in the comments?
Muds
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 10:36 AMTried it over the weekend. First time didn’t work. Second time, the passenger before me and myself had no problems.
As they have to print the receipt after scanning your phone, it’s still slightly slower than a printed version. But overall, it’s a pretty neat second option for those who don’t have access to a printer or cbfed. For me, it was cbfed.
Matt
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 11:02 AMTried it a few times, both as a single and as a group of two. Its works fine but it is slower at the gate then if you print out the boarding pass. If everyone did it boarding time would double. It is also nice to know that you have your boarding pass before you hit the gate – my GS1 has a nasty habit of freezing and rebooting at inoportune times and i stand in line constantly checking that my phone is still on…. OCD maybe.
Joel
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 11:15 AMI’ve done it a bunch of times, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. I still prefer it to printing a boarding pass.
Molokov
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 11:32 AMI’ve done SMS checkin via Jetstar a few times now, and have had absolutely no problems whatsoever. I love it. I wish the other airlines would use it too.
Then, I flew Qantas, and their web checkin didn’t give me the option of an SMS/MMS boarding pass, just a PDF – and I had no access to a printer. I tried showing the barcode from the PDF on my phone, but the checkin guy just printed off a boarding pass, “to make it easier”.
I still don’t know why Qantas doesn’t allow you the SMS/MMS option if you check in via a PC… I know it’s available some other way.
Brad
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 11:38 AMOn QANTAS you can check in using your phone and get the boarding pass sent to your phone. I have only done it once and it worked fine. I would do it again if I did not have another means.
Molokov
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 6:32 PMI figured that was the situation… but why can you not get the phone option when checking in from a PC? Jetstar gives that option – they’ll either give you a PDF to print (and email it to you as well) or send you an SMS.
Qantas online checkin only offered a PDF option (and it didn’t even email me a copy).
titanium
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 11:41 AMWest Jet (in Canada) had this cool system where I had the mobile square ‘bar’ code on my ipod touch, then could scan it to get my boarding pass printed off before I went through security (I only had carry on luggage)
Daniel
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 11:57 AMI’ve used this a few times, but instead of waiting till i get to the gate, i scan it at one of the kiosks near check in. Print’s the ticket straight away, no hassles.
bevan
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 12:09 PMTried it once awhile back, didn’t work, won’t try it again.
LG
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 12:25 PMUsed it for Airasia many times. They too provide a 2D barcode which makes the whole scanning thing super quick and easy.
Ian
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 9:09 PMCompletely useless with Jetstar. Tried it on two different phones one time, and then again on another flight with one of those phones. Not going to bother again. Have used the emailed PDF barcode with Qantas a few times and never had a problem.
b8 two
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 11:38 PMQantas you can use your frequent flyer card as your boarding pass. No printing beforehand or technology to worry about.