# What's the point of "early check-in" for a flight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2023, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744 "2023-10-18T07:04:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/41 "2023-10-19T00:17:25Z")
At least people without smart phones can still get a printed boarding pass whether it’s printed at home (which I’ve done) or at the airport after waiting on line .For some sports venues, only digital tickets can be used - no printed tickets at all. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/42 "2023-10-19T00:44:59Z")
Also, I’ve stayed at hotels that had kiosks where you could print out your boarding pass. I used these before I got a smart phone. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/43 "2023-10-19T00:55:53Z")
I think the airlines try to get volunteers to be bumped rather than bumping someone involuntarily. I was on a short Southwest flight (less than an hour) a couple of weeks ago, where the gate agent offered $600 for those willing to be bumped. And I flew United a couple of years ago and they send out email in advance of the flight asking people to bid on what they would want to be bumped. Presumably they bump the passengers asking the least amount. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/44 "2023-10-19T01:01:40Z")
> [@Digger11](#): > > Let me guess–there’s no such consideration for people who don’t have smart phones. Buggy whips and coal-oil lamps are also not allowed onboard. One doesn’t need to have a smart phone, but the utility of one shouldn’t be ignored when a large super-majority of people do have one. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/45 "2023-10-19T01:09:20Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > At least people without smart phones can still get a printed boarding pass whether it’s printed at home (which I’ve done) or at the airport after waiting on line .For some sports venues, only digital tickets can be used - no printed tickets at all. Almost all airlines have self-service check-in kiosks near the ticket counter which will print boarding passes. Yes, there is sometimes a short 3 or 4 minute line to use one of them. but it’s not like the line to speak to a live ticket agent that may be 30 or 40 minutes long. Returning to @Digger11 's point: One can travel without a credit card, without a cellphone, and without permanent press clothing or luggage with wheels. One can also rent a mule if by land or a sailboat if by sea to get there. Modern is the big red Easy button for _everything_. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/46 "2023-10-19T01:27:55Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I think the airlines try to get volunteers to be bumped rather than bumping someone involuntarily. I was on a short Southwest flight (less than an hour) a couple of weeks ago, where the gate agent offered $600 for those willing to be bumped. Generally, they do, but not always. I was the beneficiary of USD$1500 per person (4 of us!) to take a VDB back in March. At the end of the day, if the plane is oversold passengers will be left behind. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/47 "2023-10-19T03:24:19Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > But I still say that the casual flyer, like most of us, isn’t going to book multiple flights in the same day I don’t think the intent was to suggest many people are booking multiple flights _for the same day_. Just multiple flights to the _same destination_. Think about my situation. At a previous job, I used to have to travel a lot for work, taking trips that could either be 2 days, 3 days or 4 days depending on how things went. If it was a busy travel season or if I was particularly interested in getting back home as early as possible, I might book all three return options. I didn’t need them to be fully refundable; I only needed to make sure I could keep the fare value as future credit because I knew I’d be flying that airline again soon. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/48 "2023-10-19T04:21:39Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > but being lazy, selfish, or chronically disorganized, they didn’t intend to tell the airline about that Wait, what? I’ve paid for my ticket. If something came up and I was not able to use it, I would never have thought to call the airline. How is that selfish? ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/49 "2023-10-19T04:28:33Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > I was the beneficiary of USD$1500 per person Out of curiosity, was that $1500 real money? Or was it a voucher for use if you want to buy a ticket on a future trip , with lots of restrictions? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/50 "2023-10-19T04:29:03Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > Buggy whips and coal-oil lamps are also not allowed onboard. Unless it’s an emotional support coal-oil lamp. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/51 "2023-10-19T04:44:04Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > I’ve paid for my ticket. If something came up and I was not able to use it, I would never have thought to call the airline. How is that selfish? When the ticket is nonrefundable, it’s certainly an _un_selfish thing to do to to make the effort to give somebody else the opportunity to use your unwanted seat. But I don’t think the ethical obligation extends to _phoning_ the airline when you’re likely to be left on hold for thirty minutes. That’s on them. I’d probably try to go online and cancel, which is usually quick and easy. You’d think it might be smart for airlines to always give some kind of small refund on nonrefundable tickets to give people an incentive to cancel rather than just not show up. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/52 "2023-10-19T04:45:28Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > I’ve paid for my ticket. If something came up and I was not able to use it, I would never have thought to call the airline. How is that selfish? I am not sure it is selfish to not call but it is in your interest to call so you can get a refund or (more likely) a credit to use for a future flight. If you don’t mind sucking-up the cost of the ticket then don’t call. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/53 "2023-10-19T05:52:42Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > You’d think it might be smart for airlines to always give some kind of small refund on nonrefundable tickets to give people an incentive to cancel rather than just not show up. I’ve had to cancel a couple of nonrefundable flights this year and in both cases I got a voucher good for the cost of the flight. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/54 "2023-10-19T08:15:18Z")
I find it hard to imagine any hotel I would stay at not printing a boarding pass on request, or at least having a “business area” with computers and a printer. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/55 "2023-10-19T09:13:50Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > Out of curiosity, was that $1500 real money? Or was it a voucher for use if you want to buy a ticket on a future trip , with lots of restrictions? Quite flexible. Delta has a redemption site and you can pick any combination of gift cards - Delta, Visa, Amazon, Uber, etc. either virtual or plastic cards that get shipped to you. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/56 "2023-10-19T09:17:05Z")
> [@FinsToTheLeft](#): > > [To decide who to bump] : They are going to use some combination of: > > - Class > - Fare bucket > - Check in time > - Frequent flyer status > - Airline premium credit card holder What I wish they’d do: bump the people who’ve taken the piss when it comes to the size of their carry-on cases. Every flight now seems to have multiple people with 2+ oversize cases and multiple giant shopping bags. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/57 "2023-10-19T12:22:05Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > You’d think it might be smart for airlines to always give some kind of small refund on nonrefundable tickets to give people an incentive to cancel rather than just not show up. I hope no one here believes that if you cancel a nonrefundable ticket, the airline simply keeps all the money. The funds are available for purchase of tickets for (usually) a year. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/58 "2023-10-19T13:17:25Z")
> [@veryfrank](#): > > > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > > > Me too. I worry that my phone may run out of battery or have a bad connection at the worst possible time. > > > > I try to have the phone ticket ready well ahead of time but then the phone decides it has to reload the image right when I walk up to security. Paper ticket skips all of that. > > That hasn’t happened to me yet, but I always make a screencap of the pass just in case, but I’m a worrier by nature. I used to operate like that, and then finally realized I was being paranoid. In the case of a temporary phone glitch, I can just step out of the boarding line and wait for my phone to get its shit together. In the worst case of my phone dying or getting lost/stolen somewhere between TSA and the gate, I can get a paper pass printed at the gate by showing my ID. The thing I don’t understand is that when I check in for an international flight (on Delta at least), they print a paper boarding pass for me. They don’t even ask if I need one. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/59 "2023-10-19T13:54:31Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > > [@Riemann](#): > > > > You’d think it might be smart for airlines to always give some kind of small refund on nonrefundable tickets to give people an incentive to cancel rather than just not show up. > > I hope no one here believes that if you cancel a nonrefundable ticket, the airline simply keeps all the money. The funds are available for purchase of tickets for (usually) a year. It amazes me in this day and age how many people persist in thinking that an airline ticket is like a theater or sporting event ticket: good on that one day for that one flight only. Miss it and you’ve lost your money. Your ticket (payment for passage) and your reservation (which flight you’ll ride on) have always been two separate ideas only loosely connected. You need both to go, but they are not the same thing. For a full-fare unrestricted ticket the connection is most tenuous. For a heavily restricted cheapo ticket the connection is firmer. But even the most restrictive ticket includes preserving most of the value paid if you n-call-no-show. And more (or all) of the value if you do-call-no-show. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2023, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744/60 "2023-10-19T14:28:38Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But even the most restrictive ticket includes preserving most of the value paid if you n-call-no-show. And more (or all) of the value if you do-call-no-show. This is the case for the legacy carriers, but I think many people are flying low cost carriers that a) have very cheap flights and b) have relatively expensive penalties. For example, I picked a flight on Frontier Airlines on Nov 24 from ATL to MIA. Beyond the 24 hour free cancellation window, the admin fee to cancel is $99. The price of the ticket? $36. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-point-of-early-check-in-for-a-flight/991744.md?page=4)