Semi-Accidentally Cutting the Check In Line
When I arrived at the airport this morning the First Class check in line was about 11 people deep. After waiting for about 5 minutes with no progress, I noticed no one was using the free check-in kiosk. I get kind of timid in these situations, but they’d been talking about how they’d been waiting for the one agent for over 30 minutes, and I just didn’t want to wait when there was a perfectly good check in kiosk open.
So I walked to the side of the line and asked everyone if anyone was going to use the kiosk or if they minded if I did. They all, but one, feplied that they were checked in and just needed to check bags. I also had done online check in and had two enormous bags that needed tagging. I mentioned the kiosk could be used for that, and in fact was what I wanted to do, but again was told they needed the agent to check the bags and the agent was busy with the person in front of them.
Well, I tried.
I walked up to the kiosk, selected that I was checking 2 bags and reprinted my boarding pass. The agent finished with the current customers and no sooner had the next person in line walked up (to check their bags), but she was over to where I stood and was applying the bag tags that had already printed out.
I felt a little guilty walking by that long line of people I had essentially “cut.” But as I did so, I heard the next person in line apologize to the people behind her that she didn’t know she could just check bags through the kiosk and headed over to it.
So I learned an important thing — don’t assume the delay in front of you is for good reason and do ask. Hopefully they all learned that they can avoid extra long waits by using kiosks for their bags, even if they’re already checked in online.
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Heels First is the travels and tribulations of two twenty-something frequent fliers jumping into the world of travel. Join Keri and Jeanne as they tackle mileage runs, elite status, and of course–the perfect travel accessories.
I don’t think that’s cutting in line at all!
I always jump ahead to an empty kiosk. I can only assume the people in line can see the same empty kiosks as me. If they are sitting in line with empty kiosks around, I’ll just move right on up there. A few times people have seen me do this and all of a sudden realize they can go use any empty kiosk, not just the one or two right in front of the line.
Some airports (i.e DFW and IND) from my experience have kiosks well in front of any check in line. I always just move to an empty kiosk as well. Most people still are unaware that they can be used to check in easily.