Advantage for checking in online for NY flight?

mcw92

Im flying with Aer Lingus next week to New York, first time

Anyways, i've selected my seats, added my API, got all my confirmation emails.
I see about checking in online to save waiting time.

How does this work?
I am flying from Dublin and will need to check baggage in.
Does checking in online allow me to skip the 'main' queue and go straight to a baggage drop off?

Thanks.

Also anyone with help on what documents I should have ready, Im a Irish citizen and will be in NY for 3 weeks.

coylemj

If you've already selected your seats, there's no real advantage in checking online for a US flight. A lot of people wait until 30 hours before the flight at which point you can select your seats for free. Aer Lingus have a habit of sending out a reminder to select your seats a couple of weeks before the flight so a lot of people fall for this and end up paying for the seats. There's no doubt that you'll have a better selection of seats but I don't consider it worth paying for.

As long as you have the ESTA sorted, just show up with your bags and your passport and you're ready to go. No need to print off the ESTA approval by the way. And don't bring any fresh fruit to eat on the flight, the US Immigration agents (acting on behalf of the US Dept of Agriculture) won't allow you to take anything like that on board.

mcw92

coylemj wrote: »

If you've already selected your seats, there is no advantage in checking online for a US flight. A lot of people wait until 30 hours before the flight at which point you can select your seats for free. Aer Lingus have a habit of sending out a reminder to select your seats a couple of weeks before the flight so a lot of people fall for this and end up paying for the seats. There's no doubt that you'll have a better selection of seats but I don't consider it worth paying for.

As long as you have the ESTA sorted, just show up with your bags and your passport and you're ready to go. No need to print off the ESTA by the way.

I never paid for the seat selection though?
Will I be paying at check in?

coylemj

mcw92 wrote: »

I never paid for the seat selection though?
Will I be paying at check in?

No, maybe they allow free seat selection for US flights these days? Haven't been there since 2012.

BuffyBot

Depends on the airline. Not all charge for standard seat selection. If you weren't made pay when you chose them, then you're probably not going to turned upside down and shaken for coins at check in

coylemj

mcw92 wrote: »

Im flying with Aer Lingus next week to New York, first time

Anyways, i've selected my seats ........

mcw92 wrote: »

I never paid for the seat selection though?
Will I be paying at check in?

When did you select the seats?

At the time of the original booking or more recently?

Heroditas

mcw92 wrote: »

Does checking in online allow me to skip the 'main' queue and go straight to a baggage drop off?

Yes but the queue for luggage drop off can be monstrous in T2 in the morning because all the transatlantic flights leave around the same time.

I was flying out of T2 on an Aer Lingus flight on Tuesday and got there at 9 to check in using one of the automatic terminals. We then joined the baggage drop off queue and it took about 25mins but by the time we got out of the queue, it was huge and people would be waiting at least 40mins to offload their bags so make sure you leave plenty of time.

coylemj

Heroditas wrote: »

Yes but the queue for luggage drop off can be monstrous in T2 in the morning because all the transatlantic flights leave around the same time.

I was flying out of T2 on an Aer Lingus flight on Tuesday and got there at 9 to check in using one of the automatic terminals. We then joined the baggage drop off queue and it took about 25mins but by the time we got out of the queue, it was huge and people would be waiting at least 40mins to offload their bags so make sure you leave plenty of time.

The OP is asking if the queue at the baggage drop is longer or shorter than at the regular check-in desk i.e. does checking in online and showing up with your boarding card buy you any time? It's probably a difficult one to answer since as you say, on a given day the queue length can change radically in 20 minutes.

Heroditas

coylemj wrote: »

The OP is asking if the queue at the baggage drop is longer or shorter than at the regular check-in desk i.e. does checking in online and showing up with your boarding card buy you any time? It's probably a difficult one to answer since as you say, on a given day the queue length can change radically in 20 minutes.

It's just weird anyway. Check in at the desk and dump your bag there or check in online and then queue to dump the bag.
Given the choice, I'd go for the latter because you're not stuck behind bumbling passengers humming and hawing over where they'd like to sit when the attendant is checking them in and asking them the standard questions.
Going transatlantic is always going to be a lottery though because so many of those flights leave in the same window, meaning you have several thousand people using the same facilities at the same time.

coylemj

Heroditas wrote: »

Given the choice, I'd go for the latter because you're not stuck behind bumbling passengers humming and hawing over where they'd like to sit when the attendant is checking them in and asking them the standard questions.

In principle I'd agree with the above though even when a desk is supposed to fulfil a single function like bag drop, you will always get the selfish fcuking idiots who insist on using it as an information desk and holding up the rest of the queue.

Desk clerk: Thank you Sir/Madam, your bags are checked and your seats are already allocated, have a pleasant flight.

Passenger: Is there anywhere on the other side of security where my daughter can get a gluten-free sandwich?