January 11, 2006
Tip for checking in on the Alaska Air kiosk
Here’s a tip for checking in using the Alaska Air kiosk that I thought I’d share with everyone. I learned this from an AS employee.
When you get to the device, unless you actually have the right confirmation code, the fastest way to use the device is not to swipe your card or anything else, but rather just enter the confirmation code QQQQQQ.
Of course, that’ll fail. And then it’ll prompt you for your last name, and from there your flight number or destination.
Try it next time you check in using the kiosk – and breeze past those who spend 15 minutes fishing through their bags for the right confirmation number.
2 Comments to “Tip for checking in on the Alaska Air kiosk”
January 15th, 2006 at 12:23 pm
Nice hack.
I wonder if that makes things harder for their system? i.e., why don’t they just expose that interface in the first place? I guess they then have to do a more computationally demanding search.
Anyhow: nice idea: I’ll try it next time i fly with BMI or United.
One thing I’ve noticed is that carrying the machine printed seating ticket makes you more likely to be randomly chosen for the additional search stuff: this happened to me twice at Albuquerque.
Another thing I’ve noticed is that cues for human log in are invariably longer than self-service cues. Why is that? I think people are just frightened to try something new: probably a good measure of Openness
tim
PS: type key says “The site you’re trying to comment on has not signed up for this feature. Please inform the site owner.”
January 15th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
The problem is that the system is optimized for users who know what they’re doing – e.g. people who have their confirmation code, or credit cards out.
But in reality, most users have no clue what they’re doing or what the confirmation code is, or that their credit card name is somehow slightly different than the reservation name.
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