Hi all,
We are flying Omaha-Chicago-London in December. We are not checking any bags and also plan to check in online the day before. Will we be able to go straight to security, or will we need to still go to the ticket counter in Omaha to have our passports checked? Or will we need to do something at O'Hare on our layover instead? I've never flown internationally before so all this is new to me!
This has been my experience at DTW, JFK, and MSP:
If you have checked in online, you just need to print your boarding passes (at home, or at an airport kiosk). Go to the security line. Check your passes to see if you have received TSA Pre-Check, which at some airports gets you to a quicker line (keep your shoes on, electronic devices packed).
Tour passport may be checked at each security or transfer point, right up until you board the aircraft.
There is airline and airport staff to assist you, nothing to stress about.
If you are checking a bag, the lines can be long.
Some airlines ( like British Airways) like you to show your passport at the check-in counter even if you have checked in online and have no bags to check. The airline is responsible for ensuring that your passport is valid for travel to your destination ( meaning expiryndate is OK), and some want it to be checked by their own agent who has time to do this. The boarding gate agent does not have time for that.
Somewhere along the line someone at the airport will want to "lay eyes" on your passport. Just prior to security, they will want some form of ID prior to getting your screening (a TSA person will look at your boarding pass and ID, then mark on your pass it has been screened. For international flights, I usually use my passport for this part.) In most airports it is not enough that security does it (as they can accept other forms of ID), but someone from the airline will want to do it as well.
My experience has been the same as what Sasha suggests.
Even though all my passenger/passport information is included in my Delta SkyMiles account I am never able to do Online Check-In when I leave from my small local airport. I do have to check in at the desk. The one time I was able to complete the OLCI the gate agent chewed me out because he had to check my passport during the boarding process. I leave from a very small airport in N. Idaho where the Desk agent closes the check in desk to become the gate agent. So, the answer is maybe yes, maybe no. Be ready for it in Omaha by having your passport handy, then if it doesn't happen OK.
Generally my experience when boarding at my International departure airport (SLC or SEA or MSP) you are asked to put your boarding pass in your passport to the picture page.
On international flights I always use my passport as my ID when going thru initial TSA security so it is handy anyway.
Have a wonderful time!
Our last few trips, we could not get boarding passes to print out at home. Checking in on-line, the message said that we could not complete process. The airline said we had to have passports verified by a human at the airport.
I can only speak about the process when leaving for an international flight from Toronto. Even if you check in online,you are still required to go through the check-in counter so they can verify your passport.
If you are flying to the US, you then proceed through security and then through US customs. For international flights, it's only security. Your passports are always checked at the gate before boarding the plane. On return to Canada, there can/will be customs agents right at the airplane door to check the passports of all passengers before they even get into the terminal.
I can't remember at what point I've been asked for a passport when boarding an international flight, but I've always been asked at check in, when boarding or both. I don't remember ever being asked for it at particular times and places.. That's probably because I put my drivers license away when I exit the car at my home airport and never get it out again until I get back in the car at the end of journey. Obviously you will need it if you plan on renting a car, but otherwise why deal with two forms of ID when your passport will do everything you need? Have it handy and use it. Don't bother with your drivers license.
Our experience is the same. We can check in on line but cannot print boarding pass at home. At the check in counter we show passports and get all of our boarding pass. Then we are good to go. You can use a kiosk but it will not print the pass till someone has checked the passport.
Jen, not sure whether you're just addressing the airport situation or the entire European trip. If the latter, there's at least one occasion when having a driver's license can be handy even if you will not be renting or driving a car. A lot of museums want to hold some type of ID when they loan you an audio guide. Some will accept a photocopy of the first page of your passport, but some will not. A driver's license should always work in that situation
Re photo ID at museums: I use my employee card, easier to replace than a driver's license.
I print my boarding pass at home. If no checked bag, I go thru security and touch base briefly with the gate agent before the plane starts boarding so they can see my PP. If I forget, the boarding gate agent just sends me to the gate agent at the boarding desk for a second and then I board. This is British Airways and Logan Airport.
Same as Frank and Stan. We cannot print boarding passes at home and our passports have to be checked by a human at checking counter. Twice at security, they saw we were on an international flight and asked for passports.
Not only as a deposit for an audio guide, a driver's license can be useful for proof of age for discounts.
Again, why worry about whether to use your drivers license at the airport when a passport will always work.
And yes, using another form of ID as a deposit for audios rental bikes, etc. is a good idea.
I think people may be confusing showing ID with where possession of a valid PP is required. Typically it boils down to three interactions.
The Airline must validate at check-in that your passport is valid for the period of time of your trip or whatever rules they have. They have a carriage responsibility to assure you meet passport requirements, or they may be shipping you home at their cost. This is done at the check-in counter, or many airlines allow online check-in with validation at the gate by an agent.
When going through any security checkpoint you have to show your ID and boarding pass, this can be your PP, but it can be any government issued ID that meets federal requirements (not all State drivers licenses do). I do not believe that if you hold an international ticket TSA would require a passport, just an ID.
As you board the International flight, you generally need to show your passport as well as boarding pass (I suppose to prevent someone from handing off a boarding pass at the gate).
So in the OP's case, in Omaha someone from the Airline will check the passport, likely at the gate, to complete the check-in process, TSA will need an ID in Omaha when going through security, then in Chicago as you are boarding the international flight to London, you will need to show your passport.
I do suppose it is different for various airlines. October 2015 we checked in online and printed our boarding passes at home. We did carry on only so went straight to security and then to our boarding gate in JAX. Shortly before the flight the gate agent called both of us up, checked our passports, and noted it on some online document. We did not show passports again until going through passport control in Amsterdam.
It completely depends on the airline.
If you can print your boarding pass at home or from an airport kiosk without talking to an airline employee, then you can just go straight through security to your gate. Make sure you do have your passport! If you can't print the boarding pass out beforehand, you will need to go to the counter at your starting airport.
You will definitely be asked to show your passport to board your flight out of O'Hare to London. It is the airline's last chance to make sure you have all of your travel documents required to be allowed into England on landing, and yes the airlines staffs the gate to handle international flight passport validation. The airlines does not want to be fined and have to fly you back to the US immediately if your documents are not valid.
What I have noticed on many international United flights I have taken is that the boarding passes for each segment usually has a hard to miss notification on them that says something like "Verify Passport" and TSA has asked for my passport when this appears. It is not a problem to me since I have my passport with me for an international flight anyway, so why worry about what ID to show anyone at any point in the process -- just use your passport!
It is not TSA's job to verify passport. I have never been asked by TSA for a passport. Just a legal ID. And u can use your passport but TSA will not ask for it.
@ Frank, Actually at Logan Terminal E TSA does ask to see my passport, every time, before being allowed into the security line. So there is probably no one correct answer for this OP. Wray
Also...Make sure the names on your tickets match the name on your passport. Cindy instead of Cynthia caused a slight delay and some stress.
Thanks all for the info! Definitely not worried about it, and planning to use my passport as my ID anyways. I just didn't want to be told once I got through security that I needed to go back down to the ticket counter (outside of security) to have them check my passport. 24 more days before we head out!!
