We are traveling from Vancouver Canada to Rome next week. Much cheaper than flying out of Seattle. We will have carry on only. Can we check in and preprint our boarding passes prior to arriving at airport? Or should we wait to check in the morning of 9:00 a.m. departure? Flying Lufthansa with connection in Toronto and onto Rome.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated!
Hi Diane, I would definitely check in ahead of time. Lufthansa usually allows on-line check-in 24 hours before departure. If you haven't already, go on-line and choose your seats now. Or you could try doing so by phone. I usually choose my seats when I purchase my ticket. You might not be able to check in for the Toronto-Rome leg 24 hours ahead of time. Carry-on only is a great way to go! Buon viaggio!
Susan- thanks for the reply. Bought tickets on Expedia and didn't see see at the time where we could choose our seats. Only issue is we bought separate tickets for our daughter and BF who are flying with us there but only staying a week. Wondering if we should just try to request seats together at the gate?
You can check in but will not be able to print boarding pass. They will want to see your passports before giving you a boarding pass
Why not just ask the airline you're flying on, and any other questions you have about your flight.
Also, you might want to check what their carry on regulations are for size and weight, as they are sometimes very different for flights to Europe.
Expedia will have given you a Lufthansa confirmation number - sign on the website with that and select seats earlier - if you wait until morning of departure there may not be two seats together left.
I have been doing some googling because it seemed to me that we have done online checkin and printed boarding passes at home for international flights.
Your passport number is included in your reservation or can be added at the time of online checkin
https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/help/onlinecheckin.aspx
http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/support/faqs/during-your-trip/checking-in-faqs.html
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/onlineCheckin.jsp?locale=en_GB
Lufthansa'a site was less clear just stating all flights. I would call them and ask for sure. Or you can just test it - check-in online print or opt for e boarding passes and head straight to security - the worst that can happen is they will send you back to the counter! Leave enough time for that! But a phone call would be the easiest.
I have never had any issues with online checkin and boarding pass printing with United, Air Canada, or Lufthansa, for multiple trips from the US to Europe. This might be because I joined their frequent flyer programs and provided my passport info as part of my online profile for each airline giving them plenty of time to check me out. Every international flight I was still asked to show my passport at the boarding gate for a thorough review before being let onto the plane.
Only on return back to the US have I found difficulties in printing the boarding passes. When I do get to print them, I am still required to stop at the airline's counter in the airport I am leaving Europe from and they replace the preprinted passes with their own.
I emailed a similar question to British Air yesterday. We originally booked a flight SEA-LHR and then later decided to fly straight on to Ireland on a flight 4 hrs.later. Same airline, but two separate bookings. I was concerned about getting checked in before we left to avoid more steps at Heathrow. British Air got back to me within a few hours and told me I could check in for both flights, even if it was a bit more than 24 hrs. ( I will be printing that email).
Bottom line, email question to Luftansa.
Leaving on United to Paris this April I was able to check in and print boarding passes from home BUT I had to provide a copy of my passport (new app which allows you to send them a photo of the passport page) I always try to check in at the 24-hour-before time.
No problem checking in on line when flying from Vancouver, but they will want to see your passport, even if you have a boarding pass, either at the check-in counter or, if you go straight through security, at the Gate. If you have not done so, do check with Lufthansa and see about seat assignments if you want to travel together as Lufthansa flights tend to be full at this time of year (any time of the year really). Airports in Canada are moving to self-service check in kiosks - and you might not be able to print off your boarding pass until you get to the airport, it is just a matter of entering your reservation number and your boarding pass pops out. You need to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before your flight leaves - Vancouver is an extremely busy airport (more so than Seattle) and security can take a long time depending on time of day.
