[feldon34]

We went to the automated check-in counter (there were dozens of these machines) and entered our confirmation number. I selected an exit row and chose Print. The printer jammed and then the screen indicated that no further action could be taken. I tried to use another computer and it said my record locator was no good.

I contacted a representative at the tail of one of the long lines and he said there was nothing they could do and no further boarding pass could be printed from the machine, I had to go to the counter, despite having only carry-on hand luggage. When further prompted about being penalized because of their computer failing, this rep said "if you miss your flight, it's not our problem, but stand in line anyway". You could just tell he didn't give a crap.

We finally got to the counter and it was basically "that's just the way it is, once the system tries to print a boarding pass, you're locked out". This is the only airline I've heard of this limitation.

Iberia had about 30 counters open and could not keep up with the crush of passengers. They had no bag check system, so every single person had to go through the full line to get to the counter. And presumably, this automated check-in problem is widespread.

Most airlines can cut down substantially on time wasted in line, and hiring on support personnel if they have a bag check system for passengers who qualify for automated check-in. It costs airlines a fortune to rebook passengers on other flights. But they were not focused on cost-control or customer service, just maintaining a broken system.



Then we got to security. In the US and Germany, there are clear animated videos on large plasma screens explaining all the things you are supposed to do. Take off your belt, put your keys, change, and wallet away, take your laptop out of your computer bag, fold up child seats, put everything in bins, etc.

In Spain, they have a video that sort of shows closeups of people going through security and white boxes around concepts that are supposed to be important. They have about 8 different camera angles of a baby being pushed in a baby carraige but nothing specific about what the customer is supposed to do. They had similar white rectangles on people's pockets, their waist, but no instructions or even video showing people actually complying with security policies.

So we get to the part where you are supposed to disgorge your personal effects, jewelry, bags, belts, laptops, liquids, child seats, etc. into trays, and then put them into the conveyor to be X-Rayed. Also, I should add that the piles of plastic trays are on one side of sliding glass doors and the X-Ray machines are on the other. As a result, you must put all your items into various trays, and then stand there holding 4-5 trays worth of stuff until you get through the doors and then put items on the X-Ray belt.

This should still not be a total nightmare, until you realize that most of the people going through security either have never been on a plane before, or couldn't discern from the shoddy video what they were supposed to do. Several people in front of us arrived at the scanner having removed nothing from their persons, and trying to walk through the scanners with full jewelry, belts, bags, pocket change, wallets, purses, etc. So almost everyone was failing the scan and having to be fully wanded and searched.


We got to the airport 90 minutes before our flight and we were just about the last people to board the flight. Coming the other way, from Copenhagen to Spain, it took us less than 20 minutes to get from the front door of the airport to our gate.