Boarding passes when going through long layovers / stopovers?
I have a 39-hour layover with Etihad Airways at their hub in Abu Dhabi next month. I had to do it this way to qualify for their free stopover offering that requires a minimum 24-hour layover. The trip is all on Etihad under the same PNR. My question is, would the check-in counter at the first flight give me the boarding passes for the 2nd leg? I don't know if there is an industry standard approach, airline policy or just the mood of the check-in person that affects what happens in my case...
Best Answer
No, by definition a stopover is a point in your trip where you really stop:
- you won’t automatically get boarding passes for further flights at the firs check-in (unless you are within the check-in window of the second flight, which I doubt here)
- your hold luggage will not be checked through. You are expected to pick it up and re-check it before your next flight
- you are expected to go through immigration, customs, exit the airport, and come back later (though unless the airport or terminal closes at night it's difficult to force you to do so).
This is different from a layover where luggage is checked through, you are usually expected to stay airside, and as much as possible they'll give you the boarding passes for all flights.
Etihad's online check-in opens 30 hours before departure. Even if they have a bit of additional margin at check-in, between the 39 hours, the duration of the first flight, and how much in advance you check-in for the first flight, it's very very unlikely you'll be able to get boarding passes for the second flight.
The fact that you mix "layover" and "stopover" makes me wonder what your intentions are, i.e. whether you actually want a stopover, in which case I'm not sure why you would need the second boarding pass that early -- you can always check-in online during your stay, or you wanted a layover, in which case I don't know why you have such a long wait between flights.
Pictures about "Boarding passes when going through long layovers / stopovers?"
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Do I need a boarding pass for a connecting flight? Yes. You'll probably get all boarding passes at once when you check in for your first flight, whether you check in online, on your smartphone, or at the airport.Do I have to pick up my luggage on a connecting international flight?
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