When taking a multi-segment flight, is it guaranteed that you would get all boarding passes at the first airport?

When taking a multi-segment flight, is it guaranteed that you would get all boarding passes at the first airport? - Photo of People Boarding Airliner

I have a flight with three segments, the first is from Bangkok to Cochin (India) with Thai AirAsia, the second from Cochin to Doha with Qatar Airways and the third from Doha to Frankfurt also with Qatar Airways. Only the flight from Bangkok to Cochin has online check-in.

My question is, whether I can get my boarding pass for the flights with Qatar Airways already in Bangkok at the Qatar Airways booth. Because I don't have a visa for India, so I can't leave the transit area to collect my boarding pass at the regular check-in counters.

I didn't find my option in the answer of this post Where to obtain boarding passes when travelling with distinct airlines?

Also I didn't understand where the hotel agent in this answer came from or whether I can make use of this option: Can I get a boarding pass for a different airline in the transit area of Delhi Airport without going through immigration?



Best Answer

Usually this is possible; sometimes it is not. Unfortunately it depends on a number of unpredictable airline back office systems. It helps if you can do online check in.

For a different airport to print a boarding pass, first they have to check you in remotely. This is a different process from online check in, so even if online check in fails this can still work. For this to happen the flight must be unlocked (sometimes the flight is locked for editing by headquarters particularly if you are trying to check in many hours in advance), and the departure airport must allow remote check in. The departure airport can turn this off for many reasons, most of them technical reasons.

There are at least two different ways to do a remote check in; there is an "easy" way that most of the newer check in agents will know, and there is a way that only the older agents seem to know. So if your first try is unsuccessful, it can be worth asking again.

[Finally, there are cases where the first airport has telephoned the departure airport and got them to do the check in over the phone so that the boarding pass can be printed; and I even know of a few situations where the pilot has radioed ahead to ask for the check in to be done and the boarding passes were waiting at the gate(!). However neither of these options are going to happen for you with Qatar Airways.]

Once you are checked in, it is not difficult to print a boarding pass; this is just a piece of paper.


If you are unsuccessful in obtaining your boarding pass at your first airport, most international airports outside the US facilitate international-to-international connections without needing to pass through immigration. They have a means for travellers to obtain their onward boarding passes in the connections area, usually by providing staffed airline counters before security. At worse this may mean waiting for some time while a member of staff goes away to get your boarding pass for you. However, I cannot speak for COK airport specifically.




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When taking a multi-segment flight, is it guaranteed that you would get all boarding passes at the first airport? - People Walking Towards White Plane
When taking a multi-segment flight, is it guaranteed that you would get all boarding passes at the first airport? - Teenage couple sitting in carousel seat and girl taking selfie
When taking a multi-segment flight, is it guaranteed that you would get all boarding passes at the first airport? - People Walking Inside Airline



Do I get both boarding passes in a connecting flight?

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.

What is multi segment boarding pass?

Multiple segments Enables a single boarding pass valid for multiple flight segments on the same journey. Fitting several segments on one document saves paper, for the customer and the carrier who have to print one page in total 1D bar code documents can also handle only one segment.

Do boarding zones matter?

\u201cAlthough boarding by zones helps flight attendants avoid chaos and maintain order while loading passengers on the aircraft, waiting so long to board can cause frustration and anxiety for many travelers,\u201d she says. Smith thinks there's a way for the whole boarding process to go more smoothly.

Does each passenger need a boarding pass?

Each passenger must have a boarding pass to take a seat on the plane (a ticket itself is not enough to board the plane!). The boarding pass is generated during check-in.



FIRST INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT? : Travel Tip, Airport Walk, Flight Preparation | Jen Barangan




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Images: Longxiang Qian, Stas Knop, Ron Lach, Markus Winkler