Finally, Virgin Australia offers international online check-in
By Chris C., December 14 2016
Virgin Australia passengers travelling on international flights can, at long last, use online check-in to select their preferred seat, attach their frequent flyer number and print their boarding pass before heading to the airport.
Open between 24 hours and 90 minutes before departure, it’s available to guests departing directly on a Virgin Australia international flight – such as Sydney-Los Angeles – along with passengers with domestic to international connections (and vice versa), like Canberra-Sydney-LA.
There’s just one catch: for online check-in to work, Virgin Australia needs to be the first airline you fly as part of your journey that day... so if you’re jetting from London to Abu Dhabi with Etihad and connecting home with Virgin Australia, you’ll need to obtain your Virgin boarding pass at the airport.
During online check-in, you’ll have the option to print or email your boarding pass – and on flights departing New Zealand, to receive a digital mobile boarding pass too – although from Australia, you’ll still need to carry a printed copy.
Selected airports will also offer dedicated bag drop counters for international travellers who check-in online, which is also where passports and any relevant visas can be sighted.
Receiving boarding passes early allows business class passengers and Gold- and Platinum-grade frequent flyers to zip straight through from kerb to lounge when travelling with only cabin baggage – but allow a little extra time at the boarding gate instead to have your documents checked.
Online check-in remains unavailable for flights departing Nadi (Fiji) and Port Moresby due to local regulatory requirements.
Also read: Earn extra Velocity points en route to the airport with Melbourne's SkyBus
Chris is a a former contributor to Executive Traveller.
QFF
12 Apr 2013
Total posts 1560
And seriously who need web check-in for international flights? Almost always (for me always) one need to drop baggage and even without baggage one need to visit check-in to verify passport. And then we still have to pass passport control, immigration, custom and so on.
IMHO web check in is only make sense when one flying domestically and without checked baggage, then yes you can save quite a bit of time to go directly to boarding gate with your preprinted boarding pass. But for international with checked baggage? Just to be "modern geek" or whatever?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
10 Jan 2012
Total posts 258
I always do online check-in, for every flight (inernational or domestic). I like to choose my seat in advance and in the case of SQ I can use the 'Internet check-in' desk at the airport to drop my bag off.
QFF
12 Apr 2013
Total posts 1560
Cool if it works for you. I always choose my seats upfront even before check-in and only few companies offer dedicated "internet check-in' deck. Ah and for long flights I do not fly economy anyway, so for me no point whatsoever. YMMV of course.
30 Jun 2016
Total posts 51
+1
31 Mar 2016
Total posts 619
@LP:
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
19 Feb 2014
Total posts 439
Yes! I have on several occasions seen huge check-in lines and the bag drop immediately next door is completely empty.... I've wondered if I was in the correct line whilst being death-stared by 100 people.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
19 Feb 2014
Total posts 439
Excuse my ignorance, but Virgin didn't have online check-in for international flights?!? I'm an avid domestic flyer of Virgin, but have never flown with them internationally. LOL, come on Virgin, that's bad.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
23 Oct 2013
Total posts 699
It was worse than that... at out ports in New Zealand, Virgin has been opening check-in 2 hours before departure and then closing it 90 minutes before departure leaving everyone just 30 minutes to check-in. I've been caught out after arriving around 60 minutes prior to departure back home. Meanwhile Virgin partner Air NZ open check-in 3 hours prior and in some airports (Christchurch and Queenstown) shut it 30 minutes prior to departure or when boarding starts (which ever one comes first).
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 Sep 2014
Total posts 50
But it's not just Virgin as its the same with Qantas as I have never been able to check in online for a North American or European bound flight with the latter.
25 Sep 2013
Total posts 1242
Same here, I just assumed they already had online check-in for international flights, like you know just about every other first world airline. Shocking, actually.
13 Sep 2016
Total posts 17
Online check in is also about seat allocation, among other things. And I'd rather check in online and just have to do a baggage drop then do both at the airport. If half of the passengers on each VA flight do online check in then surely the queue time at the airport just for baggage drop is going to be halved too.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
20 Jan 2016
Total posts 59
So how do the Gold and Plat members with hand luggage get an express pass if they check in online?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards Plantium
19 Jun 2013
Total posts 119
That is a very good point mcglynp. Going through Sydney on my way to LA the express pass probably saved me a good 20+ minutes
14 Jun 2013
Total posts 352
Just drop by the service counter at checkin and ask for one. Still much faster than having to actually check in.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 May 2011
Total posts 362
Welcome to 2016 Virgin
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
19 Feb 2014
Total posts 439
More like, welcome to ~1998.
31 Mar 2016
Total posts 619
@Chris_PER:
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
31 Jan 2012
Total posts 107
Brisbane Airport owned Check in kiosks. Wow up their on the hate
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Oct 2016
Total posts 7
Maybe at some point they'll also get themselves an Android app. Still living in 2010 I'm afarid.
05 May 2016
Total posts 616
I was at the airport hours before checkin at the airport opened so a lack of an express path didn't bother me one bit. Whilst I was in a lounge others who only had hand luggage and didn't know they could print off their boarding passes were spending money on food outside when they could have been in a lounge.
14 Jun 2013
Total posts 352
Yes, this works very well for Qantas with its relatively shorter flights like SIN and HKG, Virgin only has much longer flights to LAX and Abu Dhabi where 'hand luggage only' is less likely, although for flights to NZ this will be handy.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
09 May 2013
Total posts 144
Last month, i checked in online for CX, due to road works and other issues, i was pushing at the 60min min time to drop the baggage, they called my mobile and i advised them i was 2 mins away, the attendant mentioned that check in closes in 3 mins, anyways, we got there with seconds to spare, once she looked at our passport, she printed our boarding passes. She told me, without online check in, we would have missed our flight, as she would have had to enter few of the details herself. So, online check in is always beneficial. There is nothing to lose, but lot to gain.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
28 Oct 2011
Total posts 467
There's also the issue of overbooked flights - if more people check-in than there are seats ....... it's often the last to check-in who get bumped!!
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