Travel delays continue to increase as TSA staffing shortages cause extreme wait times at airports – but missing a flight because you’re stuck in a security line isn’t the only thing that can ruin your spring break plans. Missed flights leave airlines scrambling to rebook passengers, redirect baggage, and manage aircraft and crew availability, all of which can add pressure to airline technology systems. While there haven't been outages, scattered reports on airline subreddits suggest intermittent issues. Even small glitches, like a boarding pass failing to load or a check-in not completing, can derail a trip if they happen at the wrong moment.
If you rely solely on an app for access provide to your boarding passes (or even digital IDs), you are more vulnerable when problems cause airline apps and websites to respond sluggishly or you can't get a data connection. You may not be able to check in for your flight, access your boarding pass, or even see your itinerary, which can cause further delays.
So how do you avoid problems at the airport when systems fail? Make sure you always have a backup plan in case you can’t access your airline’s app or website. Here are our top travel tips to help you through the airport, even when your airline’s app is offline.
Get your boarding pass early. Don’t wait until you get to the airport to check in for your flight. Check in online as soon as your airline allows you to, so you have more time in case of an outage.
Add your boarding pass to your digital wallet. When you check in to your flight through an airline app, you should see an option to save it to your digital wallet – Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. This saves a copy locally on your phone so you can use it even if technical problems prevent you from loading it. (You can also just take a screenshot of the boarding pass on your phone. Just be sure to screenshot both boarding passes if you have a connecting flight.)
Print your boarding pass. Having a printed copy means you have easy access to your boarding pass no matter what fails. When you check in for your flight, you should have an option to print your boarding pass. If you don’t have access to a printer, you can go to a check-in kiosk at the airport and print your pass.
Always bring a physical ID. Even though some states offer TSA-accepted digital IDs, you should always carry a TSA-accepted physical ID so you can get through security if technical issues prevent access to your digital ID.
Have a copy of your itinerary. Just like with your boarding pass, you want to have a copy of your travel itinerary somewhere other than your airline’s app in case of an outage. It's likely in your email, if you made the reservation. But if someone else made the reservation for you, make sure you get a copy of the ticket confirmation number and note it, along with the flight numbers and times in your phone’s notes app or print them out.
Stay informed. You can set up an alert on Downdetector to see if your airline’s website is down by downloading the Downdetector app on your phone and adding your airline to your favorites (you’ll need to create an account to save favorites).
Carry a backup battery. You don’t want to have a dead phone when you’re storing your boarding pass and itinerary. While airports tend to have plenty of charging stations, if there are severe delays (or you’re stuck in a security line), you may not be able to access them. Portable power banks are small enough to pack easily and make sure your phone is always topped off. Here are the power banks we recommend.
Be prepared and don’t let an airline’s computer failures spoil your travel plans!
[Image credit: BickStockPhoto]
