Blue Check (Check-in) for Virgin Blue

By Jian Shuo Wang on 2006-10-17 23:42 · Australia

When I talked about the abandon of paper ticket in China, I thought of my experience with Virgin Blue in Australia. Virgin Blue is a low cost airline, and they highly depend on Internet, and automatic processes to do their business.

Here are some pictures I took about the wonderful self-serve check in system.

Below: all you need to know is the six-number confirmation ID: ENTDAC (I guess I have completed the travel and this code is not confidential any more). Enter the code using the onscreen keyboard.

Below: With the code, they know everything about our trip and showed us our names. I selected both.

Below: I can also change my seat allocation. One point to notice is, after I choose 6A and 6B for the first trip, the seats remain the same on our other two flights with Virgin Blue.

Below: We don’t have luggage, so we choose 0. If I choose other than 0, that is the time I need to see the person in the counter and deposit my luggage.

Below: Print boarding pass. Fast, and easy.

Below: I got my boarding pass (newly printed).

Below: it is done. The boarding gate is 6.

Below. The Virgin Blue flight waiting for getting aboard.

What a wonderful experience (when it worked).

6 Comments
During my last trip to Hangzhou, I tried to select my seating position for my train ticket. At that time I just realised you're not able to choose your seating position. It is either you take it or leave it. I was amazed...!! The worst thing they seperate my wife and my seating. Luckily the passanger was friendly enough and exchange his seat for me so that I can be seated next to my wife.

When do you think that this seat selection system will be implemented in Shanghai?
— Don · 2006-10-18 01:33
I've encountered such kind of problems while travelling in China. Separated from my friends, I have to put on headphones or just reading to avoid communications with someone I would not talk to. It's really an unpleasant experience.
— monica · 2006-10-18 11:42
A lot of carriers now support online/electronic check-ins. For domestic Australian flights Qantas also has self-service check-ins. All you need is the credit card you used to book your ticket. I'm about to board a Cathay Pacific flight and they also have an online check-in system where you can check in through the Net 48 hours before the flight. You can then arrive at the airport 45 minutes before the flight to drop off your baggage at a special counter for online check-ins and pick up your boarding pass (or passes for connecting flights).
— Herbert · 2006-10-18 19:19
Damn that is just sexy, they are using their credit cards when they look for porn keywords and then buy a subscription with that card. Those horny men!
— hornylion · 2006-10-23 04:49
Hi, anyone can advise me how to purchase tickets to travel from Xiamen to Taipei? I'm not residing in any of these two cities but will be going to Xiamen for vacation first. Thanks!
— Beannie · 2006-12-01 03:20
I also love the fact that the pilots on Virgin Blue are personable enough to give you cricket score updates during the flight - nowhere else in the world other than Australia would you get this.

A good travel tip with Virgin Blue is to check out tickets for sale at the local backpackers - I managed to get a one way from Perth to Melbourne for 100 dollars AU doing this. That's a flight the same distance as between London and Moscow for the equivalent of 50 GBP!
— Chris Boswell · 2007-12-03 15:42