JFK EVA Air nightmare

[Crabtrap]

We are sitting in the JFK Terminal One food court for 5 hours on our way to HKG for our first cruise ever. We booked on VAir and they put us on EVA. EVA doesn’t staff the counter until 4 hrs before flight time which is 1AM. We did the online check-in and got electronic boarding passes. We are denied entry because TSA says EVA doesn’t accept e-passes. EVA customer service says it’s an airport policy, but the TSA guy says it’s EVA. Someone is lying. Viking can’t do anything. We are in EVA’s first class seats and have Lufthansa lounge access, but can’t get in to wait it out. At least there is a bar in the food court. That’s the story. 🤬

[Selion]

Assuming you had waited 5 hours when you made the post, you had been at JFK since 1:30PM.  Were you on a connecting flight?  If so, you should've been checked in all the way to HKG.  If not, why did you arrive at the airport almost 12 hours before the schedule departure time?

 

EVA opening the counter 4 hours prior to their departure time sounds reasonable.  Last year we flew FCO-JFK, ITA didn't open their check-in counter for our flight until 3 hours prior.

 

Lastly...  Viking booked the flights, but what you are experiencing has nothing to do with Viking.

[sfocruiser]

I would look for a travelers aid/information desk they will sometimes be able to print off a boarding pass

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

I've just edited out my post, as I was bringing up the same points at Selion.

 

You got to the airport WAY before you should have.  Why, I have no idea.  But it is easy to know when the check in desks open, and when you should have arrived.  Somehow, you chose not to do that.  Let me guess...you figured you would just spend 10+ hours in the lounge.

 

A couple more questions....just what's with your luggage.  Are you expecting to go through security with your checked bags and then come back to drop them off?

 

This sounds more and more as if you made some major assumptions, and now it is the fault of both the airline and Viking.  Nope.

 

But enjoy EVA.  Good airline.  (And Royal Laurel is not really first class, but their business product on 777 and 787 aircraft).

 

 

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

4 minutes ago, sfocruiser said:

I would look for a travelers aid/information desk they will sometimes be able to print off a boarding pass

 

Boarding passes are issued by the operating carriers, as they are responsible for all pre-flight documentation checks.  EVA is responsible for checking that the travelers have the necessary passports and visas.

 

Especially at JFK, you would not find an airport info desk giving out BPs.

 

Would love to know where you can get BPs other than through an airline process, and that includes kiosks which are under airline controls.

 

 

 

 

[Crabtrap]

We got here early because that’s the way it had to be with our self-booked flight to JFK. We were expecting to use the Lufthansa lounge. We HAVE boarding passes and lounge passes issued electronically by EVA. Why would EVA let you acquire an electronic pass that can’t be used? I had a couple of calls with EVA to assure that we could do what we did. Not blaming Viking at all. I have personally been flying internationally for almost 60 years.

[OnTheJourney]

3 minutes ago, Crabtrap said:

We were expecting to use the Lufthansa lounge.

It seems the airlines have started limiting when you can actually enter the lounges. That was our experience with a recent Delta flight for long haul. Makes sense from the standpoint of controlling the number of people in the lounge. I think it had to be only 2 hours before the flight (?) Not sure anymore. Might have been less. Initially it was disappointing since we had hoped to hang out in there as soon as we got through security. Didn't work that way.

[Crabtrap]

At this point, the free drinks would help. Maybe it will work out.

[RD64]

Sounds like the OP was planning on putting in a shift in the airport lounge. This is not an EVA orcViking issue, but an OP issue.

[CCWineLover]

First I thought you were mad because you were going to miss your flight.

now I see you are just mad because you have to wait longer, having gotten to the airport way early.  This is the way it is these days with the airlines, particularly international.

It is not just EVA Air.

Sorry you had to learn the hard way - but sounds like you'll make your flight and be just fine.

Have a good cruise and please don't let this faux pas tarnish your vacation.  Such a small thing. Everything can go wrong traveling these days.  If this is the only thing, consider yourselves lucky!!

 

[Crabtrap]

OK. The EVA folks showed up at the counter and confirmed they need an in-person check-in. Maybe they will update their online procedures sometime so everyone knows in advance and customer service will give the right info. It’s definitely not going to ruin a good time in the grand scheme!

[FlyerTalker]

9 minutes ago, Crabtrap said:

OK. The EVA folks showed up at the counter and confirmed they need an in-person check-in.

 

And was that so they could do a document check?

 

Also, don't you have luggage that needs EVA staff to process?

 

Amazing that you never encountered needing those two items on any of your many international flights over the last 60+ years.

 

 

[Jim Avery]

1 hour ago, OnTheJourney said:

It seems the airlines have started limiting when you can actually enter the lounges. That was our experience with a recent Delta flight for long haul. Makes sense from the standpoint of controlling the number of people in the lounge. I think it had to be only 2 hours before the flight (?) Not sure anymore. Might have been less. Initially it was disappointing since we had hoped to hang out in there as soon as we got through security. Didn't work that way.

Yes, and because most lounges are full of recent credit card purchasers.  Sadly cheapening everyones experience.

[OnTheJourney]

35 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Sadly cheapening everyones experience.

For sure...good point.

[Crabtrap]

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

And was that so they could do a document check?

 

Also, don't you have luggage that needs EVA staff to process?

 

Amazing that you never encountered needing those two items on any of your many international flights over the last 60+ years.

 

 

Yes. Doc check. 
no checked luggage just carry on. 
suppose I have needed both in the past. 
EVA did not give me accurate info. That’s my issue. 
anyway we’re in the lounge and it’s all good so you can stop talking
 

[CDNPolar]

I opened this only because we are flying EVA for the first time ever in January 2024.  Not through JFK, but Toronto to Taipei, and then on from Taipei.

 

Don't know anyone else's experience, but we fly internationally from Toronto often, and whether carryon only or checked luggage, the electronic boarding passes never get you anywhere until you have gone through the counter and had your documents / credentials checked on the landside.

 

This is standard, right?

[Selion]

@Crabtrap  Hope you had good flights all the way to HKG, and the onboard services made up for the lack of information on the website.  That piqued my curiosity and I went to EVA's site.  Let's just say the information provided was not as comprehensive as it could be for an airline.  Also, the site content doesn't change between North America English version and the Taiwan Chinese Mandarin version.  I'm going to assume EVA built the website for Taiwanese travelers (makes sense) and just translated everything else into other languages without adding/modifying localized contents and information.

[CCWineLover]

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

I opened this only because we are flying EVA for the first time ever in January 2024.  Not through JFK, but Toronto to Taipei, and then on from Taipei.

 

Don't know anyone else's experience, but we fly internationally from Toronto often, and whether carryon only or checked luggage, the electronic boarding passes never get you anywhere until you have gone through the counter and had your documents / credentials checked on the landside.

 

This is standard, right?

Standard for every international flight we've done.  (Mostly out of LAX or SFO).

[WanderingBrit]

9 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

I opened this only because we are flying EVA for the first time ever in January 2024.  Not through JFK, but Toronto to Taipei, and then on from Taipei.

 

Don't know anyone else's experience, but we fly internationally from Toronto often, and whether carryon only or checked luggage, the electronic boarding passes never get you anywhere until you have gone through the counter and had your documents / credentials checked on the landside.

 

This is standard, right?

Absolutely standard - even when I'm able to print boarding passes they still say "Doc Check" somewhere on them.

[Meander Ingwa]

2 hours ago, WanderingBrit said:

Absolutely standard - even when I'm able to print boarding passes they still say "Doc Check" somewhere on them.

Agree, even if you have registered your passport etc with your airlines, they still do hands on at the baggage agent.  My airline of choice, out of my home airport has dedicated agents for international departures.

[Breckski]

20 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Yes, and because most lounges are full of recent credit card purchasers.  Sadly cheapening everyones experience.

EXACTLY!!!!!

[PasadenaDave]

On 10/22/2023 at 6:10 PM, Jim Avery said:

Yes, and because most lounges are full of recent credit card purchasers.  Sadly cheapening everyones experience.

In April Air France at CDG premium lounge directed credit card lounge access people to another lounge telling them the Air France lounge was for Air France passengers only.  We. Saw many turned away and many pleaded to get access 

[Jim Avery]

Hope that catches on.  It's frustrating to buy a FC ticket and have no place to go but the food court.  All these credit card promos always seem to ignore looking for unintended consequences...

[FlyerTalker]

24 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Hope that catches on.  It's frustrating to buy a FC ticket and have no place to go but the food court.  All these credit card promos always seem to ignore looking for unintended consequences...

 

But you are missing the economics of the situation.  Let's look at just Delta.  According to recent filings and reports, Delta made over $5.5 billion in 2022 from American Express - and claims that over 1% of total USA GDP flows through use of their credit cards.  American actually loses money on its flying, but stays profitable from the earnings on AAdvantage miles sold to banks.

 

The cards are the true profit centers.  And for whatever revenue may come in from your F ticket, and from others, it gets dwarfed by the sheer enormity of credit card revenue.

 

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by FlyerTalker

[Selion]

14 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

The cards are the true profit centers.  And for whatever revenue may come in from your F ticket, and from others, it gets dwarfed by the sheer enormity of credit card revenue.

This came to mind: