It doesn't matter if the person is young or old, hip or old-fashioned, I have yet to watch a person use one of those kiosks without 1) needing assistance or 2) taking less than 5 minutes to print their boarding passes.
I'll be the first to admit: I'm not a patient person. In fact, I'm the opposite of a patient person. And nothing drives me crazier than to watch people try to navigate the self-service kiosks.
First, it begins with them not knowing when to walk up to a kiosk. Without fail, there will be seventeen kiosks open and I'll have to direct the poor soul at the front of the line to one of them.
Me: "Excuse me? Are you waiting for a kiosk?"
Them: "Yes."
Me: "There's an open kiosk over there. And there. And there. And there."
Then, invariably, they don't have their confirmation code. Or a credit card to swipe. Or a passport. Or their destination airport.
Once they have gotten past the intro screen, they feel the need to read every single word on the screen and carefully select the right button to push. Nevermind that the right button to push is always in a bright color, to help guide you through the process quickly. I watch as their fingers hover over the screen, anticipating their next move. But it's a slow process, as if they don't fully understand how the magical screen can capture their answers.
Finally, they print their boarding pass and just as I'm about to take their place in line, they stand there to talk to the kiosk attendant. They don't move out of the way so the next person can use the kiosk. No. They stand IN FRONT OF THE IDLE KIOSK, asking some asinine question (I'm sure.)
Now, I'm no computer whiz kid. But I do know how to read and how to push things. These extraordinary talents allow me to check in and print my boarding pass in a matter of mere seconds.
The airline kiosks should be reserved for those with these special talents. Everyone else can use the old fashioned way to check-in: the friendly airline ticket counter agent.
1 comment:
I KNOW!
The last time we traveled, I basically became an impromptu Southwest agent when I directed numerous people in front of us to the available kiosks.
You would think after I helped the first 5 or 6 people that #s 7 and 8 would have been on the ball enough to escort themselves to a kiosk, oh but no!
I helped them, too.
I love the play by play you described- thats totally how it happens!
A few times ago, I tried directing the lady in front of us to a kiosk and she said, "oh no, I need to check in." I said, "yes, thats what the computer is for, it checks you in." And she said, "No, I need to check in for my flight."
At that point, there's just no hope. I saved my breath and let someone else deal with her.
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