It is possible to do the Etihad Check Indirectly at the airport or even better online from home. Of course, you can save a lot of time there and you don’t have to wait.
All passengers flying to Abu Dhabi with Etihad Airways must pre-check in the flight. There are now many different options that can be used to do this. Many years ago you could only do this at the airport at the counter. Then you showed your ticket and passport there. Furthermore, the suitcase was given up and that took a few minutes. But in the meantime, the airlines are offering many new options that you can use. One advantage, of course, is that you no longer have to wait in line for a long time. The airlines can also save on staff. But there is always a member of staff who is available to answer any questions you may have. Of course, there are still many older passengers who are used to it and don’t want to change. We will describe what you should use here.
Etihad Airways aircraft
It is still possible to check-in directly at the Etihad Airways counter at the airport. As already mentioned, this is still preferred by most passengers. The big advantage is of course that you have direct contact with an employee. Perhaps you have another question that you would like answered. Or maybe excess baggage or you want to change the Etihad seat reservation.
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We recommend always being at the check-in counter at least two to three hours beforehand. A long queue will certainly form very quickly at the Etihad check-in. Even if the counter has not yet opened, there are certainly passengers there. But you can tell from the large screens when it will open. If you’re unlucky it can be that you have to queue for an hour.
A completely new and convenient option is to simply do the Etihad Check-In online from home. You can do this directly on a PC, tablet, or even on a smartphone with internet access. Incidentally, this is possible with Etihad Airways up to 30 hours in advance. You simply enter the booking number from the flight and your last name. Then you can do it with just a few clicks. You can also change your seat there if you want to sit somewhere else. If you use the PC, you can simply print out the boarding pass yourself on the printer. But if you use a smartphone then there is another option you can take advantage of. That means you get a digital boarding pass and you have to show it when boarding.
However, you should of course always make sure that there is still enough battery available. If the smartphone no longer has power, you can no longer show your boarding pass. This is certainly a disadvantage with the new technical possibilities. A paper can still be shown. Once you have checked in online and it worked, you no longer need to go to the counter. You simply check-in your luggage at certain counters where this is faster. Since you already have your boarding card, you can simply go straight through the security checks. This saved a lot of time there.
Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi
As already mentioned, the Etihad Check In Online opens 30 hours before departure and you have enough time to do this. By the way, this is still possible up to 1 hour before. The same applies if you want to do this directly at the switch. If you are already over time then it can be tight and the airline may then refuse to board. The reason, of course, is that it takes at least an hour to get through all the security checks. Since the destination Abu Dhabi is outside of Europe, there are stricter controls and you have to plan more time.
An Etihad Airways Airbus A380
Of course, the Etihad airline also offers an app where you can practically manage the entire trip yourself directly on your smartphone. Etihad check-in is also possible there and you can change your seat again. Furthermore, the digital boarding card is also stored there, which you then have to show. This is then a barcode that you then have to hold up to the scanner. As already mentioned, you should always make sure that there are no problems with the cell phone and that the battery is not empty. Otherwise, this will not work. The advantage is certainly that everything is possible without paper.
The airline doesn’t charge a fee for check-in, and it doesn’t matter if you do it online or at the counter. You have already paid for the flight, so there are no additional costs. It will certainly be more expensive for the airline if you do this at the counter. There, an employee still has to print out the boarding passes and take the luggage. But at the moment this service is still available free of charge.
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A very important question is, of course, where you can leave your luggage. As a rule, most passengers travel with luggage and you have to hand it in somewhere. If you have done the online check-in then you have to give it up at special counters. As a rule, these are right next to the normal check-in counters. But that is sometimes different depending on the airport. Furthermore, it is still possible to do this at the regular switches. There you have to accept a waiting time.
As already described, there are several ways to do the Etihad check-in. If you are a frequent flyer and know your way around, then you should prefer online check-in. But for all passengers who go on holiday once a year, it is better if you still do it at the counter.