When flying AirAsia, do I need to get my documents checked before going to the gate?

Question

I'm soon flying AirAsia from Singapore Changi Airport.

My printed boarding pass has a huge red banner proclaiming "You're eligible to GO-TO-GATE: You may proceed directly to Departure Immigration". However, in much smaller print, it says I need to "verify travel documents at Document Check Counter before [one hour before my flight]".

So which is right? Do I need to visit a separate counter before Immigration a full hour before my flight, or can they do the document check at the gate?

Answer 1

So I asked the check in staff this morning, and they were unequivocal: if your boarding pass says GO TO GATE on it, no document check is needed. And this, indeed, proved to be the case: I did not have to interact with a single human on my way to the plane, just immigration check (scan passport) and gate check (scan boarding pass).

Note that this advice is specific to AirAsia & Changi: many other airlines do require you to get checked by a human, often even when the boarding pass claims otherwise.

Answer 2

This is the thumb rule.

If you are going to the country of your citizenship, you won't have to go through document check at airline checkin counter. Printed boarding pass will suffice. You can directly go to immigration counters.

In any case, if airlines want to check documents, they will flag and security will redirect before immigration counter. Also, Terminal 4 have automated kiosk to print boarding pass, if you need.

Answer 3

yes dont worry about about that. If you already have a boarding pass and it explicitly sais that you can proceed to the gate, then you dont need to checkin at the counter (unless you need to drop off the checkin baggage. They will additionally check you 2 more times, at the gate and on board of the airplane.

Hope that helps! :)