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Assume a passenger has online checked-in their flight with United Airlines but the United Airlines website wouldn't give them their boarding pass online, and instead asked them to obtain their boarding pass at the airport.

What is the cut-off time to obtain one's boarding pass at Lima airport (Jorge Chavez International Airport, LIM) when flying with United airlines (passenger has online checked in)?

The United Airlines online check-in website doesn't give the cut-off time to obtain one's boarding pass. They vaguely displays after the online check-in:

enter image description here

The web page they point to discusses cut-off times for check-in, bag drop, etc. but not boarding pass printing.

Note that the United Airlines online check-in website said check-in is completed:

enter image description here

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  • You can sometimes trick the site to give you a boarding pass by selecting a different citizenship. – JonathanReez♦ Jan 13 '20 at 21:37
  • Boarding pass printing is part of check-in. – Michael Hampton Jan 13 '20 at 21:52
  • @MichaelHampton UA website said check-in completed – Franck Dernoncourt Jan 13 '20 at 21:52
  • But you still can't get a boarding pass? Maybe they want to check your visa or something. – Michael Hampton Jan 13 '20 at 21:53
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    United's international checkin needs a number of things to be in place before they will issue a boarding pass. That can includes things like them having physically seen the passport you're using within the past X months, then having seen the visa you're using, them being aware of an onward/connecting ticket, or countless other things depending on the country you're travelling it. I have personally received the "not a boarding pass" response dozens of times due to combinations of these. – Doc Jan 13 '20 at 21:56
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The cut-off is the same as the check-in cut-off time, although in general for International flights that time is also the same as the baggage drop-off time.

For Lima specifically, the website you've linked to states :

Lima (LIM): 75 minutes

As far as United is concerned, you are not fully checked-in until a boarding pass has been issued.

Unrelated to the specific question asked, and specific to United Airlines, you will sometimes have different experiences when checking in via the website or their mobile app. Even if one path failed to issue a boarding pass, the other may be able to issue one so it's worth trying both.

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  • Thanks. "As far as United is concerned, you are not fully checked-in until a boarding pass has been issued." -> but the United Airlines online check-in website said check-in was completed :s see added screenshot in question. – Franck Dernoncourt Jan 13 '20 at 21:57
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    @FranckDernoncourt you are welcome to have that 'discussion' with the check-in staff if you arrive there <75 minutes before your fight. (If you can find them, as the check-in desk will most likely be closed) – Doc Jan 13 '20 at 21:58
  • I can do but would prefer to have the information beforehand – Franck Dernoncourt Jan 13 '20 at 21:59
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    @FranckDernoncourt My point is, if you're not there at least 75 minutes before, you most likely aren't getting on the flight. You can argue what 'checked-in' means until the llamas come home, but it's not going to get you on your flight. – Doc Jan 13 '20 at 22:09
  • agreed, unless nobody here can find some information on boarding pass printing cutoff, it's safer to show up before the check-in deadline. But it's annoying not to have some clear information from United Airlines regarding some basic deadlines. I was hoping I had missed something. – Franck Dernoncourt Jan 13 '20 at 22:13
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Since it seems that the United Airlines website fails to mention the cut-off time for boarding pass printing, I asked two United Airlines employees.

Employee 1 (from United Airlines online chat): after erroneously telling me that the cut-off time for boarding pass printing is 40 minutes, they told me that the cut-off time for boarding pass printing is the same as the cut-off time for check-in, which is 75 minutes at LIM airport (i.e., same answer as Doc's answer).

Employee 2 (from United Airlines counter at LIM): the United Airlines online check-in website's claim that the passenger had checked in was false. It seems many (all) foreigners cannot checked in online. Therefore the passenger had to arrive at the United Airlines counter by the check-in deadline, which is... 70 minutes before the scheduled departure (and not 75 minutes, contrary to what the United Airlines website claims).

TL;DR: nobody has any clue what they're doing so as Doc's answer recommends show up at 75 minutes before the scheduled departure if you want to avoid debating and possibly missing the flight, unless you're able to find a different cut-off time for boarding pass printing in writing. I'll leave the question unsanswered for now as the level of evidence is low (people seem to just guess).

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  • This would seem to confirm my answer is correct (with a 5 minute different likely due to a buffer).... FWIW, the Upgrade list on United's website shows which passengers are checked in (for those on the upgrade list). Despite the message the website gave about you being checked in, your name will not show as being checked in on the upgrade list until your BP is issued. As the check-in agent said, you were not checked in... – Doc Jan 14 '20 at 6:39

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