Problem 1: Those "first generation" self-checkin systems do not offer any provisions for self-checkin of your luggage. So at first I was happy to hear that I can simply take my suitcase to the "quick baggage drop". But geez, 4 out of 5 times I end up spending more time there than in the waiting queue at the regular checkin. This again happened to me in Doha last night. I did an online checkin at the hotel, printed my boarding pass, proceeded to the Qatar Airways "Quick Baggage Drop" - happy to see a very short waiting queue. But then I got stuck there for more than 20 minutes, even though there were just two more passengers in front of me in the queue. First of all there are always far too few "Quick Baggage Drop" counters. Typically just ONE. So if there is any complication with a passenger (and that seems to happen way more often at the quick baggage drop than at the regular checkin counters), you are stuck! Dear Qatar Airways and dear SWISS airways: please rename your counters to "Slow Baggage Drop". So at least we know what to expect.
Problem 2: Technical issues ranging from "Your e-ticket number is not recognized", scanners not working, to "sorry, your boarding pass could not be printed". Probably due to immature systems pushed on us travelers without adequate testing.
In summary, self-checkin is usually just a waste of time. Better do the regular checkin. And if ground staff tries to convince you to move from the regular checkin queue to the "self checkin" machines (happened to me in Zurich recently), you should refuse and ask them to fix their problems and to stop wasting your time.
The Way It Should Be:
However, there is a happy end (or almost) to this story. Welcome to the brand new Emirates Terminal in Dubai. What an architectural master piece! The self-checkin stations there allow you to checkin your baggage all by yourself. This fully solves Problem#1.
I tried that immediately after the terminal opened and I completed my checkin after a few minutes. As you can see there is a luggage belt in front of you. The belt will move the luggage away from you to prevent cheating, measure its weight, and then move it back to you so you can attach the baggage sticker. The screen in front of you guides you through the checkin procedure and provides adequate help (for me at least).Unfortunately, the second time I was using this "second generation" self-checkin (as I call it), all of the luggage belts were out of order, which brings us back to problem#2 ...
Also, I wonder how less tech savvy passengers cope with those fancy self-checking systems, elderly people in particular. I heard that some airlines in the US only offer self-checkin, and to save cost they are not providing any personnell which can assist you in the self-checkin if you require a human "interpreter" for interacting with the machines.
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