To save on travel expenses, I have repeatedly purchased airline tickets through international travel agencies such as ly.com (later renamed to Seishin Spirit／TravelGo). I’ve valued these services as a means to obtain discounted airline tickets, and I had never experienced any major problems until now. Due to their convenience, I even wrote articles in the past to introduce these services to more people.
However, this time I encountered an unexpected problem with a Japan Airlines (JAL) domestic flight. I’d like to share this experience to help others avoid finding themselves in a similar situation.
※This article is not intended to criticize SEISHIN SPIRIT (ly.com)’s system. When using international agencies to book discounted airline tickets, problems like the one I experienced can be somewhat inevitable. I’m writing this article to share my experience as information that people should know in advance when considering booking airline tickets through international online discount travel agencies, not limited to SEISHIN SPIRIT (ly.com).
Also, since this incident occurred when the service was still called “ly.com,” I’ll use ly.com consistently throughout this article.
About ly.com and Discount Travel Agencies
As I mentioned in detail in my previous article, ly.com is an online travel agency based in China that offers airline tickets, hotel bookings, and travel packages. It’s used by many travelers globally, and its main appeal is undoubtedly its low prices. Airline tickets are often offered at significantly lower prices than standard rates, making it particularly popular for short domestic trips and travel within Asia.
Discount travel agencies like ly.com provide low-cost airline tickets through their own procurement channels, allowing users to obtain tickets at bargain prices. However, there can be specific issues that arise during booking or boarding. The problem I experienced was precisely one such example.
How the Problem Unfolded
This problem occurred on a Japan Airlines (JAL) domestic flight. I had purchased the ticket through ly.com more than a week before the flight. I was very satisfied because I had managed to buy it for 10,000 yen less than the regular price. However, an unexpected situation arose on the day of the flight.
On the day of departure, I went to the airport kiosk with the 6-digit reservation number sent by ly.com to proceed with ticket issuance. However, JAL’s check-in system required a 13-digit check-in number, and due to the different format, I couldn’t enter my code.
I had no choice but to go to the JAL counter at the airport and show the staff my 6-digit reservation number. The staff then told me, “You should have received a separate 13-digit number in addition to this 6-digit number. Normally, check-in is done using that number.” However, no matter how many times I checked, all I had was the 6-digit reservation number.
The staff said, “If you don’t have the 13-digit check-in number, we need additional identity verification, so please show me your identification document.” I presented my driver’s license and proceeded with the process. Then, suddenly, the staff asked a puzzling question: “Was this ticket issued as a Cathay Pacific Airways mileage award ticket?“
The Surprising Truth
Feeling that something was strange, I replied, “That can’t be right, I purchased it through a travel agency,” which made the staff look puzzled. Then they asked, “There’s an international phone number registered as traveler information. Is this yours?” Fearing the worst, I asked to check the last four digits of the registered number, and it turned out that the phone number registered was not mine.
This is when the shocking truth was revealed. I was told that I might not be qualified to board the plane. The staff informed me, “We cannot proceed with issuing your ticket as things stand. According to JAL’s policy, if you don’t have a 13-digit check-in number, we need to verify your identity through a three-stage process using your reservation number, name, and either your phone number or age. Until this is completed, we cannot allow you to board the aircraft for security reasons.“
The Cause of the Problem
When I purchased the airline ticket through ly.com, I’m certain that I entered my own Japanese phone number. However, this wasn’t a regular system booking but rather an agency booking through ly.com. I realized that ly.com probably used their own phone number when arranging the ticket on my behalf.
As this conversation continued, boarding time was drawing near, and I became extremely anxious. Fortunately, since there was no other passenger with the same first and last name as me on the same flight, I was given special permission to board the aircraft with the condition that “I board last after all other passengers have completed boarding.” While I was deeply grateful for JAL’s flexible response, I shuddered at the thought that if by chance there had been another passenger with the same name as me, I might not have been able to board this flight.
Lessons Learned
Through this ordeal, I gained some important insights.
I had always thought that the system of “booking airline tickets through ly.com at lower than regular prices” worked because they bulk-bought tickets at discounted rates. However, I learned that in some cases, they use special methods to arrange tickets, such as issuing them as mileage award tickets from other airlines. In fact, the seat I purchased this time was apparently issued as a Cathay Pacific Airways mileage award ticket (although there was no mention of the ticket arrangement method in the terms and conditions, so I can’t criticize if the ticket was issued through an unexpected method).
Furthermore, I realized that with the “three-stage identity verification” system adopted by airlines like JAL, there is a significant risk of being denied boarding due to mismatched registration information when purchasing tickets through ly.com. While there might not be issues with airlines that adopt a two-stage identity verification system using only the reservation number and full name, such as Low-Cost Carriers, this is an unexpected pitfall unique to agency purchases.
Conclusion
Through this experience, I strongly felt the importance of ensuring that reservation numbers and other necessary information are definitely accurate when using travel agencies like ly.com. Particular caution is needed when using airlines with strict identity verification, such as JAL, for bookings made through agencies. When planning your travels, I recommend considering purchasing airline tickets through official channels for peace of mind, even if it costs a bit more.
I hope my experience will be of some help to fellow travelers who might encounter similar problems.
↓Please read this before booking discount airline tickets!
Update: Could I Have Prevented the Problem by Checking In as an International Flight in Advance?
Later, I received a comment from a kind reader suggesting that even for JAL domestic flights purchased through ly.com, it might be possible to check in online or change registration information by treating the reservation as an “international flight” in advance. It seems that when using ly.com, tickets are often issued as international flights even for domestic travel within Japan. In such cases, it appears that you cannot check in at the airport counter using the conventional method but need to check in online using the international flight method (in which case, apparently, you can check in with just the 6-digit reservation number without any problems).
While I think ly.com could have provided more detailed guidance, and I wonder why the JAL counter staff couldn’t identify that it was being treated as an international flight, looking back, the main reason for my failure was “not checking my reservation online in advance.” It seems that the method of issuing tickets at the airport on the day of departure should be avoided when using discount agency flights. That’s my discount airline ticket usage report based on a cautionary tale!
I appreciate, cause I found just what I used to be taking a look for.
You’ve ended my four day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day.
Bye