Paper tickets vs e-tickets
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Paper tickets vs e-tickets
Travelling through the US last week I had a flight LAS to EWR on Continental. Now I know paper tickets should be guarded with one's life etc but it had been a long night and I had left them on the back seat of a taxi on the way to the airport.
Major panic ensued as I was not sure of cab company name so approached Continental desk who, politely, informed me as it was a paper ticket they could not check me in even though all my flight details appeared on their screen as well as my onward flight back to the UK. It would have been no problem with an e-ticket, passport sufficient identity to carry me on. Continental wanted a thousand bucks just for the Newark leg!!!!!!
As it happens my hotel in Vegas managed to locate the taxi who very kindly met me at Continental drop-off 20 minutes later with my tickets and received a proportionately large tip!
What is the deal with paper tickets, why is there no flexibility when they are misplaced? what happens when they are genuinely stolen? I was very disappointed by the check-in staff who flatly refused to offer any assistance at all, and then gave me the SSSS for my trouble! I have since learned you can fill out an indemnity form which for a small fee would allow you to travel - is this correct?
Any comments appreciated.
Major panic ensued as I was not sure of cab company name so approached Continental desk who, politely, informed me as it was a paper ticket they could not check me in even though all my flight details appeared on their screen as well as my onward flight back to the UK. It would have been no problem with an e-ticket, passport sufficient identity to carry me on. Continental wanted a thousand bucks just for the Newark leg!!!!!!
As it happens my hotel in Vegas managed to locate the taxi who very kindly met me at Continental drop-off 20 minutes later with my tickets and received a proportionately large tip!
What is the deal with paper tickets, why is there no flexibility when they are misplaced? what happens when they are genuinely stolen? I was very disappointed by the check-in staff who flatly refused to offer any assistance at all, and then gave me the SSSS for my trouble! I have since learned you can fill out an indemnity form which for a small fee would allow you to travel - is this correct?
Any comments appreciated.
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Sounds strange. It happened to me several years ago when at last minute at check-in I realised that I lost my Finnair tickets and it was too late even to try to find them anywhere (hotel/taxi/etc). I've been forwarded to ticketing desk who just asked me for passport and travel details (dates/segments) to verify that most probably it is really me and reissued tickets. I've paid an equivalent of about 50 or 100 dollars as penalty and that's the end of the story.
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Paper tickets on US domestic have been on the way out for several years. In fact all US airlines now charge you for issuing them in the first place. Works well most of the time except when the computer system(s) crash, then everything grinds to a halt.
If you lose/misplace/forget a (paper) ticket or e-ticket ref. number, you will be required to purchase a replacement. The airline may or may not charge a walk-up fare and/or a 're-issue fee' at their discretion. Unless you have mega status in their FF program, you will end up paying handsomely. If the original ticket does not resurface within 6 months you may apply for a refund of the original fare.
Or something like that.
If you lose/misplace/forget a (paper) ticket or e-ticket ref. number, you will be required to purchase a replacement. The airline may or may not charge a walk-up fare and/or a 're-issue fee' at their discretion. Unless you have mega status in their FF program, you will end up paying handsomely. If the original ticket does not resurface within 6 months you may apply for a refund of the original fare.
Or something like that.
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Hi
I used to be a ticket agent for 3 and a half years so perhaps i can go someway to answering your question here...
first and foremost can i just say that in no way does someone refusing to reissue your lost ticket mean that they are being awkward or unhelpful... these are the rules laid down by the airline involved and is about revenue protection. There is so much fraud that goes on with the issuance of tickets and i dont think people realise exactly how rife this problem is.
If you are unfortunate to have had your ticket stolen or lost then of course tickets can be reissued... a fee is imposed which is normally equivalent of that to raise the documentation and also the manpower used to locate all the relevant information. If you take the time to study an airline ticket you will see that there is alot of information on it and is not just simply a piece of paper showing your name and where you are going to... it is an accountable document, has a serial number on which can be likened to a sterling note...
if you have used a travel agent who has used a special fare, then this is transmitted through the system to the airline.... all that will show to the airline is your name and a routing... this is in no way proof that you have paid for the ticket... unless of course an e ticket has been issued... here the airline can see everything... so you can see that if your paper ticket goes astray it is very difficult for the staff member in question to allow you to board really not knowing whether you have paid or not. a ticket is the only thing that will prove this, as an invoice is still not adequate. in these circumstances i would do everything possible to track down a copy of the ticket but very often due to time zones this wasnt always possible. i would then advise the customer that they had two options. they could either come back when i could locate their ticket details or alternatively pay for a new ticket to get them to their destination, i would continue to try and get the copy of the ticket and once we had retrieved this ticket we could then refund the ticket that been subsequently purchased.
as far as e tickets are concerned, this shows how technology has moved on as we can now see everything that we need to... i think it still has teething problems however but im sure it is a case of each airline manipulating it to a way which suits them. i do think though that it has somewhat disgruntled some of those fraudsters out there as it is much more difficult to cheat the system, you will occasionally have people insist on having paper tickets which kinda of begins to ring alarm bells.. although very often it is a tradition thing!!
i hope this assists in some way.... the world of ticketing and fares is complex in its own right... thank god i dont have to worry about it anymore
I used to be a ticket agent for 3 and a half years so perhaps i can go someway to answering your question here...
first and foremost can i just say that in no way does someone refusing to reissue your lost ticket mean that they are being awkward or unhelpful... these are the rules laid down by the airline involved and is about revenue protection. There is so much fraud that goes on with the issuance of tickets and i dont think people realise exactly how rife this problem is.
If you are unfortunate to have had your ticket stolen or lost then of course tickets can be reissued... a fee is imposed which is normally equivalent of that to raise the documentation and also the manpower used to locate all the relevant information. If you take the time to study an airline ticket you will see that there is alot of information on it and is not just simply a piece of paper showing your name and where you are going to... it is an accountable document, has a serial number on which can be likened to a sterling note...
if you have used a travel agent who has used a special fare, then this is transmitted through the system to the airline.... all that will show to the airline is your name and a routing... this is in no way proof that you have paid for the ticket... unless of course an e ticket has been issued... here the airline can see everything... so you can see that if your paper ticket goes astray it is very difficult for the staff member in question to allow you to board really not knowing whether you have paid or not. a ticket is the only thing that will prove this, as an invoice is still not adequate. in these circumstances i would do everything possible to track down a copy of the ticket but very often due to time zones this wasnt always possible. i would then advise the customer that they had two options. they could either come back when i could locate their ticket details or alternatively pay for a new ticket to get them to their destination, i would continue to try and get the copy of the ticket and once we had retrieved this ticket we could then refund the ticket that been subsequently purchased.
as far as e tickets are concerned, this shows how technology has moved on as we can now see everything that we need to... i think it still has teething problems however but im sure it is a case of each airline manipulating it to a way which suits them. i do think though that it has somewhat disgruntled some of those fraudsters out there as it is much more difficult to cheat the system, you will occasionally have people insist on having paper tickets which kinda of begins to ring alarm bells.. although very often it is a tradition thing!!
i hope this assists in some way.... the world of ticketing and fares is complex in its own right... thank god i dont have to worry about it anymore
Learnt the hard way - keep your tickets and your itinerary separate, make sure the itinerary shows the locator code. If you have the itinerary and the locator they will re-issue the ticket and charge not much. If not, you have to buy a new ticket.
Also learnt the hard way - some airports make you show your ticket (Manila, Mumbai) to get into the terminal building. This is hard with an e-ticket!
Also learnt the hard way - some airports make you show your ticket (Manila, Mumbai) to get into the terminal building. This is hard with an e-ticket!
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This is why you will find that some destinations you cannot hold an eticket on... this is due to immigration constraints.. however you will find that on the eticket receipt it will still state that you may need to show it to immigration authorities, this also happens in Australia and probably numerous other destinations.
So whats the point of etickets you may ask if you still need to carry a piece of paper... well in all honestly it really is to streamline the airlines paperwork and not really to convenience the passengers although they love you to think this!! it means less staff are needed therefore more profits!!
at least that is the idea... in my opinion!!
So whats the point of etickets you may ask if you still need to carry a piece of paper... well in all honestly it really is to streamline the airlines paperwork and not really to convenience the passengers although they love you to think this!! it means less staff are needed therefore more profits!!
at least that is the idea... in my opinion!!
Too mean to buy a long personal title
bluestars: So whats the point of etickets you may ask if you still need to carry a piece of paper...
Paxing All Over The World
I agree that e-ticketing is only for the airlines! However, with self check-in (online or machine) and fast bag drop facilities, I am more than happy to print a single peice of A4 paper. Also, with the confirmation email on-line and a copy of the print file on my lap top, I can regenerate the paper fairly easily.
Hopefully, once we have got folks onto e-ticketing, we can then move onto smartcard ticketing. However, that is probably eight years away on the high density routes and another ten across the world. But, like e-tickets, it will happen.
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"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Hopefully, once we have got folks onto e-ticketing, we can then move onto smartcard ticketing. However, that is probably eight years away on the high density routes and another ten across the world. But, like e-tickets, it will happen.
--------------------
"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
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Thanks for the responses.
Unfortunately as I work for a large multi-national we are asked (forced) to book through the company travel agents. This inevitably means more paper tickets as more revenue for them. Often fly to Dusseldorf with BA for a day or two at more than £250.00 return when an equivalent flight with LCC would be £50 or less into Dortmund (closer to HQ, Luton closer to home).
I would prefer all my flights to be booked with e-tickets but hands are tied.
To extend my opener I did contact our company's travel agent at the time of loss and they were as equally unhelpful as the carriers - not really what I expected from an agent who has a virtual monopoly with our company.
Unfortunately as I work for a large multi-national we are asked (forced) to book through the company travel agents. This inevitably means more paper tickets as more revenue for them. Often fly to Dusseldorf with BA for a day or two at more than £250.00 return when an equivalent flight with LCC would be £50 or less into Dortmund (closer to HQ, Luton closer to home).
I would prefer all my flights to be booked with e-tickets but hands are tied.
To extend my opener I did contact our company's travel agent at the time of loss and they were as equally unhelpful as the carriers - not really what I expected from an agent who has a virtual monopoly with our company.
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Paper tickets cost the airline something like USD7 per coupon so ETKT are much more convenient for the airline but also for the passenger aswell, you cant lose it being the main advantage, sure enough you are supposed to carry a copy of the itin with you but these can be reprinted at checkin desks or ticketing desks.
Sure if you lose your paper ticket then you will have to pay for it to be reissued, I could never understand why people complain about this as if you lost your bus ticket, concert ticket, train ticket it wont be replaced you'd have to buy a new one..... lucky you dont lose your LX ticket as it will cost you £80 for a new one!.
Also I think airlines are trying to promote it as BA for instance will charge you a fee to have a paper ticket on an ETKT route, plus then they have your email address to add to their data base for endless special offers
Sure if you lose your paper ticket then you will have to pay for it to be reissued, I could never understand why people complain about this as if you lost your bus ticket, concert ticket, train ticket it wont be replaced you'd have to buy a new one..... lucky you dont lose your LX ticket as it will cost you £80 for a new one!.
Also I think airlines are trying to promote it as BA for instance will charge you a fee to have a paper ticket on an ETKT route, plus then they have your email address to add to their data base for endless special offers
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redfred
Bus ticket, concert ticket, train ticket etc cannot be replaced if you lost it for a very simple reason: it is not personalized and in most cases it is not stored into any kind of reservation/inventory system. So you can buy it, then make it "lost" and if you reissued then your friend/family/whoever can accompany you for free. But clearly it is not the case with airline tickets. If someone want to use stolen ticket he should have ID or passport with matching name and photo and pray that ticket is not cancelled yet.
Bus ticket, concert ticket, train ticket etc cannot be replaced if you lost it for a very simple reason: it is not personalized and in most cases it is not stored into any kind of reservation/inventory system. So you can buy it, then make it "lost" and if you reissued then your friend/family/whoever can accompany you for free. But clearly it is not the case with airline tickets. If someone want to use stolen ticket he should have ID or passport with matching name and photo and pray that ticket is not cancelled yet.
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PaperTiger:
Not entirely true; they still issue paper tickets at no charge for situations where e-tickets are not an option - for instance, an infant not occupying a seat.
Certainly not the case for e-ticket reference number. I frequently don't have a printed e-ticket, I just give my name and ID and they find me and check me in. I can't imagine any circumstance you would have to *purchase* a replacement e-ticket!
R1
Paper tickets on US domestic have been on the way out for several years. In fact all US airlines now charge you for issuing them in the first place.
If you lose/misplace/forget a (paper) ticket or e-ticket ref. number, you will be required to purchase a replacement.
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There are different circumstances surrounding the loss of a paper ticket:
1. If ticket was issued by the airline being used, a replacement can be issued against a "Form of Indemnity" (in other words, you agree that if the original ticket is subsequently found, you will forward it to the airline and prevent its attempted fraudulent use or that you will make good the loss to the airline if the lost ticket does get used fraudulently). The airline has the right to charge an administration fee for issuing the F.O.I.
2. If ticket was purchased by another airline, or by a travel agent, the carrier cannot get hold of the money for the journey without producing the coupon (the word "ticket" is commonly misused - the ticket is the entire document, the coupon the individual "flimsy" for the sector being flown). Therefore, if you lose it, you might be, quite rightly, refused travel as the airline will be carrying you free of charge!
It is quite a common occurrence that the "coupon" is lost between check-in and the gates, yet very rare that we decide to offload a passenger as a result (but it does happen!). If you read the Boarding Pass small print, it does clearly state "Not Valid Without Flight Coupon", the only exception being the E-Ticket where the Boarding Pass is overprinted.
As far as the following is concerned:
quote:
If you lose/misplace/forget a (paper) ticket or e-ticket ref. number, you will be required to purchase a replacement.
reply:
Certainly not the case for e-ticket reference number. I frequently don't have a printed e-ticket, I just give my name and ID and they find me and check me in. I can't imagine any circumstance you would have to *purchase* a replacement e-ticket!
...........Assuming your booking is okay! I have had literally hundreds turn up with no paperwork where the booking was for an entirely different date or destination!
1. If ticket was issued by the airline being used, a replacement can be issued against a "Form of Indemnity" (in other words, you agree that if the original ticket is subsequently found, you will forward it to the airline and prevent its attempted fraudulent use or that you will make good the loss to the airline if the lost ticket does get used fraudulently). The airline has the right to charge an administration fee for issuing the F.O.I.
2. If ticket was purchased by another airline, or by a travel agent, the carrier cannot get hold of the money for the journey without producing the coupon (the word "ticket" is commonly misused - the ticket is the entire document, the coupon the individual "flimsy" for the sector being flown). Therefore, if you lose it, you might be, quite rightly, refused travel as the airline will be carrying you free of charge!
It is quite a common occurrence that the "coupon" is lost between check-in and the gates, yet very rare that we decide to offload a passenger as a result (but it does happen!). If you read the Boarding Pass small print, it does clearly state "Not Valid Without Flight Coupon", the only exception being the E-Ticket where the Boarding Pass is overprinted.
As far as the following is concerned:
quote:
If you lose/misplace/forget a (paper) ticket or e-ticket ref. number, you will be required to purchase a replacement.
reply:
Certainly not the case for e-ticket reference number. I frequently don't have a printed e-ticket, I just give my name and ID and they find me and check me in. I can't imagine any circumstance you would have to *purchase* a replacement e-ticket!
...........Assuming your booking is okay! I have had literally hundreds turn up with no paperwork where the booking was for an entirely different date or destination!
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paper tkts more useful
a couple of weeks ago our ckin system crashed. we handle both e tkt airlines and paper airlines. To check in a boeing of 131 pax with e tkts we had to get a copy of the manifest from reservations
and then use that as a form of cross check.
With the tktd flt it was simply produce the tkts and check them in as you can use the tkt as a cross reference to the ckin sheet.
as you can imagine a very long morning for all concerned, yet just as we'd finished writing out the 3rd set of boarding cards the sets came back up.
About a year ago, half the flt was ckd in and the system crashed how do you know who you've got and who you haven't without calling the pax all back and double checking. You are unable to account for baggage as well.
any ideas?
and then use that as a form of cross check.
With the tktd flt it was simply produce the tkts and check them in as you can use the tkt as a cross reference to the ckin sheet.
as you can imagine a very long morning for all concerned, yet just as we'd finished writing out the 3rd set of boarding cards the sets came back up.
About a year ago, half the flt was ckd in and the system crashed how do you know who you've got and who you haven't without calling the pax all back and double checking. You are unable to account for baggage as well.
any ideas?
Paxing All Over The World
Any ideas? Have the airline pay for a fault tolerant system with 'mirror disks' and one that is not based on Microsoft operating systems? 
--------------------
"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
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"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different." Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
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This has become really interesting.
Have asked my company travel agent to only do e-ticket reservations in the future. They now cannot guarantee seats compared to paper tickets, on a business level I have to be where I have to be at a set time.
So ARE paper tickets worth the money they are printed on?
Have asked my company travel agent to only do e-ticket reservations in the future. They now cannot guarantee seats compared to paper tickets, on a business level I have to be where I have to be at a set time.
So ARE paper tickets worth the money they are printed on?
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candoo
What a load of rubbish. As a travel agent I can say that that there is absolutely no difference - from the Pre-Reserved Seat aspect - whether you have an e-ticket or a paper one. The only difference between the two documents is in the way that the 'ticketing line' is entered.
The only other comment that I would make is with regards to sameday return checkin on British Airways. If you have checked in for your return flight and then want to make a change, it is impossible for your travel agent to revalidate your ticket without having to telephone British Airways. To do that the agent will be charged the sum of 50p per minute whilst on the telephone - more than the miniscule commission that the airline pays. If you are likely to want to change your return flight time then I suggest that you do not checkin - then call your agent and they will have changed your reservation and revalidated the coupon within a couple of minutes, and wih no inconvenience to yourself.
On the subject of e-ticket versus paper, I would go for e-ticket every time. It amazing how many times I get calls from an airline checkin desk to say that they have apassenger with them who has lost their ticket, and who do not want to have to pay for a Form of Indemnity to be issued. Equally amazing is the number of times that the ticket suddenly appears after you tell the passenger that it is the airlines charge and must be paid!
The only other comment that I would make is with regards to sameday return checkin on British Airways. If you have checked in for your return flight and then want to make a change, it is impossible for your travel agent to revalidate your ticket without having to telephone British Airways. To do that the agent will be charged the sum of 50p per minute whilst on the telephone - more than the miniscule commission that the airline pays. If you are likely to want to change your return flight time then I suggest that you do not checkin - then call your agent and they will have changed your reservation and revalidated the coupon within a couple of minutes, and wih no inconvenience to yourself.
On the subject of e-ticket versus paper, I would go for e-ticket every time. It amazing how many times I get calls from an airline checkin desk to say that they have apassenger with them who has lost their ticket, and who do not want to have to pay for a Form of Indemnity to be issued. Equally amazing is the number of times that the ticket suddenly appears after you tell the passenger that it is the airlines charge and must be paid!
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Same thing happened to me at Nice Airport a few years ago, I had no CC on me and had to call a friend to use hers to buy a new ticket.
As Im sat waiting to board, the taxi driver showed up yay! Gave him a nice big tip and my friend's card was refunded.
I was semi delerious with flu at the time, that's my excuse. OMG the flight was hell with that!
As Im sat waiting to board, the taxi driver showed up yay! Gave him a nice big tip and my friend's card was refunded.
I was semi delerious with flu at the time, that's my excuse. OMG the flight was hell with that!
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So now I know how I caught that flu
And e tickets are great, I scribble the booking number on my palm and flash it to the check-in staff - very convenient for me (but i keep a print out of the e ticket on my person in case I need it - like if their servers crash etc)
And e tickets are great, I scribble the booking number on my palm and flash it to the check-in staff - very convenient for me (but i keep a print out of the e ticket on my person in case I need it - like if their servers crash etc)