BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi All,

I'm in the first leg of my trip around this big old world of ours. I'm facing an issue that I'm sure there must be a simple solution for. The problem is paper tickets.

I'm booking flights as I go, and I'm running into the problem of when I book a flight on expedia or travelocity that the flights I want only work with paper tickets. Why the world can't evolve to paperless tickets is beyond me. But I have to deal with it.

When I booked my flight from Melbourne to Singapore, I was able to use a YHA Travel to get the ticket. But now I'm in Singapore and I want to book a flight from Bangkok to Maui for a friends wedding. All of the flights require a paper ticket. What's a guy to do?

I've tried working with a couple travel agents here in Singapore, but they can't seem to find the same deals that I'm seeing on Travelocity & Expedia. Their prices are usually three times the price I'm seeing online.

Any suggestions? I can get the paper tickets sent overseas, but the cost is outrageous. About $60 USD. And I don't really want to be forced to stay in a town for too long while I just wait for my tickets to show up.

Is there a travel agency that's as friendly and flexible as YHA Travel that I'm pretty much assured of finding in major cities around the world? And for the record, I'm not a student.

Why are the tickets paper tickets? ecause you maybe have connections on different airlines (and thus they can't do it eletronically - because that's why I get paper tix in the states).
I don't know an agent, but I think if you figure out why they will only give you paper, than maybe you'll be able to start finding a solution..

They issue paper tickets because many airlines are old fashioned and don't issue electronic tickets. I faced this same problem when I wanted to fly from Melbourne to Singapore (where I am now). The airline was Austrian Airlines, and while their fleet and company may be rather modern... they still use paper tickets. Same with Emerites, Gulf Air, Thai Air, China Air... well you get the point.

It's frustrating, and is a significant pain for my travels. I can't be the only person who has faced this. Certainly there must be an easier way.

Actually, Austrian Airlines does to electronic ticketing. Just ot be sure, I checked their Australian website as well as the main one. [URL=http://www.aua.com/au/eng/]
Now, I'm certainly no fan of AUA, because they are jsut simply too expensive. But they do e-tickets.
I can imagine the same applies for the other airlines you mentioned.
Maybe the problem is with the travel agent you used?

I got stuck with a paper ticket too. I'll put it in my money belt, but what does one do if it's lost?

quote:

Originally posted by Elis:
Actually, Austrian Airlines does to electronic ticketing. Maybe the problem is with the travel agent you used?

Unlikely, but if true then both Expedia and Travelocity have the same problem. Perhaps Austrian Airlines issues electronic tickets in their home markets but requires paper tickets when not flying in their home market (i.e. Melbourne Australia to Singapore).