# Paper airline tickets - horrible? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 2, 2021, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847 "2021-08-02T04:44:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/41 "2021-08-02T18:12:49Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > And packing your own snacks for travel? Sure, millenials, buy overpriced food in the gift shop, or on the plane, No wonder you have no money. You realize, I hope, that “millenials” are the parents. “Kids these days” are the children of millenials. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/42 "2021-08-02T18:14:58Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I don’t also need to keep track of a piece of paper. Pieces of paper are useful tools, particularly in this situation where the paper doesn’t need to do anything but exist long enough to be scanned. They’re light, they don’t need to be unlocked, nor do I have to navigate to the right page. It’s also a useful backup for the person who prefers the electronic boarding pass. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/43 "2021-08-02T18:27:02Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > They’re light, they don’t need to be unlocked That right there are the two biggest things. I just used my phone for tickets into a movie for the first time these past two weeks, and it was way easier to carry my popcorn and drink when the ticket was paper. Just pinch it with two fingers of the popcorn hand, and away you go. Can’t do that with my phone, so now I have to juggle three things with two hands. I fully expect to spill my drink and/or popcorn all over the ticket taker at some point in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/44 "2021-08-02T18:30:11Z")
I was an executive secretary in the days of paper airline tickets. It was a pain in the back end. Especially since my executive was one of those toddlers who needed their hand held at every stage and would regularly lose his ticket - or need it changed. (Oh, I’ve been using my phone, but I really like the belt and suspenders plan. With luggage and carryon and phone and id, shoving a boarding pass into my passport sounds a lot easier) ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/45 "2021-08-02T18:35:27Z")
The other difference was that a paper ticket was printed by the airline or travel agent, on special forms/stock, and was not easily replaceable if lost - you had to get in touch with the issuer, cancel the lost one and have them issue a new one. Whereas you print your boarding pass yourself, and if you lose/forget it you just print another one. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/46 "2021-08-02T18:49:46Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > The other difference was that a paper ticket was printed by the airline or travel agent, on special forms/stock, and was not easily replaceable if lost - you had to get in touch with the issuer, cancel the lost one and have them issue a new one. You could also hand it someone else to use to fly. They didn’t check ID’s, or probably even care. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/47 "2021-08-02T18:54:07Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > Unless your battery dies. I’m all for redundancy, but I’d rather spend the effort to charge my phone than print out my tickets (sorry: “boarding passes”). Between my wife and I, the chances of all of our devices going without power at the same time are near-zero. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/48 "2021-08-02T18:57:46Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I don’t know if airlines even have printed tickets any more They do. In my experience if you get bumped to another flight, especially (and possibly only) on a different airline, the ticket or gate agent will print out a ticket that you haul to the other flight. I haven’t seen one in a couple of years, but I think it even says “ticket” on it. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/49 "2021-08-02T18:58:47Z")
Right. Today, the “ticket” showing that you paid to get on those specific flights in that specific carrier is virtually universally something that exists in the airline’s servers and the only part of it _you_ ever see is the ticket number, the itinerary and the booking code in a glorified receipt, except in cases such as the one described by **squeegee**. The piece of paper or cardboard you scan at entry is the boarding pass, which is evidence that you checked in to actually get on that plane today. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/50 "2021-08-02T19:02:14Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > > [@Voyager](#): > > > > I don’t know if airlines even have printed tickets any more > > They do. In my experience if you get bumped to another flight, especially (and possibly only) on a different airline, the ticket or gate agent will print out a ticket that you haul to the other flight. I haven’t seen one in a couple of years, but I think it even says “ticket” on it. Oh, good point! A couple years ago my flight was cancelled, and they put me on another flight on another airline, and gave me a ticket to show the agent at the other airline. I’m in the best&suspender camp. I print my boarding pass, and also pull it up on my phone at the airport. I usually use the paper version, because that is easier, but I’ve used the phone version when I had tucked the paper away and it was easier to use the phone. But usually, I remember to have it out, and it’s easier to leave my phone in my pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/51 "2021-08-02T19:19:14Z")
If you drop a piece of paper, it is unlikely to break. But I don’t give a shit. I don’t fly. > [@Broomstick](#): > > I find those commercials irritating, condescending, and stereotyping. Especially when this guy looks like a total dork with his cheesy mustache and fucking Cardigan. As far as ‘turning into my Dad’, Hell! I wish. He was a fighter pilot, engineer and a self-made millionaire. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/52 "2021-08-02T19:30:28Z")
That’s because it was the ticket itself — the actual piece of paper — that allowed you to fly. The ticket had actual value in itself, just like cash. If you didn’t have the ticket, you couldn’t fly. If you gave the ticket to your friend, he could fly in your place. The ticket was generally good for ANY airline flying the route in question. If your flight on United was canceled, you could use the paper ticket to fly on American, with only a little hassle. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/53 "2021-08-02T19:31:50Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > That’s why you take a screenshot of the boarding pass. And make it your lock screen picture, so you don’t even have to unlock your phone to get it scanned. Follow me for more travel tips. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/54 "2021-08-02T19:39:44Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > And make it your lock screen picture, so you don’t even have to unlock your phone to get it scanned. > Follow me for more travel tips Yeah, that’s a great tip. I usually have my pass and my wife’s pass in 3 places: on the website where you pull it up, which I have pulled up in a tab; saved as two screenshots in my gallery; and in a text message that one of us sends the other. She has both passes in the same 3 places on her phone too. That way if one of our phones stops working for whatever reason, we can scan both passes on the other phone. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/55 "2021-08-02T19:43:49Z")
See, I just have the screen shot and the piece of paper, and figure I’m good. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/56 "2021-08-02T19:47:59Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You realize, I hope, that “millenials” are the parents. “Kids these days” are the children of millenials. Where does the time go? ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/57 "2021-08-02T21:05:07Z")
All this back & forth between paper boarding passes & phones, I bypass them both and just use my watch. That way I don’t have to hold _anything_! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/58 "2021-08-02T21:06:19Z")
I just have the QR code for the boarding pass tattooed on my arm. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/59 "2021-08-02T21:19:28Z")
What if you’re wearing a jacket? Who needs that kind of hassle, this is why forehead tattooing was invented. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2021, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847/60 "2021-08-02T21:20:43Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Who needs that kind of hassle, this is why forehead tattooing was invented. I just have the boarding pass data downloaded on the complimentary RFID chip I got when I got my vaccine. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-airline-tickets-horrible/947847.md?page=4)