Expert: Roberto Gomes - 8/8/2006

Question
We are getting ready for our first travels with e tickets.  What do we do when we get to the airport?  I know I need to take a copy of my receipt, is that the one I printed off my email when I received the confirmation?  What do we do with luggage?  Do we still go to the ticket counter?  I've read about the koisk, but can you use them when you need to check baggage?  We are travelling with 2 small children, what do we to do with their tickets?

Answer
Dear Mrs. Boone,

Welcome to paper free world. This service is now being developed by the airlines and in my opinion will have a lot of benefits to the customers.

First of all e-tickets are safe. E-ticket securely stores ticket details making ticketing faster, secure and convenient.  E-tickets cannot be lost or stolen. You don't have to wait to receive your ticket in the post or collect at the ticket desk.

Please check your airline website and look for information regarding advance check-in. It's easy to check-in using airlines’ self check-in machines or web points or you can check-in online from home or at the airport on many routes. Some airlines provide at airports kiosks able to produce bag tags along with the boarding passes.

I recommend that you bring to the airport a copy of your e-ticket confirmation received in your email but it’s not necessary for you to check-in with. This confirmation message has all the necessary information such as airlines, flight numbers, date and time and the record locator of your reservation.

All that you need for check-in along with your ID is the form of payment that was used at the time you purchased the ticket such as a credit or a debt card.  Please note a passport is required for all international travel.

Some airlines still issues for children under the age of 2, paper tickets, which if it is the case, must be carry with you. So due to this situation your check-in process must be done at the counter.

Hope this helps. If you need any additional information, please let me know.

Best Regards,
R. Gomes