Last week, facing a 3.5-hour layover in CLE going to IND on CO, I walked asked a NW agent about getting on a flight to DTW and then IND, which would still get us to IND more than an hour earlier. The NW agent said there was room but that I needed a paper ticket. We converted our e-tickets and then got on the flight.

This weekend, on another trip, I'm on the first flight home in the morning. But I want to stay for part of the day and see a friend. Will a paper ticket offer me more flexibility than just trying to stand by on a later flight? I guess I still don't understand how everything happened last week and how the airlines look at paper tickets. Thanks.