Hans,

My experience is that UA will print out your e-ticket if you request it at the ticket counter. The best time to do it is either when you purchase it (if you are making the purchase at a counter) or when you check in for the first segment. Be firm that you would really prefer to have a paper ticket. Be ready to withstand a condescending lecture from a few agents that you must not lose your ticket. But in most cases they do it readily, even if the ticket has already been paid for. I don’t think fare basis has anything to do with it.

I'm big on the value of paper tickets. In the horrendous non-routine situations such as cancellations and mechanical delays (or even the bonus situations such as getting bumped) I’ve always been glad that I’ve had a paper ticket. These kind of situations are often time-critical.

In my opinion, a paper ticket gives me:
• the greatest number of options of airlines, dates of travel, and routing,
• the ability to move quickly between airlines, terminals and connections, and
• the greatest chance to make it through stand-by situations on other airlines.

Same three points with more details:

• More options:
An airline can often accept a non-endorsed ticket if they choose to do so. I've done it several times. Of course if you have status on the airline taking the ticket, they are much more likely to help you. It's always better to get an endorsement. (An endorsement doesn't mean that there is a reservation.) Many agents are very fussy of course, and insist that everything be done precisely according to regulations. They will want every ticket endorsed. But if you up against this kind of agent, good luck with an e-ticket locked away behind their computer screen instead of a paper ticket in your hand. With a paper ticket you have a small measure of control over the situation that you don’t have with an e-ticket. Find out an alternate schedule that might work for you, plead with any UA agent to endorse your ticket and run for the other terminal.

• Quicker:
It can be quicker to change/endorse a paper ticket, though this is certainly not always the case. If you are going to stay on UA, then any res agent on the phone can make standard changes, IF you are in a situation where the computer shows that there is a reason that UA has to protect you on a later flight. But if there is a situation such as a creeping mechanical delay, only the gate agent can have mercy on you and send you quietly to another airline. (They are loathe to stampede the entire fussy plane load, but sometimes they will quietly help out 1Ks and Premier Execs who ask). It helps to have status of course, but with a paper ticket, it’s easier for them. The stories abound about agents who can’t figure out how to rework an e-ticket reservation to send pax to another airline. It’s got to be even more chancy to trust that UA Express agents will be able to master the subtleties of something that bamboozles regular UA agents at hubs.

• Making it on other airlines:
An endorsed paper ticket is virtually a skeleton key. Sometimes in a non-routine situation you are told that the next available seat is six hours later, or even the next day. If you look sharp and have an paper ticket, you can approach other airlines flying the route and stand by for the flight. With a ticket, you are obviously a revenue passenger, nudging ahead of non-revs. With the reservation systems as they are now, it is virtually impossible for your e-ticket reservation to show up on another airline’s stand-by list. A FIM (Flight Interruption Manifest - is this what was described above as a voucher?) can be just as good as a paper ticket for flexibility, But the routing on a FIM is locked in if I’m not mistaken. A couple of standard paper ticket coupons gives agents the ability to staple boarding passes for just about any connection through any hub with minimum hassle.

I think it’s very dubious security to relax because I can’t possibly lose my ticket. What makes me think that UA can’t possibly lose my reservation? All the airlines are marketing the marvelous advantages of e-tickets. It saves them costs and it gives them an excuse to keep passengers on their airline. Until they force us all to buy cyber-tickets, I’m going to keep my options open with paper tickets.

I hope you have a good journey with the family.