About 2 weeks ago, future ticketing at ORD moved downstairs. The .bomb bag check has the old location all to itself and the "future ticketing" has relocated to the baggage claim level by carousel 2, next to the TSA guarded exit from T2/Low B gates.

I found it today while trying to use my paper MPVisa cert before it expired...

While waiting one agent booked a ticket to PFN - Panama City. The problem was the person said Panama City, Central America which is PTY - cancel and rebook.

The person after that with that agent was buying two PNRs with that rare obscure implement - Cash. I spied the t-shirt logo of a local taxi dance establishment peeking out of her jacket - thus explaining the wad of $20s for payment. Went smoothly except that they don't keep cash. She needed exact change. With some prices ending in $???.40, the TA was printing vouchers for her to take upstairs to get her change. She didn't want to bother. So, I broke a dollar for her to spare the trouble. When done, the TA had to leave the desk to take the cash upstairs... (Would've been so much quicker if they were still upstairs themselves)

The veteran TA went on break when I was next in line and I got a rookie. I think-No whoop. I have reserved flights and seats, a confirmation code, all she has to do is enter the paper cert and have me sign a credit card reciept. First time through, she makes a mistake and has to void the ticket, redo it and now she's afraid to press enter and asking the Panama City agent to check her work before she hits enter. Nothing prints

She makes a call and is talking quietly. She's saying my name and the card and back of card code. Finally she hands the phone to me. It's Chase fraud protection. They are concerned about a duplicate holds on the account (even though the agent explained it.) In other words UA MPVisa is alleging UA ORD of fraud and I state that to the phone CSA

I have to give the last 4 digits of my SSN, first letter of mother's maiden name, and confirm whether I'm talking to UA or Chase, It's Chase so she's reading me back my purchases as confirmation. (And rookie TA is asking if I have another card - I politely say, "Wait, she's clearing the block" and the second time "I'd rather book my UA ticket on my UA card").

About an hour after I arrive, the block is cleared, my ticket is printing and veteran TA is back from "lunch" he notices that a bill for the $20 manual booking fee printed out... catches it says to me "I know you didn't come down here to save $5" I'm afraid of another trip through the feedback loop, but he shows her how to void the fee with out voiding the ticket.

If I had him, I'd have been done by now. If MP Visa had a certificate that could be used as an e-cert, I wouldn't have been there as long.

I got to the counter and only Miss cash payment was in line. There were eight waiting when I left an hour later to meet my relative who had flown in and was waiting at AA baggage claim...

yeesh... maybe I should have risked the ICC and Ticket-by-mail...