What is an "Actual E-ticket"?
 

I'm not taking sides in this particular discussion, but indogulf brings up an issue that has always nagged at me: How do I PROVE I have an e-ticket?
What is an "actual eticket reciept"?

I thought that the only significant part of an e-ticket confirmation receipt, e-mail, or whatever -- would be the PNR number and/or the ticket number.

Is there something else like a bar code? I usually travel internationally with poorly-printed e-mail confirmations and/or re-typed PNR's and ticket numbers. Am I missing something?

Maybe Delta admitted its mistake and sent him on another airline?

Actually, Thailand does require people with a longer stay than 30 days to have a visa.
People who do visa runs to Laos and Cambodia could have entered on a " Visa on entry" good for 30 days and then decided to stay longer so they do a visa run. I know people who have done as many as five on a single trip. However, Thai immigration rules change and they may limit you to one, two or three such visas. They pased a law about four years ago that certain Africans (Nigerians) had to get their next "Visa on entry" by returning to their home country. I was returning from Cambodia to Bangkok and witnessed one such passenger denied entry. He had no carry-on and no checked bags. I've often wondered what happened to him. Probably had to buy a ticket either from Bangkok or Phnom Penh back to his home country.
Dave

Would be nice to know.

If you have an e-ticket, the receipt will show the ticket number. If you have made a booking but it's not ticketed, you will have an itinerary, and no ticket number, hence no e-ticket receipt.

A valid ticket number IS an e-ticket. It can be hand written in pencil on the back of a Starbucks receipt, recited from memory, verbally passed along from a cell phone call, written in the palm of your hand. The E-Ticket itself exists in the airlines computer. Not on any kind of paper.

Only the first sentence of this paragraph is correct. The rest is absolutely wrong. Delta would not be responsible for returning the passenger if the passenger complied with immigration documentation requirements and then held up his middle finger to the immigration officer. If I have the required documentation for a country, and have complied with all entry requirements for that country when I arrive for my DL flight, if DL denies me boarding, I am due compensation for denied boarding.

DL can't play immigration officer at the ticket counter when I've complied with the immigration laws of a given country. Thai law states that I have to leave within 30 days. If I have a ticket to leave within 30 days, even if not on DL, I've more than complied with Thai regulations. DL can't take it upon themselves to play immigration officer and come up with their own risk analysis vis-a-vis my true intentions once I arrive in Thailand -- that is the job of the immigration officer.

And if the immigration officer doesn't like my story, that's not going to be DL's problem.

Exactly. I can drive over to JFK and buy a one-way ticket to London, and DL would owe me IDB comp if they told me I couldn't fly because I hadn't purchased a round-trip ticket. Yes, British immigration may not let me into the country if they think I'm going to stay there longer than a tourist visa would permit, but that is my problem, not DL's. OTOH, if I show up with a expired passport and arrive at the UK Border and am thrown out, it is DL's responsibility.

This was a bad business decision for DL, and they need to be careful that they don't make a habit of IDBing people based on their subjective conclusions. If I heard DL was doing this to people with one-way tickets to Europe, for example, I would certainly think twice about booking a trip with them.

Exactly. If you have an e-ticket you fly. If you have an itinerary you don't. OP mentioned a "seperate itinerary" but he may have had a seperate ticket. We don't know for sure because he never responded.

On a side note, if you checkin online you don't necessarly have to go to the departure gate to get your documents OKed. I always go to a gate agent who is not busy at another gate and get mine approved. It's quicker usually, and I can get it done early before the gate agents at the departure gate arrive at their station.
Dave

But some gate agents handling an international flight want to see your passport and visa, if applicable at the time of boarding even if your documents have been checked by another agent. I have also had my documents okayed in some World Clubs.,

Even IF the someone was 100% not in compliance with Thai onward travel requirements AND the Delta check-in agent chose to play hardball on the topic you would think it could still be easily resolved on the spot at the Delta check-in counter by buying a full fare Y ticket to BKK-NRT or something which you could then call up and refund to your credit card 5 minutes after you checked in.

Last Summer I booked JFK-SIN-BKK on SQ using DL miles with a return this year. I of course did not spend 6 months in BKK, but during check in at JFK I was never asked for any visa or ticket leaving BKK within 30 days.

Regardless of the period covered by your outbound and inbound dates, Thai immigration will give you a 30 day permit to stay. They don't even know what your return dates is. Delta screwed the OP.

I would be curious to know where the OP was checking in from. I tend to never see agents from busy intl bases make this sort of mistake as they rarely consult timeatic and generally know the regs (at least for US PP holders) by heart. I have however encountered over officious agents at outlying stations who will triple check timeatic and at times quote things wrongly (and I should note that this applies to other airlines as well). An example. US PP holders have needed tourist visas to Turkey since 1995, these visas are available for purchase on arrival. Flying out of JFK I have never had this questioned in anyway. I have however have agents in places like LAS, CVG or other stations ask where my visa is, or just simply act confused. Normally a stern sentence like, "Read your timeatic again and see where it says VISA IS AVAIlABLE ON ARRIVAL" and they quickly drop it.

An actual eticket is a document from an airline/agency showing the eticket number. Like I said earlier an eticket number can be verified. A reservation with just a PNR does not mean a ticket was ever issued.

You would be surprised how many people come to the airport with a printout of the flight selection / fare quote screen from delta.com or orbitz or expedia and think that they have purchased a ticket.

If a country's entry policy specifically states a maximum stay without visa you will have to present a valid ticket proving you will leave within the specified period. Some countries specifically state that proof of onward or return tickets is required while others do not.

Depending on the actual requirements you could be denied boarding if not holding the appropriate documents.