Charging for Ticket-on-Departure (TOD)
Mar 9, 2000 | 5:24 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Warwickshire, England
Posts: 616
Charging for Ticket-on-Departure (TOD)
I don't know whether the situation is the same in the US, but, here in the UK, I've never had to pay a surcharge for TOD. Until now. British Airways has sent my company a letter warning that from 1st April, there will be a Ł25 surcharge for TOD on routes where electronic tickets are available.
This is bad news indeed, as I avoid electronic tickets like the plague. What's other people's experience? My own is that electronic tickets just don't work:
- Some European airports won't let you through to the gate to do a gate check-in without a proper ticket or boarding card;
- Getting a refund on a non-used ticket takes forever;
- And, don't even think about trying to get your e-ticket endorsed for travel on another carrier. With a paper ticket, I just go straight to the ticket desk (and terminal) of my new carrier, and they do all the work. With e-tickets, the procedure is way complicated, often involving trips between terminals.
I have a theory that this last reason is the real reason why airlines are pushing e-tickets so heavily. They know that a person with an e-ticket is far less likely to switch carriers. I certainly don't buy the argument that printing tickets costs the airlines a significant amount of money since, even with an e-ticket, they have to print out an itinerary and mail it to you.
What do others think? Exactly how do e-tickets benefit the traveller in any way? (I guess you could argue it's one less thing to lose or have stolen, but that's a pretty lame reason since airlines have procedures for dealing with those situations.)
This is bad news indeed, as I avoid electronic tickets like the plague. What's other people's experience? My own is that electronic tickets just don't work:
- Some European airports won't let you through to the gate to do a gate check-in without a proper ticket or boarding card;
- Getting a refund on a non-used ticket takes forever;
- And, don't even think about trying to get your e-ticket endorsed for travel on another carrier. With a paper ticket, I just go straight to the ticket desk (and terminal) of my new carrier, and they do all the work. With e-tickets, the procedure is way complicated, often involving trips between terminals.
I have a theory that this last reason is the real reason why airlines are pushing e-tickets so heavily. They know that a person with an e-ticket is far less likely to switch carriers. I certainly don't buy the argument that printing tickets costs the airlines a significant amount of money since, even with an e-ticket, they have to print out an itinerary and mail it to you.
What do others think? Exactly how do e-tickets benefit the traveller in any way? (I guess you could argue it's one less thing to lose or have stolen, but that's a pretty lame reason since airlines have procedures for dealing with those situations.)
Mar 9, 2000 | 7:54 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Programs: AA PLT, SPG GLD, PC PLT SPIRE
Posts: 4,531
MKB,
I travel about 99% of the time on electronic tickets. Even for my foreign travel I have flown on e-tickets. My last trip to the UK, when I checked in at the AA counter at Victoria station, when the counter agent asked for my ticket and I replied that I was on an e-ticket, they just asked for my receipt. I print out a copy of the receipt that AA sends you by email, or I just keep a copy of the reciept that the AA agent at the CTO gives me. I need a reciept to get reimbursed by my company, so I am not doing anything extra by having a receipt. Also, by having the email receipt from AA, I never have to worry about not having a copy of the reciept. If worse came to worse and I had lost my reciept, I could just turn on my computer at the airport and print out a new copy.
I like the e-ticket b/c I never have to worry about losing my ticket. I just walk up to the gate or ticket counter and show my ID and platinum card.
I travel about 99% of the time on electronic tickets. Even for my foreign travel I have flown on e-tickets. My last trip to the UK, when I checked in at the AA counter at Victoria station, when the counter agent asked for my ticket and I replied that I was on an e-ticket, they just asked for my receipt. I print out a copy of the receipt that AA sends you by email, or I just keep a copy of the reciept that the AA agent at the CTO gives me. I need a reciept to get reimbursed by my company, so I am not doing anything extra by having a receipt. Also, by having the email receipt from AA, I never have to worry about not having a copy of the reciept. If worse came to worse and I had lost my reciept, I could just turn on my computer at the airport and print out a new copy.
I like the e-ticket b/c I never have to worry about losing my ticket. I just walk up to the gate or ticket counter and show my ID and platinum card.
Mar 9, 2000 | 10:13 pm
#3
Moderator: Hyatt Gold Passport & Star Alliance
Join Date: May 1998
Location: London, UK
Programs: UA-1K 3MM/HY- LT Globalist/BA-GGLfL
Posts: 12,761
My bad experiences relate to refunds on e-tickets. Airlines like E-tickets as they earn money from unused e-tickets which are never refunded. OK. Just like a theatre makes money when someone doesn't turn for a show they've purchased.
However, in August I cancelled a NW (surprise) e-ticket and am still waiting for the refund - and it's now March.
However, in August I cancelled a NW (surprise) e-ticket and am still waiting for the refund - and it's now March.
Mar 9, 2000 | 10:42 pm
#5
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Chattanooga, TN, USA**US Airways Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,338
For those of us who generally buy non-refundable, that's not a problem. I had to deal with a little bureaucracy doing it on AA, but they sent the voucher out within a week. On WN, they just keep your record locator as a credit account--call it an e-voucher, I guess...