Jaws experience with getting his tickets on time reminds me of trouble I run into when I have to depend on a delivery service to get my last minute airline tickets.

Surprisingly, UPS has the best record of getting my travel documents to me in time.
FEDEX has about a 85 percent record. Twice they simply left the package on teh stoop for anyone to walk off.

Now the horror carrier: Airborne, which on almost everytime FAILED to get my travel materials to me on time.

Case in point: I needed to get rail tickets to go Paris to London (work wanted me to do something with the local t-v outfit there, a goodwill venture. So I order my train ticket through the travel agent and am promised they would "be there before I leave."

Time to leave. No train tickets. They delivered them to the WRONG Van Reypen (there's a street and an avenue in J.C!) SO they go back to the travel agent who has to send them to me to the Westin Hotel Astor in Paris. The Tickets arrived by FedEx (which I asked for her to use with her protesting!) I initally told her to send to Intercontinental in Vienna but the secretary "forgot."

I don't know why travel companies use Airborne. Maybe they are cheaper.

Anyone else have experiences like myself or Jaws? CATMAN

What's all this about delivering reward tickets--sounds like a lot of bother to me. I can get them delivered (overnight delivery for free) by Air Canada or I can pick them up at the airport counter. Airlines used to do charge for delivery etc (and Air Canada still does for junior members) but I thought this was all passed for elite flyers.

BBomber, Not CO! They so state a delivery charge in their membership guide. When short notice is necessary, they "sock it to you". Oherwise, CO uses snail mail.

I had no problem with Airborne, this time. But, in the past, well, no good things to say, so I'll just leave it there.

I am Gold with CO, and soon to be Platinum with over 90 segments in 1998. There is no rest for the Elites.

Airborne is definitely the low-cost alternative plus they have several "small business" relationships. When an agency is working on commission caps, they need to trim every dime of expense -- but NEVER at the expense of service... IMHO

Personally I go for the electronic ticket option ... no problems with delivery.

My company uses Airborne for all of their overnight mail (I obviously don't make that decision). I will NOT ever guarentee to a client that the stuff will be there the next day as 1/2 the time Airborne mis-routes, dealys or flat out misplaces the packages.

To me life is too short to put up that sort of service, but unless I want pay myself, I am forced to put up with it.

Ditto on Airborn, but please do realize that it's costing CO $8-$10 (and maybe less depending on volume) for that airborn overnight package that they are charging you $35 for. Good for CO, bad for you!

Airborn is the only overnight delivery company that is non-union and is actually run by a network of subcontractors. It's a slipshod system that, as you all have seen, ocassionally actually even works.

Getting electronic tickets is fine, but I'd
like to get a printed copy of the receipt.

SUrprise! I don't have a fax. So I depend on the airlines sending me the itinerary.

But with U-A: the electronic tix itinerary
was MAILED but NEVER got to me! So I had to call U-A and get it faxed to my friend Craig
at his print shop.

Some smart moves: I have copies of the e-tix
reservation number on a piece of paper and in my Wizard so I guess I was ok anyway.

So e-tickets are not totally flawless.

OMNI BUSINESS IDEA: A delivery company that does NOTHING but deliver travel documents. Charges a flat rate and guarantees overnight delivery. CATMAN