Simple question regarding full-fare tickets
 

For those of you who travel on Y/B fares, this is probably a no-brainer.

If I hold a full-fare paper ticket on one airline, can I go to another airline's counter and use the ticket to fly the same (nonstop) routing on their plane, assuming seats are available?

I seem to remember doing this once a long, long time ago - I had missed a US Air flight, but was able to get on to the next Delta flight without any problems - just using the US Air paper ticket (and no "special" permission from US Air).

Yes, and I've known it to work many times on deeply discounted tickets as well, but there are no guarantees.

The key to this is the endorsements line on the ticket. If it's blank, you can do anything you want with the tix.

Yes, but you need for the original airline endore the tickets -- just like a bank cheque. Also, you must have the real coupons, not an e-ticket.

Spuddbrother is correct, the airlines do require an endorsement from the original carrier technically, in reality,especially with high revenue tix, the airlines tend to accept them and get the endorsement retroactively and reciprically from "friends" they have cultivated at the other airlines. Without the endorsement, you always run the risk that you will run into a "friendless" check-in agent.

Leisuremiles --

If the endorsements box is blank, they do NOT require an explicit endorsement domestically, because the airline always has the option of returning the coupons for cash if the other airline doesn't want to endorse them.

Remember, paper tickets are bearer instruments.

2 many miles:

The receiving airline cannot convert them to cash if the form of payment on the original ticket is a credit card, blocked, or "check - agency refund only". This is the majority of the time.