It used to be, that if you got to the airport early, you were able to get your ticket, pass through security and then relax. You were at the advantage, because you had beat the rush, and you just knew that the people arriving at the last minute didn’t have the relaxed peace of mind you were enjoying. Well not anymore. The truth is, except for the wisdom and requirements of getting there early suggested and imposed by the FAA, with the advent of the Internet you could arrive five minutes before take off and be fine. (But again we wouldn’t advise that.)
Electronic Online E- Tickets.  Electronic Tickets are a fairly new invention. Electronic Tickets, or E ticketing is the process of booking and making an airline reservation and no paper tickets are generated. You use your computer, or in some cases, a Kiosk at the airport or other public location, to purchase a ticket using the Internet. You make your reservation, book your flight, and confirm with a purchase, all at the same time. Your information is entered into a database that the airline has. That’s it. You may or may not print out a paper receipt. But either way, you are now booked on the flight. The record and your reservation is safely stored in the airlines computer and will await you the till the day and time your flight is scheduled.
Airport Check In. You bring your photo ID with you, and check in. Sometimes you can reserve your seat, other times you may have already selected where you wish to sit. Either way, when you check in you will be handed your boarding pass, and you will check your luggage that you wish to bring. You can ask for a receipt when you check in, if you want. In some situations you may already even have your boarding seating and boarding pass with you (if you are issued one electronically and printed it out ahead of time.)
Why E-Ticketing Is a Good Thing. Well, there is the easy answer that it saves trees. But beyond reducing the amount of paper in old style tickets (and there was quite a lot) there are other reasons. It saves money, and time. There are no overnight courier fees, or pre paid ticket fees. And you don’t have to worry about losing your ticket anymore, just bring your ID and they will give you your ticket at the check in counter.
