Maybe others already encountered this, but I just tried to get a paper airline ticket via Travelocity and find the only way to do so is to pay the $10 for FedEx delivery -- no US mail.

I insist on paper tickets because you are up a creek with e-tickets if there's any problem with connections, you need to be sent on another airline, there's some job-action that may mean cancelled flights or you need a refund. I know you can demand a paper ticket on check-in but that means standing in line at ticket windows -- a long delay sometimes.

But I refuse to be coerced into choosing between the $10 FedEx "penalty" for wanting a paper ticket or accepting the e-ticket from Travelocity.

Wondering how others feel about this. I have emailed a protest to Travelocity and said I wouldn't book through them anymore. If others feel similarly, perhaps they could do the same.

Vote with your feet (or fingers, I guess). When I came across this fee when trying to book an international flight on Travelocity that required paper tickets, I went to www.itn.com and purchased them without the fee. No problems.

I assume you bought your ticket through Travelocity because the price was right (i.e., cheaper than through "normal" channels) and that your saving was greater than the $10 the company wants to charge. As such, I don't see anything wrong with Travelocity's policy. I see it as normal and fair charge by the company and a small price to pay for getting the bargain ticket. I don't see it as being coerced at all.

No, the fare on Travelocity is not discounted -- it is exactly the same as the lowest fare available if you call the airline, who will send you the paper ticket without charge. THanks, Brian -- I will check out itn. Also will see what the situation on airlines' home pages are, but not all airlines will sell tickets online (e.g., Midway doesn't).

HJ:
Since there was no price difference, I assume you used Travelocity because it was convenient. If the airline quoted the same price, why not just get it from them? I have never encounterd a problem getting a paper ticket from any airline. (Anyway, thanks for the warning about Travelocity....and naturally, ignore my previous post!)

The reason Travelocity charges a fee to fed ex is to ensure that the ticket does not get lost in the mail. If you insisted on the U.S. mail and your ticket was lost, I'm sure you'd be complaining asap, so they want to avoid those situations. Airlines pay very little commission to travel distributors and the cost of doing tickets is not very profitable, so if 10.00 for the convenience of having someone book and mail your tickets is too much then maybe you shouldn't be taking trips!

I want to chime in on the e-ticket issue. Frankly, I think they're great. Of course, you do have to wait in line at the airport to get the paper ticket, but what's the difference if you're checking baggage anyway? On the other hand, I was able to bypass long lines at La Guardia by going straight to the e-ticket machine (it looks similar to an ATM). It prints out your ticket on receipt paper rather than the stiffer stuff tickets are usuall printed on, but this didn't seem to affect its usefulness as a boarding pass. Best of all, I spent no time watching the mail and no money on FedEx charges. E-tickets are pretty slick, if you ask me.

First, a direct quote from the email Travelocity wrote me in response to my comment:

"Paper Tickets: If Electronic tickets are offered then the option for
paper tickets to be mailed to you will be via Federal Express at a
$10.00 fee if the delivery address is in the United States or Canada.
If Electronic tickets are not offered then you will see an option to
have the tickets mailed to you via regular US Mail or pay the $10.00 fee
to have them sent to you via Federal Express."

In other words, they aren't worried about the ticket getting lost in the mail unless you've spurned the e-ticket choice!

Second, I know plenty of people who are happy with e-tickets, but I've also known enough who got totally scr*wed because they didn't have paper tix to be wary. Seems to me we should have a choice and seems to me that charging a premium for the surer ticket is bad faith.

Third, I was trying to use T'city because I wanted to book online and the airline itself didn't have that capability on its website. And you bet I called Midway -- and got the ticket in hand within 48 hrs. for no charge.

I do have to disagree with you. I work for the airlines and the fares on Travelocity and Expedia are not always available thru the direct airlines. I have a solution for you and all who care to read on . Go ahead and book with these websites but I will issue a warning. Go to the nearest airport or city ticket office and make sure that everything is ok with the itinerary because I can't tell you how many times we have had to deny passengers boarding the aircraft because these websites have screwed up royally. I do agree papertickets are the way to go of you can hold on to them. E tickets are alot easier. One solution is to go to the airline about 2 days before and explain the situation and tell them that you would like the tickets printed out and there you go instant paper tickets. You also might want to keep an eye out for the new website due out in sept ORBITZ.COM it is a website that is run by all the major airlines domestic and international it give you the best price on any carrier. Happy flying.

i have been having problems with travelocity and the whole issue of having tickets IN MY HAND is very important to me... I have tried Orbitz.com and its the best option out there in my opinion! I've found that I'm saving money and I'm still going through the major airlines, which makes me more comfortable.