Buying a plane ticket for someone else
 

I want to buy a ticket for my fiancee to meet me on a trip. Since we won't be on the same flight is it true that I cannot buy her ticket through the web with my credit card (cc holder must be on the flight)? <BR><BR>-Mike

I buy my grandson tickets to come visit me in NY-he lives in Fla, every summer and we have never had a problem.Although,maybe online is different, call your card company and ask them.

I buy plane tickets online for my son to come home every 6 months or so. I have never had any problem booking/charging online for my son who does have a different last name.

I though that I had read somewhere (pre 9/11) that for security reasons the cardholder of the purchase had to be on the aircraft but it sounds like I'm wrong. I'll give it a try.<BR><BR>thanks,<BR>Mike

My husbands secretary buys our vacation tickets on line. She has never had any problems booking them. We let her do it,for some reason no matter how hard I try she always gets the best buys. I would love to know her secret.

Mike, let us know how it turns out. I have not tried to book for my son since 9/11 so I'm a little curious too.

Mike-<BR>You can book an e-ticket this way, even after 9/11--maybe the rules are different if your fiancee needs a paper ticket. Don't know for sure, I've been using e-tickets for some time now. I buy e-tickets for my parents often (5 times this year) and have done this every time without a problem. I have done this using the airline web sites and not on Orbitz, et al. It may be that Expedia, Orbitz and the others require things that the airlines do not.<BR><BR>

I just did this for my son, with no problem. The Airline CS rep told me if he doesn't have a ticket, he can just go to the airline counter with the info and ID and get a ticket printed so that he can get through security.

I purchased a ticket for a friend (paper) and now they say he is required to have the credit card used for the purchase at the gate before boarding. I'm in CA and he is boarding in NY. The issue is not settled yet so beware.

It's only a problem if she'll be picking up the tickets at the airport. Then, she'd have to present a credit card. But if you're having the tickets delivered, then it's not a problem.

What does a person do if they don't have a credit card. There are some people out there that only use checks or cash.

I've only had one "problem" buying tickets for my in-laws. They won't let me buy the tickets and then have them sent to them. The tickets have to be sent to the cardholders addresss. I then send them on to my in-laws. Just make sure you have enough time to do all this.

Delta WILL NOT sell me the ticket through their website. I must either be on the same plane or bear the same last name. I'm waiting to hear back from Orbitz. It is a Delta policy and not an FAA policy. Delat said I can call a representative to handle the transaction but I guess I'd have to argue to try and get a Web-Only fare. Orbitz now charges a $5 surcharge, huh? When did that start?<BR><BR>-Mike

Does anyone know if any of this applies to Southwest?? I just bought a ticket online in my daughter's name -- using my credit card. All she had to do was print out a confirmation sheet and present it at the airport. She's flying this Thursday and now reading this has made me nervous that she'll be asked for the credit card.

I frequently buy tickets for my college student daughters, usually from American. They all say if mailed, it must be to the cardholder's billing address. Yes, they sometimes say you need the card at check-in, but in practice, they don't actually ask for the card.

Seems to me you would have a lot less trouble if you purchased the ticket from a travel agent. You can use cash check or credit card and the traveler doesn't have to present a credit card upon check in.

Mike, my wife and I just came back from Hawaii and Las Vegas. I bought both our tickets with my credit card and had no problems whosoever. They just wanted to match the name of the person on the ticket against a piece of identification i.e. driver's license, government id etc.......

bought an e ticket for my son.......he showed id and got his seat assignment and went through security.....he picked it up at Airtran ticket desk/check-in....