How long does it take to receive paper ticket for a flight, when purchased online? ?

Question

I am planning on buying a flight for my boyfriend from Manchester (UK) to here (Sydney Australia). Problem is, i have been told that it can take up to 8 weeks for the tickets to get sent to the passenger after payment. I didn't even know that they sent you the tickets these days, i thought it would just be an E-Ticket?

Anyway, If i can only buy the ticket last minute, say, a week or two before the flight... What happens if the ticket does not get sent within that time? Surely the company wouldn't just not give you anyway of getting on the flight if you have paid good money for it?

Please give me any good answers you may have... Either through your own experience or you know for sure, no guesses please.

Thankyou!

Answer 1

Contact the airline, explain you're buying the ticket for a friend, and ask if they can email you an E-ticket.  I bought a ticket for my daughter recently, and the E-ticket was emailed to me, so I just forwarded it to her.  You can do the same for your boyfriend.  I'm really surprised that a paper ticket was even suggested.  Which airline was it?

Be careful buying a ticket at the last minute as it will be very expensive.  The earlier you buy, the cheaper the ticket will be.

EDIT:  E-tickets are for flight anywhere in the world.  Last year I had E-tickets from Sydney to Paris return.

Answer 2

It sounds like you are dealing with a consolidator, not directly with an airline or a booking agent (sorry to guess, but you didn't say).  Consolidators purchase blocks of seats at a discount, sometimes at auction, so if this is the case, they may not even pay for the ticket until later, hence the 8 week delay.

Unless the price difference is substantial, book direct with the airline.  You should have an e-ticket within 1 business day.

One note, if you have to buy that ticket within 2 weeks of flight, theres a good chance you will pay a LOT more than buying it earlier.

Answer 3

Call the airline and ask them.

Answer 4

News to me.  Anytime I bought a ticket online, it was an e-ticket, even through one of the travel websites.