What to do if you lose your airline ticket

Nowadays, the majority of airlines issue electronic airline tickets rather than traditional paper airline tickets. This has been the trend for quite some time and there are good reasons why more and more airlines are converting to e-tickets. Other than lower airfares, airlines and passengers will be delighted with electronic airline tickets because they can never be stolen or lost, unlike paper airline tickets.

Still, there are some airlines that only issue paper airline tickets and since you will rarely find a travel insurance policy to cover lost or stolen airline tickets, it is strongly advised to take every possible measure to ensure you have your airline ticket when you need it. The loss of an airline ticket can cause a lot of stress.

Usually, most airlines will not offer any form of instant replacement or compensation. Not many people know it, but paper airline tickets have monetary value and can be used by other parties, with good forged ID. In the event that you lose your airline ticket, here’s what to do:

• Do not panic. No matter how angry you feel, containing your emotions is always a positive move. Calmly try to think about how you may have lost it. Search through your belongings again to see if it was misplaced.
• Once you are sure the airline ticket is lost, contact your travel agent or the airline company, if you have purchased your ticket on your own. Ideally, you should have a photocopy of your airline ticket or the ticket number.
• Next, make a police report. If you don’t have a photocopy of the airline ticket or no record of the ticket number, provide details of your flight.
• On the day of your flight, go to the airport to try to get a replacement ticket. Unless you are very convincing, most likely, the airline will not issue a replacement ticket. If you have to get on the flight, you will have to buy a new ticket at the current rate, instead of the rate of your lost airline ticket, which can be quite a difference. If you are awarded a refund, it will be for the higher fare, minus the processing fee for the refund of the lost ticket. Then, you will be required to sign a letter of indemnity in case the lost airline ticket is used or refunded. Depending on different airline policies, refunds for lost airline tickets can take anywhere from 30 days to 1 year.

There is no guarantee that you will get a replacement or refund for your lost ticket. It will be good if there’s travel insurance to cover lost airplane tickets, but it’s unlikely. The best thing to do is to be extra careful with your paper airline tickets.

Photo credits: https://www.flickr.com/photos/alex-s/