Can you purchase a boarding pass online?

@SW-User So if you buy a ticket (boarding pass online) and check in before the flight online, do you head straight to security with the boarding pass and that's where you hand over your luggage?

Almost but not quite- it depends on how much you're bringing. If you have just a carry-on item/bag, yes. If you have bags to bring, you have to drop those off and let them take them to the bottom of the plane. Find "baggage" and "check them in." Then you go to security, where they ask for your ID and boarding pass (to make sure you actually have business being there) and find your terminal/gate. Then at the entrance to the tunnel that takes you to your plane, right at the entrance, you'll be asked just for your boarding pass (since your ID was verified at security).

@SW-User You're really helpful, thank you! So I'm guessing you go to baggage claim once you board and you're good to go? Also for the flight back home, do you need to get another boarding pass?

@summerlove For the flight back home, you have to do it all over again!

Yet for connecting flights, they will give you two boarding passes at the start. So you do not have to pick up the second one while you are going from the arrival gate at your first stop to the departure gate for your second leg.

@JoyfulSilence So you have to buy two boarding passes? Can you buy both at the same time if you know your return date?

Yes, you can (buy two boarding passes). It's helpful when a site can include destination-hops (stops) so you have the boarding passes all included in the ticket.

And now I realize the difference between a ticket and boarding pass: a boarding pass is permission to board a single plane's flight between two destinations. A ticket can be for multiple- a ticket is for a whole trip, from start to finish, which may include multiple stops (and thus boarding passes: one for each plane flight).

Growing up I had to travel about 36 hours from my hometown to my school. Twice a year. Technically that's just one ticket for a whole trip, and many... many boarding passes per trip. Does this make any sense how I'm putting it?

And you go to baggage first thing upon arrival at an airport- THEN you go through security and arrive at your flight's departure location ("terminal" which holds multiple "gates" - you gotta know both your terminal and its more specific gate).

Then you just enter the plane, sit and chill for the flight, and once you hit your final destination you find the "baggage claim" section of the airport and collect your bags on a rotating machine. Then you go on with life :)

If you have a stop on-route (many trips do), you don't worry about your baggage until your final destination (at least... most of the time).

What I usually do is buy everything online in advance. All of it. That is, I select all my flights, both ways, and all legs. For example, I flew from Baltimore to to Kalispell MT, with a stop at Minneapolis both ways. That is, two flights out, two flight back. I picked four flights and four seats. They totaled it up and put it all on one itinerary and one bill. I paid once. I never got a "ticket". It is not needed. All you need is the confirmation number they show (they also e-mail it to the address you type it). With this number you can check all the information at any time.

When I got at the Baltimore airport I went to the bag check-in place and inserted my credit card into the machine. It allowed me to pay the bag fee (I cannot recall if I had to pay twice, though, for both legs), and printed two boarding passes, one for Baltimore to Minneapolis, and another for Minneapolis to Kalispell. I showed my ID and the passes to the agent who the took my bag, tagged it, and sent it on its way. I took my passes and went to security, and showed them my first pass and ID. I then went to the gate and boarded the plane, after showing the gate-agent my boarding pass (which they scan with a bar code reader).

When I landed in Minneapolis I walked to the next flight and showed the gate-agent my boarding pass for my second flight.

When I returned a week later, I went through the exact same procedures, in reverse.

@JoyfulSilence So boarding passes can only be purchased at the airport? So you buy the ticket online, but need that pass to board the plane?

@summerlove You do not "buy" boarding passes. You buy your flights beforehand. Same as if you bought a hotel room or reserved a car.

When you get to the airport you get the boarding pass. (I think you may even be able to print this out from home, though, too! I never do).

In my experience, when I put in my credit card, even if it is not the same one I used to buy the flights from home, it reads my name and finds my flights. But I still need to show photo ID to confirm it is me.

Here is what they sent me from the website after I reserved and bought the flights. I did not need to print it, but I did since I like having it all on paper and not having to rely on my phone all the time. I redacted personally identifiable info (the yellow areas).


The boarding passes generally look like this:

http://www.flyertalk.com/the-gate/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Delta-Boarding-Pass-New-Design.jpg

@JoyfulSilence Thanks so much! I get it now haha. I appreciate your help.

No problem.

Now I want to go on vacation!

But I cannot. I just took a vacation 2 weeks ago. But I drove everywhere. No flights!

@JoyfulSilence Take a weekend vacation.

Too late for that. And if fly somewhere, I at least like to be there almost a week, due to the expense. That is, if I am going to pay to fly I want to make it worth the expense by staying a few days.

@JoyfulSilence Have you travelled to lots of places?

Yes. Sometimes it was for work. For vacations, mostly I drove. And most places are in the US. I have been to Canada a few times, though.

@JoyfulSilence I haven't been anywhere clearly. Hope to in the future.

Save up and make plans! Have fun!

This photo was from that trip whose itinerary I shared:

@JoyfulSilence Definitely will and great photo!