If a travel agency or Alaska ticket counter issues the ticket, there is no charge, said Alaska spokesman Jack Evans. And the company doesn't charge for tickets that include segments on other carriers. Evans said the vast majority of Alaska passengers use electronic tickets, and even during times of upheaval, such as after the fatal crash of an Alaska flight last year, he didn't hear complaints about passengers' ability to get on other flights. But things might be more dicey if labor disputes at Northwest, Delta, United and American result in work stoppages or other job actions this summer. Facing a slowdown by pilots, United canceled 25,000 flights last summer.
Paper tickets have another use, too.
Cynthia Michalski, president of Giselle's Travel, said she has run across travelers who can't remember which airline they are booked on. Let us hear from you.