the "lost" paper air tickets saga...

Can you believe it? I, a frequent flyer, actually lost our paper air tickets!!!! Well, not really, the transfer desk clerk in Santiago did not return them to us...The story goes like this...We have paper air tickets for our journey from Australia to Peru. Having just flown to Chile and Peru about 4-5 months ago on electronic tickets, I suggested to Qantas to convert our paper air tickets to electronic tickets. It is much easier to fly on electronic tickets (just show passports) and one less thing to worry about losing. Qantas flatly rejected my request and said that it was not possible. I accepted it and went ahead on our journey with our paper air tickets. 

Upon arrival at Brisbane International Airport, Qantas were only able to issue us boarding passes for our flights from Brisbane to Auckland and Auckland to Santiago. They were not able to issue us boarding passes for our flight from Santiago to Lima, despite LAN Airlines being a part of the One World Alliance. I found this very strange and no matter how much I insisted on the boarding passes (and mentioning the One World Alliance relationship, which is "supposed" to offer seamless travel between partner airlines - such as issuing boarding passes, tagged luggage, etc....to your destination), they did not issue the Santiago to Lima boarding passes (having travelled so much, I knew this was a recipe for something to go wrong). 

So we arrived in Santiago International Airport after about 18 hours (4 hour flight from Brisbane to Auckland, 2 hour transit in Auckland, 12 hour flight from Auckland to Santiago), went straight to the LAN Airlines transfer desk. We met a very unfriendly clerk at the desk and asked for our boarding passes. We handed over our passports and paper air tickets. The clerk went about processing our boarding passes. After what seemed like forever, he gave us back our passports and boarding passes (he kept the paper air tickets). Now, having travelled almost exclusively on electronic tickets for the past 5 years and after a 18 hour journey, it did not strike me immediately that the clerk did not give me back the paper air tickets. Why he held onto our paper air tickets and did not give them back to us, I do not know. I have never (and I mean never) experienced not having my paper air tickets returned to me after check- in in all my years of air travel. NEVER! So, we went ahead with our flight to Lima and it wasn't until when we arrived in Lima that I realised that my paper air tickets were missing!!! (You can imagine the language that was coming out of my mouth at this time). We decided that we could not do anything about the paper air tickets in Lima (we did not speak Spanish and did not know where to go) and continued our journey to Cusco, where we got help from our volunteer team. 

Went to the local LAN Airlines office with Selvy (Peru's Challenge's Vice- President) the moment we landed in Cusco. Selvy was a great help. He was extremely patient and had brought me to the local LAN Airlines office a few times.  The local LAN Airlines office was not much help and all they could do was to send an email to Santiago about our missing paper tickets (and according to them, someone will hopefully see them and hopefully return them to us - YEAH, RIGHT!!!). 

After some time, we decided that there wasn't much hope in getting back our paper air tickets from LAN Airlines in Santiago and we decided to take matter into our own hands. I rang Qantas (Australia) and told them about our situation. They told me that the only way was to get the paper air tickets reissued (with a ticket reissue fee, of course...It is Qantas afterall). I suggested to Qantas that they reissue the air tickets as electronic tickets, which would be much much easier for me and Qantas. Qantas said it was not possible (which I seriously doubt that it wasn't possible). I accepted getting the paper air tickets reissued. They told me that the reissue of the paper air tickets had been processed and all I had to do was to pick them up at Lima International Airport on the day I was to fly out of Lima, which I did not have a problem with. Now, being the detailed person that I am, I enquired where exactly in Lima International Airport I was to pick up the tickets (imagine turning up at the airport and not having the paper air tickets ready for pickup)...Guess what? Qantas did not know!!! They told me they had to check and call me back!!! I was losing patience with Qantas at this point. 

Qantas eventually rang me back and guess what they told me? "Oh, we just found out that it is not possible for us to issue your paper air tickets in Lima and you cannot pick them up at Lima International Airport. We have to get the paper air tickets issued in Australia, send them to an address in Australia and you will have to arrange for them to be sent to you in Peru." WHAT!!! Imagine what would have happened if I had followed Qantas' first set of instructions and turned up at Lima International Airport to pick up my paper air tickets!!! This was getting ridiculous!!!! Fine, I accepted Qantas' proposal and had made arrangements to have the paper air tickets sent to my office in Brisbane (and have my office FEDEX them to me in Peru). Know what happened next? You won't believe this (I didn't too)...I got an email from Qantas saying that the air tickets have been reissued as electronic tickets!!!!! After all this!!! If only they had taken my suggestion before my trip started (and when I rang them about the paper air tickets)! 

All this took about 4 weeks from start to finish. 

GIVEN A CHOICE, I WILL NOT FLY QANTAS AND LAN EVER... AGAIN! Neither should you... 

Alvin