Most airlines in the United States offer the option of electronic or paperless tickets. There is considerable advantage to this as the traveler no longer has to keep track of paper tickets, or worry about losing the tickets. Additionally, a ticket can be issued to travel from any airport up to an hour before flight time without incurring the charges imposed by the airlines for a Prepaid Ticket Advise (the instrument to pay for a ticket in advance) and when changes in plans arise, a new ticket may be issued without the traveler having to stand in line at a city ticket office or at the airport, which is necessary when paper tickets are used.
In those rare instances when electronic tickets are not available, for example, many international carriers have yet to update their systems, then a paper ticket must be issued and sent to the traveler. In the event there is not sufficient time to send the ticket, a Prepaid Ticket Advise (PTA) will be used, although the airlines have a service charge for this of as much as $100.00 for this service.