There is of course the other problem oft featuring on HT - names on the tickets may be wrong or even flight changes and accommodation details.

I posted elsewhere on HT earlier this year my discussion with Thomson about this. My tickets were delayed due to the snow back in February - seems a long time ago. At a meeting in Manchester this was raised by some of their staff. It was pointed out to management that sending tickets out so near to departure date took up a great deal of time sorting out. They asked for them to be sent out earlier which would actually reduce work loads and complaints.

Of course it most probably fell on deaf ears. The people at the sharp end do know the problems and how to solve them, but they have problems getting the message across.

When I was working I always at least listened to what my staff had to say.

fwh

We received our ticket from Direct Holidays yesterday, and we don't travel till the 17th of June. Received them early last September when we used DH.

ed.

It depends on who you book with, how you book (we are talking about a package holiday) the airline and who the flight tickets are issued by.

Your confirmation documents for the holiday booking, should be sent fairy soon after you book, so you can check the passenger names/flight details before you get the tickets, months in advance.

I'm afraid, nowadays, with early booked package holidays, there's a good chance that much nearer the departure date, the time, or even the date or airport that you were given many months ago on your booking invoice will have changed. If it has never happened to you I'd say you are lucky, especially with the amalgimation of the various companies into two mega ones. Alan

Well flights changes are one of the reasons they don't send out tickets months/weeks in advance. But you can still check passenger names on the booking confirmations, as soon as you book. The names 'should' be the same on the tickets.

One of the legacy reasons why tickets are sent out late:

The punters lose them.

In the days of physically printed tickets it could cost a fortune to re-print tickets if you lost them. And with many people booking 8-12 months in advance, they / you frequently did leading to additional charges, tickets re-issuance, arguments over who should pay etc.

Quite simply if your Tour Operator kept hold of everything and sends it out 14 days before departure, you are less likely to lose them.

True Story.

Completely irrelevant these days with e-tickets being unloseable, but flight number and schedule changes over 1 hour normally need to be re-issued, so keeping hold of the final documentation until close to departure time is a way of ensuring it's more up to date.

Not really convinced about this, the chance of any holidaymaker misplacing their precious tickets if they were posted 14-21 days before departure, seem much less, than the likelyhood of the tickets posted out 7-10 days to go, going astray in the post. That way the worried holidaymaker has real problems on his plate, trying to do something about it at the last minute. But customer care seems very far down the list of priorities of most package holiday companies. Alan

No, you're right. But there was always a cut off point, and for 2 of the companies I worked for 14-21 days before departures tickets would be sent out.

7-10 days as policy is inviting problems.

thomas cook are a great company for letting you worry if you are going to get your tickets.
last two holidays got them three days before the departure date after phoning up many times.
their customer "service" department is a joke with lies more lies and dammed lies as to when you will get them.
I WILL NEVER BOOK WITH THEM EVER AGAIN.

We are travelling to Rhodes 13 June with First Choice/TUi still no tickets, we are travelling with the same company in August to Crete, holiday booked September 2008 and still no written confirmation only e-mail. I rang them on Tuesday was in a queue for 20 minutes before being told A) "The tickets will be on their way we send them 14 days prior to departure" hello it is now 9 days and still no tickets. B) "Oh right I will send the confirmation" Yes, I have requested it previously!
By the way does anyone know if you have booked online can you go into the First Choice shop to pay off the balance as to be honest I don't fancy sitting in a phone queue at my expense again.

My daughter finally got her tickets exactly 10 days before departure, and the company who was actually supplying the flights for Pegasus Air, Custom Flights, sent out the tickets as Etickets, thus avoiding postal problems, so it looks as if some of the smaller companies are at last following the scheduled airlines in this. I'ts about tine the big companies followed suit on this, and avoid all the hassle of missing tickets for their customers. Alan

Son's already received his tickets for 24th June - He goes with Direct Holidays. When we went to Spain with the same company for Easter, we also received ours almost 3 weeks before.

tickets arrived today

groovychick

i booked online with first choice and when i wanted to pay some of my balance found i couldnt so emailed them and got a phone number, as far as i am aware this is the only way to do this as if you go in to their shops they say they cant access your booking as online bookings are different!
when i did ring them i wasnt hanging on the phone very long at all, about 10-15 mins in all

We had the same problems with tickets in March with Thomsons excuse Ticket Machine was having problems,when the tickets arrived 4days before departure date and this only after after numerious telephone calls we got 2no sets,what a way to run a company.

Hopefully my tickets will come in todays post. We fly out tomorrow for a holiday booked in January. If not I will phone Thomsons again, sixth time, to find out what to do. Probably will be getting our tickets at the airport. They have given me the run around telling me that my tickets have been issued, re-issued and re-issued yet again but must be lost in the post. Funny how every other letter from them arrived and our friends who booked at the same time have had their tickets for 2 weeks now. A lesson learned thomsons are too big now and can`t operate to the customers benefit once they have your money you are an inconvenience. They can call you with a sales pitch for holiday extras and send you meaningless e-mails but try getting an answer from their admin. Todays e-mail from them asks GETTING EXCITED! Not the words I would use. I will be sending them a bill for the time and inconvenience , bet it gets lost in the post.

received my tickets today from thomson for my holiday on the 27th june.thats 3 weeks before i travel