E-Tickets? How does it work? (air travel)

sorry i realise there are questions already on here similar to this.

i havent travelled by air for a long time and will be for first time travelling by myself. This whole E-Ticket thing is new to me and need someone to tell me how the whole thing works.

Say i already booked a flight and on the day of departure at the airport, all i need to show the check-in desk is my 'airline confirmation' code thing?

Actually they rarely help you at the desk anymore.

You'll show up at your airline check-in counter and once it is your turn, you will go up to the computer kiosk.

Once at the computer kiosk check-in, you will swipe your credit card or passport for ID verification.

The machine will prompt you to verify your flight info, ask if you are checking any bags and print out your boarding pass.

The desk personnel will see that you are checking 1 or 2 bags, they may ask you to weigh them on their scale, then they will attach the tags.

Depending on the airport, you will either be done with your checked bags or have to then lug them to a security screener yourself.

That is it. You really didn't have to have the confirmation code in hand, but it is always a good idea - so you remember the details.

Take your confirmation Email with you but you probably won't need it.Make sure you have the credit card you used to booked with you You may have three choices to check in
1) At a check in desk. Just show your passport (and email if asked for it)
2) At electronic checkin. Just scan passport and or credit card used to make booking.
3 Best of all, On-line check in most major airlines (here in UK anyway) allow you to check in on line, select your seat and print your boarding pass. All you need to do then is go to fast baggage drop (if you have baggage) and then go through security.

Show up and give them your ID, or slide a credit card at one of the Kiosks. That's it.

An E-ticket is just the booking code you have for your flight, no actual paper ticket is issued.

As long as you have your booking code/reference, which can be written on a scrap of paper, and your passport, thats all you need.

As other people have mentioned, some airlines do ask for you to present the credit/debit card you used, if you have paid for your ticket in that manner.

Yes, all you need is your travel confirmation number (and you probably don't even need that, although it can't hurt to bring it). Just go to the check-in desk and they will look up your flight using that number - although whenever I fly all I have to do is give them my name and they look up my reservation using that.