Do I need tickets along with my boarding pass to board the plane

You shouldn't need it, and you might not even be able to:

Last time (that was with BA, and I believe it's been like that the last several times I flown with BA, and I've had similar experiences with other companies) I was flying, I got an e-mail called "Your e-ticket receipt ...", which contained the sentence

Your ticket is held in our systems, you will not receive a paper ticket for your booking.

So it would have been quite hard to actually bring the ticket.

Of course you could bring that receipt, if you want something extra to document that you have booked a seat on that trip.

Need it - not usually

Want it (in case there is a question/query/whatever) - yes

I'd suggest at the very least print it as a PDF and put it on your phone - I once had luggage drop at Dulles get very stroppy with me when I couldn't show a ticket (having checked in online and printed by own boarding pass)

No, you don't need a ticket. Your boarding pass and ID are all you need. And, yes, you go straight to security. You do not need to go to a ticket counter. One less line to stand in :)

(I'm a former travel agent and frequent flyer.)

No, boarding pass is enough to pass security gates and board the plane.

It has been a long time since one needed a ticket to get on the plane. However, I would bring either a printout or a copy on your phone (not merely accessible from your phone) in case of trouble, and if it's an international flight it's possible an official will want to see evidence of a flight out of their country.

Paper tickets are no longer issued by any airline or travel agency. Everyone has migrated to e-ticketing.

This means, you simply get a copy of your travel reservation along with a reference number; based on which the agents look up your reservation in the computer systems.

Once you have been issued a boarding pass - for that leg of the journey you do not need to show a reservation copy. However, you must at all times keep a copy of the reservation (what you get from the airline website in your email) with you at all times.

This is because:

• on the return leg of your journey, you will need this information either to print your boarding passes online, or at the counter when you are checking in. At some airports, due to security restrictions, you may need to show this before you are even let inside the terminal.

• it serves as proof that you have a return flight booked (for immigration)

• in case your boarding pass gets lost or misplaced, you can use this copy to obtain a duplicate pass.

In addition to keeping a copy on your mobile device, I always carry a paper version; for those occasions when the mobile is not practical (ran out of battery) or a copy needs to be made of the booking details; or in some cases, where it has to be stamped separately (strangely only happened once to me in Asia).

So - to conclude:

1. There are no more paper tickets.
2. Always carry a copy of your reservation with you throughout the journey.