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28 August 07
Last
call for the paper airline ticket
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The International Air Transport Association
(IATA) has announced the end for paper airline tickets from 31st May
2008.
IATA is responsible for accounting for over 240 worldwide airlines which
is 94% of international scheduled airline traffic.
The association will issue another 16.5 million more paper tickets to
its 60,000 IATA travel agents around the world to fill the demand for
the last months before the change.
E-ticketing has risen quickly, June 2004 just 16% of tickets were
electronic compared to 84% today. The move to totally drive
e-ticketing to 100% has been going on for 38 months for their 'Simplifying
the Business initiative'.
When e-tickets first started people were a little skeptical turning up
at airports with no ticket, but over the years people are now used to
just going straight to check in with their itinerary and booking
reference.
Last Call
IATA's Director General and CEO Giavanni Bisignani claimed this was 'the
last call' for paper tickets, "We are changing an industry with
tangible benefits for travellers, agents, airlines and the environment,"
he said. "Consumers enjoy the convenience and flexibility of
paperless travel. Agents have the opportunity to broaden the scope of
their business and serve their customers remotely. The cost saving of
US$9 for every e-ticket compared to a paper ticket adds up to US$3
billion in annual savings for the industry. And eliminating paper will
save the equivalent of 50,000 mature trees each year. E-ticketing is a
winning proposition for everyone".
The IATA billing and settlement plan is a system where IATA act as a
third party, managing the money between the issuing travel agents and
the airlines.
Useful Websites
International
Air Transport Association
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