IATA Advents 100% e-ticketing- Saves $3 Billion Annually
Agency News
Istanbul, Jun 2: A new era in air travel began on Sunday as it bid farewell to the paper ticket on the eve of the industry’s conversion to 100% electronic ticketing at the call of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), representing over 230 global airlines.
“Today we say goodbye to an industry icon. The paper ticket has served us well, but its time is over. Four years of hard work by airlines around the world mark the beginning of a new, more convenient and more efficient era for air travel,’’ said Giovanni Bisignani, director general and CEO of IATA inaugurating its annual general meeting here.
IATA, which represents 93% of the world air traffic, had set a deadline of May 31 to introduce 100% e-ticketing which came into effect worldwide, including India earlier in the day
Besides being environmental-friendly and saving an estimated $3 billion annually on paper, consumers can now look forward to easier travel in an electronic world, where 100% electronic ticket eliminates lost tickets. Electronic tickets can easily be changed and reissued without necessitating a trip to a travel agency or airline ticket office. And they enable a wide array of self-service options such as online and mobile check in.
“With electronic tickets a reality we can now enter the next phase of simplifying the business,’’ said Bisignani. “We are moving ahead with a further revolution fast travel that will provide convenient selfservice options from check-in to baggage tracing and re-booking.’’ Paper tickets date back to the 1920s. Each airline used a different form with varying rules. Airlines soon recognised the need for standardisation of traffic documents, regulations and procedures to support the growth of an industry that spanned the world.
In 1930, the IATA traffic committee developed the first standard hand-written ticket for multiple trips. These same standards served the industry into the early 1970s. The first ticketing revolution occurred in 1972 with automation and at its peak, 285 million of IATA neutral paper tickets were printed in 2005. The first E-ticket was issued in 1994. By 1997, IATA had adopted global standards for e-ticketing. But the evolution was slow and by may 2004, only 19% of global tickets were electronic, an IATA spokesperson said here.
In 2004, when the successive crises of war, terrorism and SARs were still being felt and the price of oil was approaching $40 per barrel, the IATA presented a plan for simplifying the business, the highlight of which was to achieve 100% e-ticketing.
“In four years we achieved what many thought was impossible. We made 100% e-ticketing a reality everywhere from our largest hubs to small remote island airports with no electricity. It is an incredible industry achievement,’’ said Bisignani.
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