Goodbye Paper: IATA celebrates 100% electronic ticketing

Monday 2 June 2008

Airline & Airport Updates

From a cheap flight to Rome to first class tickets and city breaks in Madrid, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that the entire airline market has now moved over to 100 per cent electronic ticketing.

The first e-ticket was issued in 1994 and by 1997 IATA had adopted global standards for e-ticketing.

However, in May 2004, only 19 per cent of global tickets were electronic and in 2005 a record 285 million IATA paper tickets were issued.

To speed up the implementation of e-ticketing (ET) the IATA deployed a global team of 150 people to work with airlines and system providers around.

Commenting on the ET revolution, Giovanni Bisignani, IATA's director general and CEO, said: "In four years we achieved what many thought was impossible.

"We made 100 per cent ET a reality everywhere – from our largest hubs to small remote island airports with no electricity. It is an incredible industry achievement."

It is believed the industry will save over US$3 billion each year due to ET, with passengers benefiting from the elimination of lost tickets and the fact that electronic tickets can be changed and reissued without necessitating a trip to a travel agency or airline ticket office.