Delta e-tickets available to agents

Loss-making Delta Air Lines has announced it is now capable of issuing electronic tickets to travel agencies in Europe through the Galileo global distribution system.

The airline, which lost $312 million in the second quarter of the year and is introducing a major restructuring plan, said the move means all travel agents in the UK, regardless of which GDS system they use, can issue electronic tickets to customers and make any subsequent changes and refunds when required.

Delta already has the capability to issue electronic tickets through Amadeus, Apollo, Sabre and Worldspan.

Agents can also use Galileo to offer a Delta electronic ticket to customers whose itineraries include flights on nine other carriers, including the carrier’s SkyTeam partner, Air France.

Delta plans to extend electronic ticketing technology to other carriers to meet its goal of 100 per cent paperless tickets by the end of 2004.

Delta is the world’s second largest airline in terms of passengers carried, with daily flights to 492 destinations in 86 countries.

Report by Jeremy Skidmore