Paper tickets to go by 2007
Airlines will stop printing tickets by the end of 2007, as part of continuing attempts to cut costs, according to the International Air Transport Association.
Speaking at the 54th Pacific Asia Travel Association conference in Macau, director general and chief executive Giovanni Bisignana said the business needed to be simplified.
Mr Bisignani said IATA was working on five core projects: 100% e-tickting by the end of 2007, bar-coded boarding passes, radio frequency identification for baggage management, common use of self-service kiosks for check-in and paperless cargo.
E-ticketing is the top priority because it would generate the most savings. Each air ticket costs nine US dollars, so eliminating paper tickets could save the industry three billion US dollars per year. It will also be more convenient for customers and give greater flexibility to travel agents.
Currently, 19% of tickets processed through IATA are ticketless and this is expected to rise to 40 per cent by the end of 2005.
Mr Bisignani said IATA would work with airlines over the next three years to help them prepare for 2007, the self-imposed deadline for scrapping all paper tickets.
Meanwhile, at the same conference PATA predicted overall growth in tourist arrivals to the 40 countries across the Asia Pacific region of 10.6 per cent per year by 2007. Every destination is expected to have positive annual growth to 2007, ranging from Pakistan at 4% to Malaysia at 21%.
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