IATA bids farewell to paper tickets

On Aug 27, 6:23 pm, Brian wrote:
On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 22:41:25 +0100, "Martin Sylvester"

wrote:
Might be wise, but not necessarily essential. I've travelled a few times
with a passport containing a post-it note bearing an e-ticket booking
reference copied from the PC screen.

Martin.

There have been a number of times when I've printed it out and then
someone at the airport has ignored it and reprinted it.

I have been without a printer for some years and previously I would
email my ticket to a friend to have it printed out for me. But for
the last several years, I just go to the airport, swipe my credit card
in the kiosk machine and it prints out my boarding pass. Never had to
show anything like an e-ticket I had printed out to anyone.

"Tom Peel" wrote in message
...
Alain Quai schrieb:
http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/27082007/325...r-tickets.html

GENEVA (Reuters) - The global airlines body IATA said on Monday it
had placed its last order for paper tickets, clearing the way for air
travel to be based entirely on electronic ticketing from June 1 next
year.

"In just 278 more days, the paper ticket will become a collector's
item," said Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International
Air Transport Association.

Does this mean the end of air travel for someone who doesn't have a
credit card and a PC?

T.

No. It does not. The "E Ticket" that you print at home has nothing to do
with getting on the plane. I never show my e ticket at check in. It DOES
have some relevance for immigration occasionally if the officer asks you to
prove you will be leaving his country. Then you show the ET as proof.

While airlines are moving to having passengers print their boarding passes
at home they are still providing means to obtain them at the airport.

The credit card issue is more interesting. Given the move to self service
at the airport I fear that some form of plastic will be required to check in
at self service devices but that could be a credit/debit/ATB/frequent flyer
card or machine readable document such as a passport. Some airlines do
provide a keyboard to allow you to type date into their check in devices.
And, as for buying the ticket, travel agencies are not quite dead yet.

"Alain Quai" wrote in message
ups.com...
http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/27082007/325...r-tickets.html

GENEVA (Reuters) - The global airlines body IATA said on Monday it
had placed its last order for paper tickets, clearing the way for air
travel to be based entirely on electronic ticketing from June 1 next
year.

"In just 278 more days, the paper ticket will become a collector's
item," said Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International
Air Transport Association.

The changeover from paper would not only cut airlines' costs by $9 for
every traveller but would also mean the industry -- criticised by
environmentalists for its part in global warming -- would save 50,000
mature trees a year, he added.

Bisignani did not say whether the $9 in cost savings would or should
be passed on to passengers.

Based in Geneva, IATA represents more than 240 airlines which operate
94 percent of scheduled international flights.

Non-IATA airlines, mainly low-cost carriers like the Irish Ryanair and
the British Easyjet, already have a paper-free ticket system where
travellers are registered in computers and present only an identity
document at check-in.

IATA launched its drive for so-called "e-ticketing" just over three
years ago and now 84 percent of travellers on IATA carriers fly
without paper tickets.

The airlines body says China, one of the fastest-growing markets for
air travel and host to next year's Olympic Games, is heading to be the
first country in the world to operate an entirely paper-free ticketing
system by the end of this year.


Although it doesn't say so I believe this refers to IATA purchasing tickets
for use in BSPs and therefore in agencies. The most recent figures I saw
included an admission by IATA that there was a very small (miniscule like
1%) number of tickets that could not be issued as ET. Since airlines
purchase their own paper tickets it is my belief that they will continue to
do so for those odd occasions when a paper ticket is required.

"Craig Welch" wrote in message
...
Magda wrote:

You'll need a printer, too.

Not necessarily. I travel reasonably often without a printed copy of
anything that's ticket related.

Don't try it in India.

You can't get into the airport building without something printed...

--
William Black


I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.

On Tue, 28 Aug 2007 05:49:42 GMT Craig Welch wrote:

:auzerais wrote:

: But for
: the last several years, I just go to the airport, swipe my credit card
: in the kiosk machine and it prints out my boarding pass. Never had to
: show anything like an e-ticket I had printed out to anyone.

:Exactly.

:So much for 'positive identification', eh?

Will someone inform the clueless to the fact that pretty much anyone with some
computer skills can create a boarding pass?

--
Binyamin Dissen
http://www.dissensoftware.com

Should you use the mailblocks package and expect a response from me,
you should preauthorize the dissensoftware.com domain.

I very rarely bother responding to challenge/response systems,
especially those from irresponsible companies.

Martin Sylvester schrieb:
"Magda" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:56:56 +0200, in rec.travel.europe, Tom Peel

arranged some electrons, so they looked like this:

... Alain Quai schrieb:
[...]
... Does this mean the end of air travel for someone who doesn't have a
... credit card and a PC?
[...]

You'll need a printer, too.

Might be wise, but not necessarily essential. I've travelled a few times
with a passport containing a post-it note bearing an e-ticket booking
reference copied from the PC screen.

Martin.


So do I. In fact, I just checkin at the Etix machine with my CC and
never bother printing out the booking confirmation. However, I do have a
PC and internet connection to make the booking, and I do have a credit
card which lets me pay for the Etix and identify myself at the machine.

My question was, if you have neither of these luxuries, can you still
fly as of next year?

T.

Henry schrieb:
GENEVA (Reuters) - The global airlines body IATA said on Monday it
had placed its last order for paper tickets...

...said Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International
Air Transport Association.

The changeover ... would save 50,000
mature trees a year, he added.

I'll just note in passing that this 'save the trees' argument is
completely specious. With a well-managed forest products industry, two
trees are planted for every one harvested (or some such ratio) and the
increased greenery which results expands the lung capacity of the Earth,
absorbing CO2, countering global warming, etc., etc., etc., making
everybody happier all around. There is absolutely no reason to feel
guilty about using paper.

cheers,

Henry
Not to mention all the CO2 consumed in driving those millions of 3.5
GHz computers that Intel thinks we needs. Something like 10% of the
world's electrical power is used by the internet, including servers,
network, home PCs and air conditioning, I read somewhere?

T.

My question was, if you have neither of these luxuries, can you still
fly as of next year?

Sure. You just can't do it through your home computer.

To buy your ticket, you'll have to visit somewhere that sells tickets
for cash, such as an airline ticket office or travel agent. To check
in, you can probably use an airline kiosk and key in the reservation
number, or failing that, check in at the counter along with everyone
else.

"William Black" wrote in message
...

Don't try it in India.

You can't get into the airport building without something printed...

The CISF is very proud of the fact that it had trained its troops to
recognize e-tickets at airports. Not so much now, but back in 2005 I was
getting a lot of nods and comments like. "Hmm, yes, that's an e-ticket you
have, sah."

Cheers,

George W. Russell
Bangalore

"grusl" wrote in message
...

"William Black" wrote in message
...

Don't try it in India.

You can't get into the airport building without something printed...

The CISF is very proud of the fact that it had trained its troops to
recognize e-tickets at airports. Not so much now, but back in 2005 I was
getting a lot of nods and comments like. "Hmm, yes, that's an e-ticket you
have, sah."

Oh yes, a printed out e-ticket will get you in.

Although they do look a bit closer that they do at a ticket folder with a
major airline logo on the front.

And in early 2006 I had to have tickets couriered to me in the UK because at
that time they were still a bit uncertain how things were working out in
Bombay.

I was commenting on the chap who claims he turns up at airports with nothing
on paper.

The CISF are better than most Indian cops but saying 'It's on the web site,
they can log in and see' isn't going to work.

--
William Black


I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Barbeques on fire by the chalets past the castle headland
I watched the gift shops glitter in the darkness off the Newborough gate
All these moments will be lost in time, like icecream on the beach
Time for tea.