More than half of all airline tickets around the world are now issued electronically, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata).
Iata says 54 per cent of tickets have moved from paper, and is confident that airlines will meet its deadline for all tickets to be electronic by the end of 2007.
However, Iata says 100 per cent global penetration will only be achieved if there is a universal capability for e-ticketing.
‘The whole point of e-ticketing is that you can walk into any travel agent in the world and buy a ticket on any airline to anywhere in the world,’ said Bryan Wilson, e-ticketing project director at Iata.
‘We are going to see rapid acceleration of take-up and penetration rates are increasing every month,’ he said.
Wilson says 100 per cent global coverage is a key step towards transforming the industry through simplifying processes with technology advances.
‘Benefits emerging from e-ticketing technology will be buying your ticket without a travel agent, checking in at home or in the office, printing your own boarding pass on a standard printer and changing plans at the last minute,’ he said.
Swissair spokesman Dominik Werner says the airline reached 56 per cent e-ticketing in 2005.
‘Every airline is responsible for its own e-ticketing target and implementing the technology to enable it, but if Swissair could put its own e-ticketing system to enable Swissair e-ticketing in a region with poor infrastructure we may consider it,’ he said.
Rob Drotar, senior product manager for reservations at specialist airline IT provider Sita, is less certain that the deadline will be met.
‘Many carriers have moved forward with e-ticketing in the last year, though I think it is too soon to say if the 2007 deadline will be met,’ he said. ‘It depends on the management support and time dedicated to it.’
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