The Hindu Business Line : Paper tickets may be a costlier air travel option

New Delhi, May 6 From June 1, international air travel could become more expensive and inconvenient especially if your travel takes you on an airline that does not issue e-tickets.

The Geneva-based International Air Transport Association has mandated that from June 1 airlines will have to withdraw paper tickets from the Billing and System Plan, a system by which it manages the transfer of funds accruing from cash sales of airline tickets between travel agents and airlines.

The travel agents community, however, points out that the proposed rollout from the scheduled date could lead to problems for travellers.

“At the moment tickets between Chennai and Tokyo are available for around Rs 35,000. But if the travel is on two carriers, one of which is not e-ticket enabled, the cost of travel could be as high as Rs 1,50,000. Besides, passengers travelling on a combination ticket of e-ticket and paper ticket will have to break journey and check in again to complete their travel. All this involves time and inconvenience,” a travel agent said.

In February this year, IATA admitted that e-ticket penetration in Africa, West Asia and North Africa, Russia and CIS was low, but pointed out that these regions represent 8 per cent of total volume.

Passengers, however, need not worry too much as only three airlines – two from South East Asia and Air India – are at the moment not ready to roll out e-tickets, a leading Mumbai based travel agent said. ‘Air India will be largely ready to roll out e-tickets by the deadline set,” an official spokesperson said.

The e-ticketing initiative is an attempt to reduce costs and improve passenger convenience. The IATA Director General, Mr Giovanni Bisignani, pointed out that it took only $1 to process an e-ticket down from $10 for a paper ticket. IATA estimates that the global implementation of e-ticketing will save the industry up to $3 billion annually.

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