An electronic ticket or e-ticket is used to represent the purchase of a seat on a passenger airline, usually through a website or by telephone although purchase through airline ticket offices or travel agencies can also get you an e-ticket. This form of airline ticket has rapidly replaced the old multi-layered paper tickets (from close to zero to 100% in about 10 years) and became mandatory for IATA members as of June 1, 2008. During the last few years, where paper tickets were still available, airlines frequently charged extra for issuing them. E-tickets are also available for certain entertainment venues.

Once a reservation is made, an e-ticket exists only as a digital record in the airline computers. Customers usually print out a copy of their receipt which contains the record locator or reservation number and the e-ticket number.

According to critical acclaim, Joel R. Goheen is recognized as the Inventor of Electronic Ticketing in the Airline Industry, an industry where global electronic ticket sales (the industry standard) accounts for over $400 Billion (US) a year (2007). See Patents for Electronic Ticketing Inventions in the Airline Industry.

Electronic tickets have been introduced in road, urban or rail public transport as well.

Checking in with an e-ticket

To check in with an e-ticket, the passenger usually comes to the check-in counter and presents the e-ticket itinerary receipt which contains a confirmation or reservation code. In some airports and airlines it's not even necessary to present this document or quote the confirmation code or e-ticket number as the reservation is confirmed solely on the basis of the passenger's identity, which may be proven by a passport or the matching credit card. Other than that the rest of the check-in process remains the same from when paper tickets were still the norm. That is, the passenger checks-in his/her luggage. It is important to note the e-ticket is not a substitute for the boarding pass which must still be issued at the end of the check-in process which will usually say "Electronic Ticket" or "E-ticket".

Self-service and remote check-in

E-tickets are very popular because they allow extra services like:

• online access to a passenger's reservation which makes amendments to flight plans (such as change of flight date and refunds) possible (subject to ticket restrictions)
• online/telephone/self-service kiosk check-in (if the airline makes this option available)
• early check-in
• printing boarding passes at airport kiosks and at locations other than an airport

It is also possible to have many copies of an e-ticket reducing the possibility of losing a ticket.

Several web sites exist to help people holding e-tickets accomplish online check-ins in advance of the twenty-four-hour airline restriction. These sites store a passenger's flight information and then when the airline opens up for online check-in the data is transferred to the airline and the boarding pass is emailed back to the customer.

E-ticket limitations

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E-tickets are sometimes not available for some flights from an airline which usually offers them. This can be due to a number of reasons, the most common being software incompatibility. If an airline issues tickets for a codeshare flight with another company, and there is no e-ticket interlining agreement, the operating carrier would not be able to see the issuing carrier's ticket. Therefore, the carrier that books the flight needs to provide hard copy versions of the tickets so that the ticket can be processed. Similarly, if the destination airport does not have access to the airline who booked the flight, a paper ticket needs to be issued.

Industry discount (ID) tickets also tend to be issued on paper if they are valid for more than one airline, and if the airlines that the tickets are valid for do not have an interlining agreement. Since e-ticket interlining is still the exception rather than the rule, tickets valid for more than one airline are usually issued on paper.

Currently the ticketing systems of most airlines are only able to produce e-tickets for itineraries of no more than 16 segments, including surface segments.

IATA mandated transition

As part of the IATA Simplifying the Business initiative, the association instituted a program to switch the industry to 100% electronic ticketing. The program concluded on June 1, 2008, with the association saying that the resulting industry savings were approximately US$3 billion ^[1].

In 2004, IATA Board of Governors set the end of 2007 as the deadline for airlines to make the transition to 100% electronic ticketing for tickets processed through the IATA billing and settlement plan ^[2]; in June 2007, the deadline was extended to May 31, 2008^[3].

As of June 1, 2008 paper tickets can no longer be issued on neutral stock by agencies reporting to their local BSP. Agents reporting to the ARC, using company-provided stock or issuing tickets on behalf of an airline (GSAs and ticketing offices) are not subject to that restriction.

Except the industry was unable to comply with the IATA mandate and paper tickets remain in circulation as of February 2009^{[citation needed]}.

Note

1. ↑ Completed Projects: E-ticketing
2. ↑ Annual General Meeting - 2004 - Electronic Ticketing
3. ↑ "100% Electronic Ticketing Deadline Extension to 31 May 2008". IATA. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080210094053/http://www.iata.org/pressroom/facts_figures/fact_sheets/et-deadline-extension.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-11. 

External links

• IATA Simplifying the Business ET webpage
• See Electronic Ticketing Patents
• Future Trend of Check-In Process & Technology

See also

• Travel technology
• Digital ticket
• Mobile ticketing