Airlines Eliminate
Printed Tickets
f you haven't bought an
airline ticket lately,
you will find a surprise
when you do, no more
paper tickets for your
trip, as all airlines
tickets now issued as an
"E Ticket" - an
electronic ticket where
the customer is only
provided a receipt for
payment.
The International Air
Transport Association (IATA)
made the change last
Saturday. However, in
Costa Rica, according to
Luis Arce, IATA's
manager in Costa Rica,
100% of all airline
tickets issued in Costa
Rica for the last two
weeks have been etickets.
The reason for the
worldwide change over is
to eliminate a us$3
billion cost to issue
paper tickets.
Arce added that the next
step in the evolution of
the electronic ticketing
is for airlines to
replace the paper
boarding passes with a
bar code that can be
read by electronic
scanners that are much
cheaper than the current
boarding pass scanners.
In Costa Rica, TACA is
already has the new
scanners and is offering
customers an "express
checkin" system allowing
customers to check in up
to 24 hours before their
flight and avoid the
long lines at the
counters.
TACA customers can check
in online and have to
only check in their
baggage at the counter,
or check in at any TACA
office, including
luggage, and then just
go to the boarding gate
at the airport.
A word of caution. TACA
for instance still
requires that passengers
be at the San Jose
airport at least 90
minutes before their
flight if they have made
an express check in. All
other passengers are
being asked to be at the
airport from 2 to 3
hours before their
flight. |
