I contend that electronic ticketing was the single most significant improvement made during the 1990′s by the airline industry to regain control of their product. Up to this time the airlines were losing thousands of dollars daily. Savvy passengers were literally running wild taking advantage of points beyond, hidden cities, etc. This single enhancement stopped revalidations and itinerary changes without add collects; eliminated lost tickets; caused passengers to stay with their scheduled airlines during irregularities, eliminated paper waste and handling, and made security so much easier to be enforced.
When this enhancement was first introduced the public was very leery. No one wanted to make the change. Compliance was minimal because many passengers were insecure going to the airport without a ticket in hand. People cheating the airlines wanted the same ‘freedom’ they had been enjoying for years! Counter agents at the airports didn’t know how to read the passenger name records to tell whether or not a paper ticket had been issued. There were communication breakdowns between travel agents and their customers as to whether a paper or electronic ticket had been issued.
However, it was not long that the percentage of passengers using electronic tickets grew and as soon as it did, the airlines implemented a service fee for issuing paper tickets. This was the final straw that caused electronic ticketing to become the norm rather than the exception. My hat off to whoever found the solution for this problem within the airline industry!
By Linda Colvos