Electronic ticketing for air travel soon

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JUNE 12. Air travel may become cheaper if the International Air Transport Association, with 275 scheduled airlines as its members, can pull through its plan for introducing standardised electronic ticketing by the middle of next year.

The move to do away with manual paper ticketing is expected to bring about a reduction of about $ 700 million in costs per annum.``The airlines will pass this to the consumers,'' the IATA's Managing-Director, Mr. Tom Murphy, told mediapersons here today.

The IATA also planned to make India a regional hub for its operations in South Asia and might open a domestic billing and settlement plan (BSP) and cargo accounting and settlement system here. The idea was to go for 100 per cent automation.

Mr. Murphy, who met the Civil Aviation Minister, Mr. Sharad Yadav, and the Minister of State, Mr. Chaman Lal Gupta, said he sought the Government's support to establish a large training centre and cargo operations in India. The Ministers were supportive of both his proposals.

Mr. Murphy also met top officials of the Indian Airlines today and would meet Air India's top brass in Mumbai tomorrow to discuss the automation and domestic BSP plan. The BSP link is a web-based interface to increase agent automation and provide cost effective and paperless electronic reporting to all the customers. The IATA provides centralised, standardised services ranging from worldwide ticketing, cargo, baggage handling and scheduling to setting fares in regulated countries and bilaterals which require Government approvals.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : HC direction to MERC
Next     : Explosives haul in mosque