Agenda for Change: Part 2 100% e-ticketing by 2007 To Simplify the Business

Leaders of the world's airlines today committed to 100% implementation of e-ticketing by the end of 2007 as part of a bold initiative to re-engineer many of the air transport industry's processes to "simplify" the airline business process. "We will drive paper tickets out of the system, reduce airline costs and at the same time improve customer service," said Giovanni Bisignani, Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The decision came as a resolution of the Association's 60th Annual General Meeting taking place in Singapore. E-ticketing is one of four projects that IATA will lead. The others include Common-Use Self-Service Check-in Kiosks (CUSS), Bar Codes and Radio Frequency Baggage Tag Identification (RFID).

"Airlines have done a great job at innovation. Now it is time for IATA to take the next step, and apply the latest technologies to 21st century business practice and change the way the world travels by air. Consumers demand convenience and value. But they are not willing to pay for the complexity that we have built into our global air transport system. We need to simplify our processes to respond to the consumer's need while at the same time ensuring commercial viability for our struggling airlines," said Bisignani.

These initiatives parallel the IATA-led Simplifying Passenger Travel (SPT, www.simplifying-travel.org) campaign. SPT focuses on working with governments to move towards biometric identification technology to make passenger processing even more convenient and secure.

The combined implementation of these technologies will define a new era for the travel experience. "We are well on our way achieving greater efficiency, security and convenience throughout a passenger's journey. The industry has decided on a direction and we will make this change happen," concluded Bisignani.