To 'e' or not to 'e'?

SITA believes the 100% e-ticketing deadline of 1 June 2008 set by IATA is definitely achievable, given that it is applicable for tickets issued in the neutral environment (i.e. travel agencies reporting sales via the billing and settlement plans). However, the aviation IT specialist acknowledges that to make it a reality, those airlines that have yet to meet the deadline will need to adopt a fully integrated and aggressive approach, particularly in critical departments such as call centres, airport operations, and revenue accounting.

It is not the installation of the required IT that is the greatest challenge, technically the switch from paper-based operations to e-ticketing is fairly easy. Rather, the key challenges are the training of personnel and the integration of new procedures to the airline’s existing operations. The time required to fully train both front- and back-end staff is frequently under-estimated, resulting in slower than necessary rollout of the service.

The ease with which airlines that have yet to make the switch depends largely on the size of the carrier and the automation already in place for their paper-based ticket operations. It may be harder for those airlines that are new to e-ticketing to integrate both the technology and the necessary processes. However, the advantage these latecomers could have is that they can deploy the latest technology without having to take any existing e-ticketing operations and/or investment into consideration.

Brian Cook, vice president Airline And Passenger Solutions, SITA, says, “Whatever the installation and teething problems, the operational benefits of 100% e-ticketing for both airlines and airports are enormous. From an airport-specific perspective, e-ticketing eases customers’ movement through the airport, with fewer or shorter queues.  The new technology allows airlines to offer more off-site access to activities that were once reserved for airport operations. For example, passengers can have the option of checking in at desks at the airport as they have always done or by using self-service kiosks, or online from home or the office, as well as via kiosk check-in at hotels, car parks and other areas.”

SITA also believes a further benefit of e-ticketing in the airport environment is the more efficient handling of irregular operations. With e-ticketing, these challenging situations can be resolved with automation and access to expert staff on a global basis. This is in contrast to the situation today where irregular operations can only be handled by the staff available at the airport at the time of the irregularity, who may or may not have the necessary skills to manage the situation efficiently.

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