Paper Tickets No More

[GWR]

Anyone know yet what form the electronic tickets they mention here will take the form of?:

Silk Air and the end of the paper flight ticket

Singapore (dpa) - SilkAir and all authorised travel agents have stopped issuing paper tickets, a month ahead of a deadline set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the carrier said Saturday.

Travellers are given an electronic ticket, which they can print and carry with them when flying, said the Singapore Airlines subsidiary.

IATA will stop printing paper tickets starting June 1, saving the industry $2 billion a year and the equivalent of 50,000 mature trees.

By the deadline, it is expected that 96 per cent of all tickets issued globally will be electronic.

Silk Air operates 14 A320 aircraft to 29 destinations in 11 countries.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=127448

[jpatokal]

Anyone know yet what form the electronic tickets they mention here will take the form of?:
Hmm? Electronic tickets are just a PNR and ticket number for the customer, all the actual information is stored on the airline's side.

[waerth]

IMHO opinion the so-called electronic tickets do not save any paper, as you still need to bring a printout along. I tried checking in with just the number once just to see if it could save me on printing the thing out. The checkin lady said it was unacceptable without the printed out thing.

So sofar for the whole hype of ticketless flying .... the burden has just moved on from the airline to the customer. But paper is still used!

Waerth

[jpatokal]

IMHO opinion the so-called electronic tickets do not save any paper, as you still need to bring a printout along. I tried checking in with just the number once just to see if it could save me on printing the thing out. The checkin lady said it was unacceptable without the printed out thing.
Your checkin lady was clueless -- I've checked in many times on many airlines using just the number or (with self-service kiosks) nothing at all. However, airport security in many countries insists on a printout before they'll let you in, and immigration also often wants return tickets...

So sofar for the whole hype of ticketless flying .... the burden has just moved on from the airline to the customer. But paper is still used!
The burden is still cut in half, because you no longer have to worry about how the airline will get the paper ticket to you -- no more futzing around with going to offices or using courier services.