The Paperless Revolution

Charmaine Fernz lists the advantages of e-ticketing

Picture a situation, where Mr X based in Mumbai gets a call at 2 am for an impromptu business meeting in Delhi at 7 am. The current situation - no ticket or airline office open at that hour. Now consider a scenario, where all Mr X does is call his travel agent who logs on to the computer, gets to the airline reservation website, feeds in the necessary date, pays online via a credit card and gets Mr X’s travel arrangements in place. The next morning Mr X is ready to take off to Delhi for his meeting without going through all the paper hassles of issuing a ticket. This is e-ticketing...the new paperless revolution.

Well, in a lay man's term, e-ticketing is the method to document sale and track usage and account for a passenger’s transportation without requiring to issue paper value documents.

The concept of e-ticketing was initially introduced in USA by domestic carriers operating point to point flights. United Airlines did the process of experimentation at the outset in 1984. And, it took six years before the procedure was actually implemented. Nonetheless once implemented, the travel industry globally saw a metamorphosis of the ticketing system. As per a recent survey conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the most booming market for e-ticketing has been Australia. In that regard, nearly 95 per cent of all agent transactions are e-tickets used within the market. This goes to show that e-ticketing is the way ahead for travel in the future.

Indian Scenario

The concept was officially launched in India on August 8, 2003 for Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Going by records, at present, there are about 40-50 passengers per day who travel via e-tickets. As Lalit Sheth, CMD, Raj Travels says, “The concept of e-ticketing will catch on but over a period of time. Even the concept of the World Wide Web (WWW) and e-mail was initially accepted in a sceptical manner. The same goes for e-ticketing. However, we have seen that there is a definite section of travellers who are taking advantage of the developing technological trend.”

The corporate world could consider this change as a boon for businessmen always on the move. However, though it may sound all hunky dory, the major challenge that faces most Indians are the concerns of security and government regulations prior to entering an airport especially without a ticket. According to Kiran Yadav, manager,Industry Distribution and Financial Services (IDFS) - India, “As per government rules, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) has passed the concept of e-ticketing on March 31, 2003. The only criterion for entering the airport now is the necessity of photo identification.” IDFS is the business unit of International Air Transport Association (IATA) that develops industry standards, infrastructure, products and programmes that enable airlines and agents to provide high-quality services worldwide.

Having comprehended the regulatory scenario, the only snag lies with the embassies who will not issue visas without a ticket. Yadav says, “We have approached a few embassies and consulates and will deal with the others. But, once this system takes off completely in India, and with necessary clearances it will be the accepted norm.” What is required at the moment is a change of mindset towards the burgeoning technological advances.

The Revolution

Why is an e-ticket the best possible option? Says Sanjay Rao, IDFS - India, “Well, to begin with, it is a cost-effective method. For example, in the US, if one has to book an e-ticket, on logging on they would get approximately 800 different fares for a particular destination. This is what is in store for India once this concept takes off. The other advantages to a customer include much quicker and easier access, simple and hassle free operations and finally it is more secure and economical.”

There are many other questions as well that crop up. To cite a few, can an e-ticket be refunded? Can it be reissued? What if one loses his ticket? Well, the answers are plain and simple. An e-ticket can be refunded via a refund settlement with an authorisation number. Secondly, an e-ticket can also be reissued. In certain cases, it can be done for an e-ticket as well as for a physical ticket. However, a paper ticket cannot be converted into an e-ticket. And finally, even if a traveller loses his e-ticket, a passport would suffice, since the airline has all necessary details in its system.