December e-ticketing deadline ‘unlikely’ to be met by all airlines

IATA’s end of year deadline for all airlines to withdraw paper tickets in favour of e-ticketing is unlikely to be met, according to a Sabre boss.

Ninety percent of all tickets issued worldwide through the Sabre GDS are now electronic, up from 80% in June last year.

More than 160 airlines have implemented e-ticketing in the system, up from 122 eight months ago. 

Condor, Corsair, Ethiopian Airlines, KD Avia, Malev, Olt-Ostfriesische Lufft, Royal Jordanian, have become the latest carriers to implement e-ticketing through the GDS. 

Richard Adams, Sabre Travel Network’s European senior vice-president, said:  “It’s unlikely that every airline around the world will comply entirely with IATA’s December deadline for the complete withdrawal of paper ticketing.

“It does appear, though, that the airlines who sell most of the world’s air travel will be compliant by the due date, and our figures show that our travel agency customers have seized on the e-ticketing capability of every airline that has implemented e-ticketing.”

Sabre Travel Network is currently IATA approved to issue e-tickets in 77 countries, including 33 in the EMEA area, with Yemen the latest to be added.

Sister company Sabre Airline Solutions is working closely with airlines to ensure they will be compliant with the IATA deadline.

An e-ticketing enabling product for airlines called SabreSonic Ticket lets an airline distribute electronic tickets both through its own sales channels and through travel agencies, check in passengers with electronic tickets, and issue interline electronic tickets (IETs).

More than 90 carriers are using the SabreSonic Ticket interline e-ticket (IET) ‘hub’ to enable e-ticketing with other airlines without having to create bilateral agreements and a special connection.

IET hub-connected carriers include British Airways, KLM, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, American Airlines, United, US Airways and Northwest Airlines.

Any airline can use the IET hub, regardless of where its reservation system is hosted.  Last year, the company announced a technical development with Worldspan, giving carriers who use the IET hub a single connection to those who use the Worldspan hub. This eliminates the need for complex, distinct communication ‘layers’ between airlines that use the two hubs, according to Sabre.