Scottish agency adopts e-tickets

Kenneth Macleod Travel is one of the first UK travel agencies to ditch paper airline tickets in one of its locations in favour of e-tickets.

The Sabre agency applied to IATA in February to change the category of its Milngavie location near Glasgow into an electronic ticketing location (ETL) under updated IATA regulations.

IATA’s ‘Simplifying the Business’ strategy calls for the withdrawal of all paper tickets from travel agencies worldwide by the end of 2007. The organisation has updated its regulations governing ticketing locations to encourage agencies down the e-ticketing path.

Using internet-based MySabre booking tool, Kenneth Macleod Travel is able to issue e-tickets for the 36 airlines that support UK e-ticketing in Sabre, and the resulting data is reported automatically to the UK Billing and Settlement Plan. 

Kenneth Macleod Travel managing director Julian Stark said: “With nearly 70% of all tickets currently issued in the UK being electronic and the various savings and efficiencies available to ETL agents, we thought it was the right move to make for this location.

“The functionality offered by MySabre, combined with the fact that we no longer need to handle tickets, means the amount of time and money spent on after-sale administration has been greatly reduced. Our travel counsellors are now spending their time selling to customers, rather than drowning in paper and administrative detail.”

BSP-UK operations manager Alan West said: “I believe the demand for ETL licenses is set to grow. In coming months more agents will recognise the savings that can be made by becoming an ETL and using the type of functionality offered by MySabre.”

Sabre Travel Network’s vice-president for the UK and Ireland Reet Wiseman said: “Changing the category of an agency location brings with it a number of operational advantages.

“Unlike a conventional IATA travel agency location, an ETL does not need to hold stocks of ‘paper’ tickets or carrier identification plates (CIPs).  IATA therefore does not require the location to have a safe and there is no need for the travel agent to invest in a ticket printer. Also, many of the office security measures demanded by IATA of conventional travel agents do not apply to ETL agents.

“Currently 28% of the BSP-UK member airlines allow agents to issue e-tickets. This will rise dramatically as we approach the final part of 2007, IATA’s target date for the end of paper ticketing. We’re focussed on helping our agency customers streamline costs and processes. This, in turn, will help them provide the very best customer service at a time when the struggle for customer loyalty is tougher than ever.”

Report by Phil Davies