With more than 80 per cent of its network already covered under e-ticket, Gulf Air has embarked on major step to further promote the issue of e-ticket, wherever applicable, from 01 April 2007.

E-ticket is by now the default method of issuing tickets for the vast majority of airlines. E-ticketing is a secure form of ticketing that makes passengers’ travel plans less cumbersome and more efficient. The travel data is all stored electronically in the reservation system, which can be accessed at any time and never lost or stolen unlike paper tickets. Passengers can at any time print their e-ticket receipt from the Gulf Air Web site. In addition a passenger with an e-ticket can check in faster by just producing the e-ticket print out and an appropriate ID.

The processing cost of an e-ticket is just US$1, whereas paper ticket costs much more in terms of manual effort and cost spent in issuing, delivering, tracking and reconciling paper tickets for airlines and travel agents.

With the implementation of Interline Electronic Ticketing (IET) passengers travelling on more than one airline, can travel with one single electronic document.

“Gulf Air have successfully implemented e-ticketing in more than 80 per cent of its network following the directives of IATA,” says Gulf Air Head of Distribution and E-commerce Lars Denlew.

“However, we have observed that there are still passengers, who insist on paper ticket to be issued for their journeys, even if e-tickets can easily be used.”

“This, we believe, is because the passengers are not fully aware of the benefits and conveniences of e-ticket and the fact that IATA has issued a deadline of 100% e-ticketing by 31 December 2007, which means traveling public will have to embrace e-ticket by that date, whether they prefer it or not.”

Gulf Air has therefore decided to further enforce the use of e-tickets wherever possible and as of April 1 passengers, who insist on having a traditional paper ticket, will be charged a fee of US$ 25.00 (or equivalent in local currency) on, to cover the processing cost.

Gulf Air is not the only airline to impose such paper ticket fee; many prominent airlines across the world have already been charging this fee from passengers.

Suitable communication has been sent to all Gulf Air travel agents to implement the measure and, educate and encourage passengers to embrace e-ticket. We hope passengers will cooperate with us and our travel agents in this important step,” concludes Denlew.

To begin with, the following stations will start implementing this measure from 1 April; Australia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, India, Ireland, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, UK, USA, Indonesia, Philippines, and Yemen.

However, the fee will not be applicable when issuing paper tickets in the following categories;

a)  Tickets of infants, not occupying a separate seat, and accompanying families (until e-ticketing for infants is implemented).

b)  Any interline ticket where e-ticketing is not possible in any of the sectors.

c)    Gulf Air flights operated by an airline where e-ticketing is not possible.

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