United Airlines (NYSE: UAL) today launched the worldå‘s largest interline electronic ticket use agreement with American Airlines (NYSE: AMR) allowing customers to use a single electronic ticket when their itineraries include travel on both carriers.  The enhancement will make it easier for both carriers to accept electronically ticketed customers from each other, providing a more seamless travel experience.

Customers of both airlines will benefit from this new agreement if a need arises for them to be re-booked from one airline to another.  Previously, customers ticketed electronically would be required to convert tickets to paper before transferring between carriers.  That’s because neither airline had access to the other’s electronic ticket database.  Interline electronic ticketing changes this by bridging the two different airline computer reservation systems, allowing access to electronically stored information.

“United is proud to offer this new enhancement to our E-TICKETSM product,” said Montie Brewer, United’s Senior Vice President -Planning.  “We have made a commitment to continually identify opportunities to make the travel experience easier for our customers, and this is just another example of that commitment.”

Interline electronic tickets can be issued by United and American through their respective reservation centers, airports and ticket offices.  UA also has the ability to issue interline electronic tickets that include any combination of United, American, Air Canada, Continental and Northwest space.  Customer usage of electronic ticketing at United has surged.  More than 73 percent of United’s customers traveling in the U.S. use E-TICKETSSM, which are available in 100 percent of the airline’s destinations worldwide.  United first introduced electronic ticketing in November 1994 and implemented its first interline product with Air Canada in June 1999.  United’s surveys have also shown that electronic ticketing is the preferred form of ticketing for more than 90 percent of the customers who use it.

United Airlines offers about 1,700 flights a day on a route network that spans the globe.  News releases and other information about United Airlines can be found at the company’s website, www.united.com.

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