Worldspan today announced the launch of a new suite of advanced electronic ticketing technologies designed for maximum flexibility to conquer the challenges of increased industry demand for e-ticket functionality.ÊWorldspan ETDBase and Worldspan Interchange offer all carriers, regardless of whether they have advanced, basic or no current e-ticketing capabilities, quick-to-implement and fully customizable solutions that reduce costs, increase efficiencies and greatly improve customer service.

The travel industry is transitioning towards mandatory e-ticketing requirements, such as the International Air Transport Association’s recent resolution that all carriers must be completely e-ticket enabled by 2007. A more immediate deadline has been established by some major carriers that are requiring their interline partners to process interline e-tickets by December 2004.Ê As a result, carriers with little or no e-ticketing capabilities are now faced with the immense investment required to quickly develop an e-ticketing solution from the ground up.

Through ETDBase, Worldspan offers a one-of-a-kind, economical approach in which carriers can pick and choose the e-ticketing functionality that best meets their immediate needs including deadlines mandated by the industry. ETDBase allows carriers to build databases in stages to eventually become 100 percent e-ticket enabled for complete e-ticket processing and management.

Worldspan Interchange offers airlines that already have e-ticketing databases a fast, simple solution to process interline e-tickets with other carriers. Interchange translates messages between carriers’ e-ticketing databases, enabling them to “talk” to each other, thus, eliminating the expensive and time-consuming development necessary to create individual connections for each interline partner. Complete implementation of Interchange between two carriers can take place in as little as 90 days.ÊÊ

“Worldspan’s industry-exclusive approach of providing a fully customized e-ticketing solution delivers a quick and affordable way for any airline to meet the demand for e-ticket functionality,” said Ninan Chacko, senior vice president - e-Commerce and Product Planning for Worldspan. “With ETDBase and Interchange, we have created flexible solutions that help airlines maximize the benefits of e-ticketing such as reduced costs, improved operational processes and faster, more accurate revenue accounting.”

“KLM chose Worldspan to be its e-ticket services provider based on Worldspan’s flexible e-ticketing solution. The industry is faced with a high level of complexity created by individual carriers’ interpretations of e-ticketing standards,” commented Bart Vos, senior vice president - Distribution and e-Commerce for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

“Worldspan successfully and quickly overcame this challenge while delivering the high quality KLM required. We are pleased with Worldspan’s superior services which have enabled KLM to continue accelerated expansion of online and interline e-ticketing technology.”

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