KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will take on Worldspan Interchange’s Interline Electronic Ticketing (IET) product to help the carrier roll out e-ticketing on all routes by 2007. KLM joins more than 100 airlines available through the growing Worldspan Interchange hub.

The Worldspan Interchange is a breakthrough e-ticket message communications hub with an advanced EDIFACT message translation process, which provides Interchange participants immediate access to other participating hub carriers.

Participating carriers achieve full hub access through a single implementation and one-time activation fee. Notably, Worldspan Interchange translation functionality allows airlines using different EDIFACT versions to interface seamlessly, a superior communications feature that eliminates costly programming required by other solutions.

“With this product, KLM further progresses toward 100 percent e-ticketing, which is in line with the industry goal of moving to full e-ticketing capabilities by the end of 2007, as initiated by IATA. Presently, 73 percent of all KLM tickets issued are e-tickets,” said Bart Vos, senior vice president - Distribution and E-commerce for KLM.

“The Worldspan Interchange makes the activation of KLM’s interline electronic ticketing agreements extremely efficient, allowing the airline to galvanize its IET agreements in days as opposed to the months it takes using the standard industry approach,” said Kevin Ficco, vice president - Airline Distribution and Business Development for Worldspan.

“Further contributing to KLM and every participating airline’s need for speed and cost-efficiency, we are the only provider offering subsequent IET activations to airlines in the Interchange at no additional charge to Interchange participants.”

Worldspan’s progressive approach to e-ticketing transcends the global airline industry’s expensive and time-consuming bilateral approach, which has produced only 281 IET agreements in the past eight years.

Worldspan’s full suite of E-Ticket Technologies not only allows airlines to activate IET agreements in days rather than months, but it also enables airlines to achieve a comprehensive e-ticketing and IET connection in months instead of years, and for pennies on the dollar compared to traditional costs.

Using the industry’s only solutions to let carriers adopt complete e-ticketing capabilities in stages, according to unique financial and implementation goals, airlines are able to meet immediate and forthcoming industry demands quickly and cost-effectively.
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