Etihad Airways is on course to meet the 1 June deadline set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for paper tickets to be scrapped.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline currently offers e-ticketing, the electronic document that replaces conventional tickets, on 93 per cent of its network and three remaining destinations, Peshawar, Tehran and Khartoum, will all meet the IATA deadline.

Etihad began implementing commercial e-tickets in July 2006 following a successful fast-track project and has gained praise from IATA and the system provider, Amadeus.

Peter Baumgartner, Etihad’s executive vice president marketing and product, said: “Etihad has fully embraced the introduction and implementation of e-ticketing and we are very proud that the airline will comfortably meet the IATA deadline."

“There are many benefits with e-ticketing both in terms of security of the document, information contained within it and the impact on the environment by not printing paper tickets," he noted.

IATA began the drive to 100 per cent e-ticketing as part of its “simplifying the business” programme in June 2004, which is designed to make travel and shipping more convenient and at the same time more cost efficient.

Greater convenience is provided to air travellers as they can conveniently make late changes to a booking. Ticket changes can also be made over the phone, removing the need for flyers to visit an airline sales office.

When checking-in for a flight customers simply need to present their passport and e-ticket number. The relevant boarding passes are then issued, and the luggage can be checked in.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline also has agreements with 45 international carriers which allow passengers to book and fly with Etihad and the partner airlines using a single e-ticket.

Among the international airlines which Etihad has agreements are American Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Singapore Airlines and South African Airways.

Members of Etihad’s innovative Etihad Guest loyalty programme can also use the e-ticketing service when booking reward flight tickets.-TradeArabia News Service