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E-Tickets Only Starting June 1
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Airlines still need to work out some kinks. Computer reservation systems need to be reprogrammed for infants who don't take seats but need boarding passes.
Airlines also will adjust their systems to allow passengers on two-leg trips to transfer from one airline to another and check their bags through. In the past, paper tickets were required because different reservation systems didn't work together.
The switch to all-electronic ticketing is part of a program started in June 2004, when high oil prices and financial losses prompted airlines to reconsider their business models. Plans include ticketing kiosks where passengers can check in for flights on five different airlines.
Laila Mikhail, an agent with Up and Away Travel in Fairfax, said she rarely issues paper tickets. "We already moved to the e-ticket a long time ago," she said. "That's nothing new."
Airlines added fees for paper tickets as an incentive to go electronic. In 2002, Northwest Airlines increased its paper-ticket surcharge from $10 to $25.
As for the people who prefer paper tickets: Too bad, Mikhail said.
"They like to have something in their hand, but welcome to the 21st century," she said. "They'll get used to it and they'll like it."
Cynthia Stranis of St. Louis said she has used e-tickets since American Airlines installed check-in kiosks at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport.
"It's quick; you get to see the aircraft layout," Stranis said yesterday at Reagan National. "It's one less thing to think about when you're packing."
