Shelly-Ann Thompson, Freelance Writer
YOU NO longer have to worry about losing your airline ticket or the dog having a go at it, thanks to the invention of e-ticketing.
E-ticketing, one of the latest trends in airline travel, is being lauded as convenient and a time-saver. At no extra cost, an e-ticket can be processed 36 hours before travel and without visiting the travel agent's office.
Last month Air Jamaica officially launched its e-ticketing service which can be used for all its destinations. The process involves a travel agent sending the flight information straight to the airline's computer reservation system. The passenger therefore does not receive a physical ticket. However, a sheet of paper bearing an itinerary will be issued before travel. Passengers may simply quote the code or present the e-receipt at airport check-in to receive a boarding pass.
Warren Lee, Manager of Apollo Travel Services in Kingston, says it's excellent that Air Jamaica has logged onto the new technological system which saves time for travellers and is more profitable for travel agents.
"It's convenient to customers as it prevents running around...if you don't want to come in (to a travel agent) you can sit at your desk and have it done and go straight to the airport," says Lee.
He adds that his company has been using the system for some time with other airlines that offer the facility. The service, he notes, has been quite reliable.
Wayne Williams, a travel professional at Great Vacations in New Kingston, agrees that the service is profitable for customers as well as for agents.
"We can operate from anywhere in the world with our clients. First time we had to sit and write up a ticket. E-ticketing has eliminated all of that."
Air Jamaica's Deputy Chairman and CEO Christopher Zacca notes that e-ticketing will considerably reduce airport check-in times for passengers and reduce the operating costs of the airline, as smaller amounts of printed ticket stock will be needed.
Still, despite its convenience e-ticketing will never replace travel agents, says Mr. Lee. "A travel agent knows the fares, know the rules, the consequences and advances of a travel, little details like is it (fare) non-refundable and travel destinations."
OLD HABITS DIE HARD
While most people accept e-ticketing some travellers are opposed to it because they are accustomed to having a tangible ticket, or they do not trust the technology, notes Williams.
"They feel more comfortable to have something to show, but gradually people are turning onto it. People (are now) calling and saying 'by the way give me an e-ticket'...especially the business travellers who can't be bothered with this paper, paper," he explains.
One of the main concerns of travellers, Williams notes, is power outage. What if the electricity goes out, and hence the ticket cannot be checked electronically.
Keith Smith vice president of information technology at Air Jamaica, says power cuts are "no problem" as far as e-ticketing goes. "A day before (each flight) a print out list of all travellers is done as a back-up plan."
Smith adds that the system is safe and reliable, noting that more than 40,000 passengers have used the service since the trial period in July. (North American travellers have been using e-ticketing for the last four years).
An e-ticket starts off the same way as a paper ticket, but the back end is much quicker, explains Smith who implemented the system at Air Jamaica.
E-ticketing can be accessed through a travel agent, the airline's Web site, www.airjamaica.com, at reservation centres, or by visiting the airline's ticket offices. If tickets are purchased by telephone, passengers are asked to use an international credit card in the name of the cardholder or persons travelling with the cardholder.
FLYING WITH THE TIMES
In the last 18 months Air Jamaica has been changing its operating system in keeping with the technological age, says Smith, who notes that the airline offers more than 300 direct flights a week from 12 American gateways as well as London and Manchester in England and to 12 Caribbean destinations.
"We had a system 15 years old. Now we are using the Sabre system which is the world's leading airline technology system used by more than 70 airlines for reservation."
MORE ON E-TICKETING
At the moment e-ticketing through Air Jamaica is not accessible for connecting flights with another airline. However, this should be available by the end of the first quarter of 2004, says Smith.
E-ticketing can be processed for same day flights, however passengers are advised to book at least 36 hours prior to travel time.
To access e-ticketing service of an airline via the Internet, passengers need to log on to the airline's Web site. For Air Jamaica it's www.airjamaica.com and click on booking. Once an itinerary has been confirmed and the credit card charge processed, passengers will receive an e-mail directing them to www.airjamaica.com/virtually there where they can retrieve and print their receipt and confirmation code.
E-tickets can also be purchased by phone, calling either a travel agent or the airline. If an e-mail address is provided, the passenger will receive an e-receipt and confirmation.
