Anelectronic ticket is a method of ticket entry, processing, and marketing for companies in the airline, railways and other transport and entertainment industries.
E-tickets in the airline industry were devised in about 1994,[1] and have now largely replaced the older multi-layered paper ticketing systems. Since 1 June 2008, it has been mandatory forIATA members to use e-ticketing. Where paper tickets are still available, some airlines charge a fee for issuing paper tickets.
When a reservation is confirmed, the airline keeps a record of the booking in itscomputer reservations system. Customers can print out or may be provided with a copy of a e-ticket itinerary receipt which contains therecord locator or reservation number and the e-ticket number. It is possible to print multiple copies of an e-ticket itinerary receipt.
Besides providing itinerary details, an e-ticket itinerary receipt also contains:
Passengers with e-tickets are required tocheck-in at the airport for a flight in the usual manner, except that they may be required to present an e-ticket itinerary receipt orpersonal identification, such as a passport, or credit card. They can also use therecord locator, often called booking reference, a code of six letters and digits. Producing a print-out of an e-ticket itinerary receipt may be required to enter the terminal of some airports or to satisfy immigration regulations in some countries.[citation needed]
The introduction of e-tickets has allowed for various enhancements to checking-in processes.
Several websites assist people holding e-tickets to check in online in advance of the twenty-four-hour airline restriction. These sites store a passenger's flight information and then when the airline opens up for online check-in the data is transferred to the airline and the boarding pass is emailed back to the customer. With this e-ticket technology, if a passenger receives his boarding pass remotely and is travelling without check-in luggage, he may bypass traditional counter check-in.
The same provision also applies to airline ticket bookings made throught online travel agencies (OTAs). The booking data are usually presented in the form of a barcode, which is scanned at the airport to obtain a physical ticket or boarding pass.
As part of theIATA Simplifying the Business initiative, the association instituted a program to switch the industry to 100% electronic ticketing. The program concluded on June 1, 2008, with the association saying that the resulting industry savings were approximately US$3 billion.[3]
In 2004IATA Board of Governors set the end of 2007 as the deadline for airlines to make the transition to 100% electronic ticketing for tickets processed through the IATA billing and settlement plan;[4] in June 2007, the deadline was extended to May 31, 2008.[5]
As of June 1, 2008 paper tickets can no longer be issued on neutral stock by agencies reporting to their localBSP. Agents reporting to theARC using company-provided stock or issuing tickets on behalf of an airline (GSAs and ticketing offices) are not subject to that restriction.
The industry was unable to comply with the IATA mandate and paper tickets remain in circulation as of February 2009.[citation needed]
Amtrak started offering electronic tickets on all train routes on 30 July 2012.[6] These tickets can be ordered over the internet and printed (as aPDF file), printed at a Quik-Trak kiosk, or at the ticket counter at the station. Electronic tickets can also be held in a smart phone and shown to the conductor using an app. Mobile tickets are common with operators of US commuter train networks (e.g. MTA LIRR and Metro North) but they are usually only offered on the US version of the App Store and only accept US-issued credit cards as the app's payment page asks the user for the credit card'sZIP code to complete the purchase.
Several European train operators also offer self-printable or downloadable tickets. Often tickets can also be delivered by SMS or MMS. Railway operators in other countries also issue electronic tickets. The national operators of Denmark and Netherlands have a nationwide system whereRFIDsmartcards are used as train tickets. In the UK, the issuance of printable or mobile tickets is at the discretion of train operators and is often available for advance tickets only (i.e. valid only on a specific train). This is very common in Europe for local urban rail, such asrapid transit/metros.[citation needed] During the 2010:s phone apps have been increasingly popular. Passengers do not have to visit a machine or a desk to buy a ticket or refill an RFID card, but can buy it in their phone.
InIndia, anSMS sent by theIndian Railways, along with a validproof of identity is considered equivalent to a ticket[7] and also a e-ticket pdf can be downloaded from theIRCTC website or mobile app.
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Many sport, concert venues, and cinemas use electronic ticketing for their events. Electronic tickets, or "eTickets" as they are sometimes referred, are often delivered as PDFs or another downloadable format that can be received via email or through a mobile app. Electronic tickets alloworganizers to avoid the cost of producing and distributing physical tickets by transferring costs to the customer, who must own electronic hardware and purchaseinternet access in order to receive their ticket.
A printed copy of these tickets or a digital copy on a mobile phone should be presented on coming to the venue. These tickets now normally also have abarcode, which may be scanned on entry into the venue to streamline crowd processing. Electronic tickets have become increasingly prevalent in the entertainment industry over the last decade.
In some cases, spectators who want to see a match may not need a printable electronic ticket. If someone with a membership to a football team books a ticket online, the member can just verify his/her reservation with a membership card at the entrance. This is common with teams in the English Premiership League.
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In January 2017 it was reported that Germany'sFederal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure,Alexander Dobrindt wants to create an electronic ticket to connect public bus and train services as well as parking spaces and potentiallycar-sharing services across all cities.[8][9][needs update] A nationwide electronic ticket system was introduced in Denmark in 2010, calledRejsekort.
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