The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) has sought government’s intervention to stop the enforcement of implementing 100% e-ticketing by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) under the billing and settlement plan from June 1.
TAAI president CV Prasad said, ?We want the government to intervene in the issue, especially when our national carrier, Air India, itself is not 100% e-ticket-enabled.? It may be noted that the body has set June 1 deadline for withdrawal of paper tickets, which means that it would process 100% e-tickets from that date. Of the 7-8 million international tickets which are issued from India, 1.5 million are paper tickets. However, in domestic travel, about 95% of the tickets issued are e-tickets. ?We are not at all opposed to the concept as such, but as the airlines globally are not yet 100% e-ticket ready, the journey ahead is going to be costly and cumbersome,? says Prasad, adding that there are certain situations in which an agent issues a paper ticket.
He further says that tickets for people travelling in groups, infants and multi-sector and multi-airline tickets are all issued in the form of paper tickets. ?All these will be hit hard if the IATA goes ahead with its plan,? he says.