AMERICAN Airlines has expanded its electronic ticketing service in the UK to allow them to be printed by travel agents.
The carrier rolled out e-tickets in the UK last year for summer 1999 bookings but the service was only available on satellite ticket printers.
The latest stage allows any travel agent with a Sabre global distribution system to print e-tickets for customers in branches.
American’s managing director for European sales and marketing, Jon Snook, said 60% of the carrier’s customers who have the choice of electronic or paper tickets choose e-ticketing.
The technology allows travellers to download itinerary and ticketing information on to a card containing a computer chip.Airport check-in is carried out by inserting the card into a machine. The passenger is then ready to board.
American’s parent company, AMR, has reported net earnings for July-September 1999 of $279m, a 36% drop on last year’s third-quarter results. However, the company said last year’s figure of $433m was higher than expected due to factors including strikes at two rival airlines.