THE QUALIFLYER Group of airlines is launching joint electronic ticketing facility from the UK this summer.
Core Qualiflyer members Swissair, Sabena, TAP Air Portugal and Austrian Airlines are trialling the system between their hubs before the technology is made available across the network.
The initiative is the first step by airline alliances to offer joint e-tickets.
Sabena general manager UK and Ireland Marc Nelis said if the Qualiflyer trials proved successful the UK will be one of the first to receive the system when it is rolled out to all markets from July.
“Passengers will not need a ticket and will just give a reference number to receive a boarding card. There is an obvious cost advantage for airlines as the tickets cost a lot of money to produce,” he said.
Agents will be able to sell the e-tickets when the UK comes on-line. UK passengers on the airlines will give reference numbers to any Qualiflyer check-in desks to receive boarding passes initially. However, Nelis said automatic machines are set to be installed in the UK and the rest of Europe next year, to enable passengers to obtain boarding passes through automatic machines. The carriers’ hubs already have the ATB2 ticket machines which produce boarding cards for individual airlines. This summer will also see the roll-out of joint Internet bookings on Qualiflyer Web sites.
The ticket plans come as Qualiflyer carriers prepare to move into a call centre in Shepherd’s Bush, west London, on May 2.
n Swissair is awaiting European Commission approval to acquire a 20% stake in TAP. The holding in the state-owned carrier will rise to 30% over four years if approval is agreed.