TAAI demands Govt's intervention against IATA proposal

Mumbai, May 23 (UNI) The Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) today demanded government's prompt intervention to stop enforcement of 100 per cent e-ticketing by the International Air Trasport Association in India (IATA) from June 1.

The government should intervene to prevent such initiatives under billing and settlement plan as even the national carrier of the country, Air India, itself was not 100 per cent enabled with e-ticketing, Association President C Venkateshwara Prasad said in a press conference here today.

Mr Prasad said, ''We are not at all opposed to the concept as such, but as the airlines globally are not yet 100 per cent e-ticket ready, the journey ahead is going to be costly and cumbersome.'' However, currently, about 15 per cent of the total tickets issued in India are paper tickets and tickets for people travelling in groups, infants and multi-sector and multi-airline tickets are all issued in the form of paper tickets. Thus, enforcement of such initiatives by IATA would hit the industry hard, Mr Prasad added.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) has set a deadline of June 1, after which it would process 100 per cent e-ticketing.

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