Cebu Pacific bares e-ticketing

Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) will launch late this month initially on its Manila-Cebu service an electronic ticketing – or e-ticketing-facility, the first of its kind in the local aviation industry.

"Airlines worldwide are already into – or moving towards – e-ticketing," said CEB general manager Danilo Mojica. "And CEB wants to keep abreast of this global trend which will benefit both the passengers and the airline."

"We intend to use this globally tested system on all our domestic routes by the first quarter of 2004," he said. "But the phase-in introduction in our biggest market, Manila- Cebu, will be by end of October 2003."

e-ticketing, said Mojica, with its "ticket anytime, anywhere" concept will definitely make traveling a lot easier for people. "It’s more flexible, more reliable and more convenient for travelers."

Mojica said that under e-ticketing, customers can go to a ticket office or transact and pay by phone, fax, email, the Internet, or a phone banking facility.

The airline will issue them, in place of the usual ticket, a transaction receipt through fax, email or the Internet, or in person.

This transaction receipt is what the passengers will show, together with an identification card, to enter the airport and check in. A lost receipt can easily be replaced by CEB, unlike the present ticket.

Mojica added that for the airline, e-ticketing translates into faster sales, more efficient service and increased productivity as several manual and paper handling procedures will be minimized.