PAL to test paperless scheme at NAIA 2

MANILA, Philippines - National flag carrier Philippine Airlines Inc. (PAL) is set to pilot test the paperless procedure at its main hub at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, paving the way for the total elimination of paper documents in the country’s main gateway next year.

PAL has partnered with the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to introduce a novel system that dispenses with paper documents.

Instead, passengers entering NAIA would present an image of their e-ticket on his personal electronic devices such as smart phones, tablets, laptops to airport security.

The digital image should match the one sent by PAL to the passenger’s device when the ticket was purchased.

PAL said airline representatives would temporarily be posted at the NAIA-2 entrance to assist passengers and security personnel during the initial phase of implementation of the new scheme.

The Tan-owned airline pointed out that other forms of travel documents including the traditional paper ticket, the printed itinerary receipt as well as the printed e-boarding pass for passengers opting for web check-in would still be accepted during the initial phase of the scheme.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has mandated its member airlines to eliminate paper documents and move to a completely paperless environment by 2016.

PAL passengers are reminded to bring their necessary travel documents such as valid identification cards with photograph and passports for security and check-in requirement.

The PAL Group including PAL Express currently operates 73 aircraft after it sold 20 ageing aircraft including the fleet of Boeing 747 last year. The group flew about 12 million international and domestic passengers last year.

The Tan Group has decided to defer the complete delivery of close of 40 aircraft by four years after successfully taking back full ownership of PAL from diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

PAL has successfully convinced Airbus to defer the completion of the delivery of 38 brand new aircraft to 2024 instead of 2020 at no additional cost to the airline. – With Rudy Santos