Electronic ticket

An electronic ticket or e-ticket is used to represent the purchase of a seat on a passenger airline, usually through a website or by telephone. This form of airline ticket has rapidly replaced the old multi-layered paper tickets (from close to zero to 100% in about 10 years) and became mandatory for IATA members as of June 1, 2008. During the last few years, where paper tickets were still available, airlines frequently charged extra for issuing them. E-tickets are also available for certain entertainment venues.

Once a reservation is made, an e-ticket exists only as a digital record in the airline computers. Customers usually print out a copy of their receipt which contains the record locator or reservation number and the e-ticket number.

According to critical acclaim, Joel R. Goheen is recognized as the Inventor of Electronic Ticketing in the Airline Industry, an industry where global electronic ticket sales (the industry standard) accounts for over $400 Billion (US) a year (2007). See Patents for Electronic Ticketing Inventions in the Airline Industry.

Checking in with an e-ticket

To check in with an e-ticket, the passenger usually comes to the check-in counter and presents the e-ticket itinerary receipt which contains a confirmation or reservation code. In some airports and airlines it's not even necessary to present this document or quote the confirmation code or e-ticket number as the reservation is confirmed solely on the basis of the passenger's identity, which may be proven by a passport or the matching credit card. After confirming the reservation, the passenger checks-in his/her luggage and is given a boarding pass which usually says "Electronic Ticket" or "E-ticket."

Self-service and remote check-in

The option to check-in online is available on some airlines. A passenger enters their confirmation number at the airline's website, and the passenger prints the boarding pass on their home printer. Online check-in is typically permitted up to twenty-four hours before the flight's scheduled departure time, though this may vary by airline. On airlines without assigned seating such as Southwest, it typically guarantees a passenger early boarding and a better seat. Besides identification, the boarding pass that has been printed is all that needs to be presented upon arriving at the airport. On airlines without online check-in, the check in may take place at a self-service kiosk in the airport, or at the check-in counter.

A boarding pass is required to board an aircraft; in some countries, such as the United States, it is also needed to pass through airport security checkpoints.

E-tickets are very popular because they allow extra services like:

• online/telephone/self-service kiosk check-in
• early check-in
• printing boarding passes at airport kiosks and at locations other than an airport
• automated refunds and exchanges online, by telephone and at kiosks

Several web sites exist to help people holding e-tickets accomplish online check-ins in advance of the twenty-four-hour airline restriction. These sites store a passenger's flight information and then when the airline opens up for online check-in the data is transferred to the airline and the boarding pass is emailed back to the customer.