Farewell to paper tickets on KLM flights

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has announced that as of June 1st it will only issue e-tickets for its flights. The transition to 100% e ticketing is in line with the airline industry’s goal of driving paper out of the ticket process. Eliminating paper tickets will save the equivalent of 50,000 mature trees each year and save the airline industry up to USD 3 billion annually.

E-tickets are already very popular among business and leisure travelers. In May 2008, almost 99% of all KLM tickets were e-tickets. E-ticketing is a secure form of ticketing that makes passengers’ travel plans more efficient and less stressful, as all the travel data is stored electronically in the reservation system, can be accessed at any time and, unlike paper tickets, can never be lost or stolen.

Martijn van der Zee, Vice President Distribution & E-Commerce, commented:

“E-ticketing is the key to simplifying our customer processes. Customers can make a booking via KLM.com or through a travel agent, receive their tickets via e-mail and, if necessary, change their reservations themselves. From 30 hours before departure, customers can check-in via KLM.com and choose their favorite seat. Achieving 100% e-ticketing is not only an important milestone for KLM but for its customers as well.”