American Airlines And British Airways Launch Interline e-Ticketing

American Airlines and British Airways, the two largest oneworld Alliance partners, have launched interline electronic ticketing. Customers can use a single electronic ticket (e-ticket) when their itineraries include travel on American Airlines and British Airways. This implementation is yet another step toward oneworld becoming by years end the first global alliance to offer the convenience of interline e-ticketing among all member airlines.

Passengers with e-tickets also have the ability to rebook between American Airlines and British Airways without having to obtain a paper ticket first. Previously, customers with e-tickets were required to convert to a paper ticket before transferring between carriers. Interline e-tickets can be issued by AA and BA through their respective reservation centers, and at airport locations, ticket offices, and travel agencies.

In addition to British Airways, American has interline e-ticketing with four other oneworld partner carriers – Cathay Pacific, Finnair, LanChile and Qantas. Within a few weeks, American plans to implement interline e-ticketing with oneworld partners Iberia and Aer Lingus.

American now offers interline e-ticketing convenience with 18 carriers, including most of the larger U.S. airlines – Alaska Airlines, America West Airlines, American Trans Air, Aloha Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways. American also has interline e-ticketing agreements with KLM and Copa Airlines.

More than 90 percent of all American Airlines customers today travel on electronic tickets, avoiding lines at the airport. e-tickets are the key to using Americans growing array of automated services, including the Flight Check-Insm feature on AA.com, AA Curbside Check-In and the more than 700 AA Self-Service Check-In machines provided at more than 85 airports. e-tickets cannot be lost or stolen and they make changes and refunds easier. Interline e-ticketing also enables easier transfer between carriers should a change of airline be necessary due to weather or other delays.

Interline e-ticketing is now in place between a quarter of the potential pairings of oneworld partners — seven of the 28 pairs — keeping the grouping on track to become the first global alliance to offer it between all of its members, by the end of this year. oneworld was the first of the global airline groupings to commit to interline e-ticketing throughout all of its partners, some 18 months before any of its competitors made a similar pledge.

American Airlines is the worlds largest carrier. American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection regional carriers serve more than 250 cities in over 40 countries with more than 4,100 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 1,000 aircraft. Americans award-winning Web site, AA.com, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld Alliance. American Airlines and American Eagle are units of the AMR Corporation (NYSE: AMR).

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April 30, 2004   Posted in: Airlines & Railways