Skift Take
Paper tickets have become an artifact from the past with the rise of mobile devices, and the decision may be an attempt to show stakeholders and flyers that AA is keeping with the times despite its slipping track record.
American Airlines took its ticketing platform completely online as of November 1, 2012. The modified fare rules mean that American and American Eagle passengers will only receive electronic tickets moving forward.
The airline is not referring to the electronic tickets that flyers print at home, but the ARC tickets handed out by travel agencies.
Although an article posted by Travel Market Report warned readers that “any travel for which paper tickets were issued would be canceled,” an AA representative assured Skift that the airline would still accept paper tickets from customers who currently have them.
He said, “Paper tickets will not be canceled or invalidated. If possible we’ll allow them to be exchanged for an electronic ticket, at no charge, as long as no changes are being made to the ticketed itinerary.”
American is the second U.S. airline to make the move and the 11th carrier worldwide.
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Tags: american airlines
Photo credit: An American Airlines check-in counter. Grant Wickes / Flickr.com