In our development programme we focus on enhancing the range of our online services, modernizing existing services and making them faster and easier to use. All this makes it possible for our customers to arrange their travel affairs conveniently, simply and without the need for paper.
From the aspect of environmental impact, the most important online service we introduced was e-ticketing. The electronic ticket service is available on every route operated by Malév. The end of printed air tickets makes the entire process of buying an air ticket, and the travel, more secure, convenient and possible to arrange from home.
As a result of a recommendation from IATA for 100% e-tickets, virtually all the tickets our airline issues are e-tickets, and from 1 July 2008 the same is true of our ticketing agents. E-tickets are also available for our customers making transfers. Today we have established interline e-Ticket (IET) relations with more than 80 carriers, which allows mutual acceptance of electronic air tickets on each other’s flights. IATA statistics show that in this area we feature among the top 50 airlines of the world.
The massive reduction in the use of printed tickets is particularly significant from an environmental aspect. An IATA study shows that the 100% implementation of the electronic ticket system among BSP (Billing and Settlement Plan) members would lead to savings of USD 3 billion a year at industry level. The investigation by IATA conducted in 2007 shows that the cost of a paper ticket is a multiple of that of an e-ticket. Ending printed tickets could save up to 50,000 mature trees a year.