The days of multi-layer air tickets appear numbered, as the China Air Transport Association (CATA) has stopped providing paper tickets and instructed sellers to issue e-tickets. The decision is in line with an International Air Transport Association (IATA) move that requires its 261 member airlines to abandon paper tickets by the end of 2007. E-tickets will be issued once the current batch of paper tickets has been used up. The change currently only applies to domestic flights. "We haven't received notice from the CATA that paper tickets for international flights will be stopped," said a ticket agent in Beijing. Customers will book tickets through airlines or ticket agents as usual, and will be given a booking reference. They will then be able to use automatic check-in facilities at airports, and receive an invoice for reimbursement. They can also check-in as normal at the counter. Special passengers like infants and those flying to airports without automatic check-in machines can still use paper tickets. The wide use of e-ticketing is expected to lower operational costs, which could lead to lower prices, said an expert with the safety technology centre of the General Administration of Civil Aviation (CAAC). A survey by civil aviation website www.CARNOC.com between August 28 and October 15 showed widespread concern over the new system. Despite having the Internet proficiency to take part in the online survey, 43 per cent of respondents said they would prefer to receive a paper ticket. While some feel more secure without the worry of a ticket, others said they did not trust sending personal details over the Internet, or worried they would not get reimbursed. 點擊進入往期回顧 (China Daily)

中國航空運輸協會目前已停止發放紙質機票，并發出通知要求國內機票代理商發售電子機票。看來用不了多久，紙質機票就將徹底消失。 這樣的決定源于國際航協的改革要求：到2007年底，國際航協下的261家航空公司需全部取消紙質機票。 代理商手中的剩余紙質機票銷售完后，電子機票將開始全面普及，但目前只適用于國內航班。 北京一位機票代理商說：“我們還沒有接到中國航協關于取消國際航班紙質機票的通知。” 電子機票啟用后，乘客仍將通過航空公司或票務代理商預定機票，并會得到一個電子客票訂單號。 購票成功后，乘客可在機場的“自助值機”手續辦理設備上自行辦理登機手續，同時獲得報銷憑證，或者直接去柜臺辦理登機手續。 一些特殊乘客，如嬰兒及目的地機場無“自助值機”設備的乘客仍可使用紙質機票。 民航總局安全技術中心的一位專家說，電子機票普及后，航空公司的運營成本會有所下降，機票的價格可能會因此降低。 民航資源網www.CARNOC.com 在8月28日至10月15日間所做的一項調查表明，新的電子機票制度引起人們的普遍關注。 雖然人們對互聯網的應用已十分精通，但43％的調查對象表示仍然留戀老式的紙質機票。 有些人認為電子機票不存在遺忘丟失的問題，而有的人則擔心在網上發送個人信息不安全或機票無法報銷等問題。 (英語點津姍姍編輯)