The global airlines body IATA has placed its last order for paper tickets, CNET reports. "In just 278 more days, the paper ticket will become a collector's item," said Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association.
The changeover from paper would cut airlines' costs by $9 for every traveler and save 50,000 mature trees a year. The move could also give it some positive PR in the face of complaints about the role of air travel in global warming.
Non-IATA airlines, mainly low-cost carriers like the Irish Ryanair and the British Easyjet, already have a paper-free ticket system.
The IATA has set a goal of developing a “zero-emissions” airplane within 50 years, a time frame that some think is too long.
