Air ticket is an essential part of air travel, yet it has become a common everyday document to the blase travelers that they just stop noticing it anymore and taken it all for granted. But have you ever thought that there are different types of ticket format that are found everywhere nowadays. Eventhough there are different types of ticket, however these are standardized in accordance to the IARA (International Air Ticket Association) format. In Indonesia there are 3 major different types of ticket format that are in offered and sold.
1. OPTAT (Off-Premise Transitional Automated Ticket)
These ticket format are mostly sold through IATA licensed Travel Agencies. Distributed by IATA as a standard universal traffic document. Universal means that it is neutral document that can be assigned to any particular airlines upon request by the costumer at a Travel Agent location through a process by way of a ticketing computer system. The document is available in four flight-coupons format. The valid segment of the journey in the coupon is highlighted by a brighter color against the other invalid portion segment. The valid flight coupon segment will be uplifted upon check-in according tot the routing portion of the journey. This ticket format consists of light coupons, passenger receipt coupon and the cover, which are attached with notices as well as other information related with the air passage.
2. ATB (Automated Ticket/Boarding Pass)0
These ticket are mostly issued by the principal carrier itself. An ATB ticket format consists of valid flight coupons per sector and the passenger receipt. ATB coupon has two portions, which is flight coupon (left side) and the passenger coupon (left side), which can be used as boarding pass, both separated by a perforation on the same coupon. While the passenger receipt is to show the complete itinerary and various ticketing data on the coupon. It has no cover, therefore all the notices and other related information is attached to the ticket envelope. As mentioned above, the passenger coupon can be used as a boarding pass (to be retained by passengers) however in some places where the check-in system has not been enhanced, such coupon will not be used as boarding pass, but will be uplifted together with the flight coupon. A separate boarding pass then will be issued.
3. E-Ticket(Electronic Ticket)
In Principal it is the same as OPTAT and ALSO ATB format. The major difference is that all the ticketing data is stored electronically, while the other two formats, the data is printed in a surface of paper. You may say that E-Ticket format (hereinafter know ET) is a paperless ticket. The other difference is that upon check-in the flight coupon is uplifted electronically. As ET also has no ticket cover, all the notices and other related information is attached at the provided ticket envelope. ET has many advantages compare to the other type ticket format and gradually it will replace the two other format in the future.
We hope that the above will be quite informative and useful enough for anyone who is interested to get to know better the air travel industry and it's working details.
