Endorsable air tickets to start in 1996<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Six airlines have agreed to start issuing
\nendorsable tickets for domestic flights as of next year, in order
\nto prevent price wars on airfares.<\/p>\n
The agreement was signed on Wednesday evening by Subagyo of
\nMandala Airlines, Hasan Soedjono of Sempati Air, Soepandi of
\nGaruda Indonesia, Budiarto Subroto of Merpati Nusantara, Danny R.
\nSumendap of Bouraq Indonesia and Makky Perdanakusumah of the
\nDirgantara Air Service.<\/p>\n
\"But many details must be discussed before the implementation
\nof the agreement in January 1996,\" chairman of the Indonesian Air
\nCarriers Association (Inaca) Soelarto Hadisumarto said after
\nwitnessing the signing of the agreement.<\/p>\n
He said a working committee has been appointed to study about
\n30 items to make the airline business stable after the
\nintroduction of the endorsable ticketing system.<\/p>\n
Soelarto witnessed the signing ceremony together with Minister
\nof Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto, Director General of Air
\nTransportation Zainuddin Sikado and Inaca's Secretary-General
\nBenny Rungkat.<\/p>\n
According to Soelarto, the details still to be worked out
\ninclude rules on the validity of endorsable tickets, baggage
\nhandling, insurance, accounting systems, documentation and
\nbilling.<\/p>\n
He said that, under the new scheme, the airlines will be able
\nto collect fare payments due them from Bank Central Asia, which
\nhas been appointed to play a role in the system.<\/p>\n
Soelarto said that endorsable ticketing, which will allow
\npassengers to fly any of the six air carriers on the same routes,
\nwill be sold only by travel agents grouped in the Indonesian
\nAssociation of Travel Agencies (Asita).<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that the endorsable ticketing system for
\ndomestic routes will face a number of challenges because the six
\nair carriers will still be able to issue non-endorsable tickets.<\/p>\n
\"The airlines will still be able to issue their own non-
\nendorsable tickets in exceptional circumstances,\" Soelarto said.<\/p>\n
The prices of endorsable tickets, which cannot be discounted,
\nwill be higher than non-endorsable ones, while travel agents will
\nsell only endorsable tickets, he said.<\/p>\n
Hasan of Sempati said that airlines frequently used barter
\narrangements in which non-endorsable tickets used as payments.<\/p>\n
\"We will monitor the implementation of non-endorsable
\nticketing very carefully, so that such tickets will not be sold
\nto customers,\" he said. He did not specify whether violators of
\nthe agreement would face sanctions.<\/p>\n
Last year, the six airlines signed an agreement on the
\nlimitation of fare discounting. That agreement threatens any
\nviolator with a fine of Rp 10 million (US$4,370).<\/p>\n
Hasan said that in future only 20 percent of the total
\ndomestic tickets issued annually will be non-endorsable ones.<\/p>\n
The number of issued domestic tickets is estimated at Rp 2
\ntrillion ($875 million) in value per year. (icn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/endorsable-air-tickets-to-start-in-1996-1447893297",
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