Endorsable ticketing system runs smoothly

JAKARTA (JP): The endorsable ticketing system which allows passengers to use tickets from one airline on other carriers on the same domestic route is running smoothly despite a lack of comprehension, an executive said.

Secretary-General of the Indonesian National Air Carriers Association's Benny Rungkat said yesterday that after three years of preparation, the endorsable tickets were introduced July 2.

"It's been a breeze. There have been no obstacles at all since the introduction of the scheme," he said.

But he admitted that there was still a lack of awareness of the scheme and comprehension of its finer details.

"(Airline) personnel have to master the manual procedures. But this is just a matter of time," said Rungkat who is also an executive of the privately-owned air carrier Bouraq Indonesia.

Association chairman, Soelarto Hadisumarto, reiterated yesterday that the endorsable ticket system aimed to end the price war among the six scheduled domestic airlines. They are Garuda Indonesia, Merpati Nusantara Airlines, Bouraq, Mandala Airlines, Sempati Air and Dirgantara Air Service.

He said that 10 travel agents -- out of 300 nationally -- were involved in the scheme.

Endorsable tickets allow domestic passengers to change their bookings to other airlines if they cannot use their original booking. Changes are allowed if there is a delay or a canceled flight.

Soelarto said other circumstances and reasons to allow changes were still being discussed. Bank Central Asia has been appointed the clearing bank to supervise payments for endorsable tickets.

He said that passengers holding executive-class tickets, for instance, would be refunded if they were rerouted economy class.

Eventually 70 percent of all tickets will be endorsable while the remaining 30 percent will be restricted to individual airlines. (icn)