Pham Ngoc Minh, deputy general director of the national flag carrier, said it would be initially tried on domestic routes before expanded to international routes early next year to meet an International Air Transport Association (IATA) target of developing global e-ticketing by 2008.

The carrier might start offering e-tickets on the Hanoi – HCM City sector first and then Hanoi-Da Nang, both by the end of the year.

These were expected to account for 5.4 percent of total ticket sales this year, rising to 41 percent in 2007.

Vietnam Airlines estimates it can save some US$800,000 in the first two years of e-ticket issue (at $7-9 per ticket).

E-tickets also save time for passengers because they can book tickets and make payments on the Internet instead of making a trip to a booking office. E-tickets have been used worldwide for the last decade.

Source: Vietnam News Agency – Translated by Ha Viet