USA: NEW COMPUTER PROGRAMME FOR BOOKING AIRLINE TICKETS

(25 Oct 1995) English/Nat A new computer programme is set to revolutionise how people book airline tickets. The software, developed by British Airways and U-S Air, allows a PC user to book and pay for airline tickets without picking up the telephone. A familiar sight in airports throughout the world: hapless travellers standing in line to check in for their flight, many hoping to buy their ticket on the spot. All this could change. A new on-line service may save these people valuable time, bypassing the slow and outmoded systems, which airlines presently use to sell space on their flights. SOUNDBITE: (English) “And we think, because of the new technology that’s now available to us, the Microsoft Windows standard, the preponderance of PC’s that are out there, lap top PC’s especially, we think that we’ve now captured the essence of the business traveller’s needs and put them on to his desktop PC.“ SUPERCAPTION: Michael Burns, Management Distribution Systems U-S Air The system is called Travel Works. It puts the airline ticketing information at the fingertips of the business traveller. Personal computer users may soon be able to route their own itinerary, shop around for the best price and book fares using their credit card, all without having to leave home or telephone anyone. The time-wasting part of air travel may be significantly reduced, although some are still wary of putting personal credit card information onto the net. SOUNDBITE: (English) VOXPOP 1:“It will just save time that’s all, basically. That would be a good idea.“ VOXPOP 2:“ It would be more convenient. It would give me more opportunity to see where I’d want to sit on the plane to get flight information. I’d be a little skeptical about putting my information through the computer, so that would probably prohibit me from doing it for a while.“ SUPERCAPTION: Frequent Flyers B-A and U-S Air have pioneered the system for use by their most frequent travellers. If it takes off, other companies are sure to follow. Find out more about AP Archive: Twitter: Facebook: ​​ Instagram: You can license this story through AP Archive: