May 22, 2013
American Airlines passengers who insist on a paper ticket are going to have to dig a lot deeper into their wallets and pay a hefty fee.
Airline officials say the new, $50 fees are double the old surcharge and designed to eliminate what has become a costly paper system in favor of electronic ticketing.
David Stempler of the Air Travelers Association in Washington tells the Dallas Morning News the airline is essentially giving passengers little choice but to accept the e-ticket.
The world's largest air carrier, which averted bankruptcy late last month when key unions agreed to economic givebacks, says it will only issue electronic tickets for domestic travel. It'll soon do the same for international flights.
It costs millions of dollars for paper tickets in printing, auditing for accuracy and mailing.
