Delta passengers bid farewell to ticket jackets

Delta Air Lines is relegating ticket jackets to the rubbish heaps of history, after the US-based carrier announced that it will discontinue their distribution. Many travellers are already voicing their concern online, as ticket jackets have been seen as both a convenient and efficient way of organizing boarding passes, tickets, checked baggage stickers and other travel-related documents. Delta’s ticket jackets were small, blue-coloured folders that passengers could pick up at all US airports, after they checked in and printed their boarding pass. Yet earlier this week, experienced passengers started noticing that these traditional ticket jackets had all but vanished from airports across the United States. According to media reports, Delta decided to scrap ticket jackets as of Monday, as a cost-cutting measure.

Some seasoned travellers pointed out that printing ticket jackets should not have been a major expense for Delta, as many airlines that continue to offer these include advertisings on the inside covers, thus recuperating any expenses that they may have. Additionally, since ticket jackets allowed for passengers to better organize their essential travel documents, they are able to proceed more quickly through the airport, since they can easily produce any required document, without having to search through bags and carrying cases.

Susan Elliott, representing Delta, however, argued that ticket jackets had essentially become “obsolete,” as fewer passengers fly with paper tickets. Elliott also pointed out that Delta is probably the first carrier to eliminate these jackets, which will help save paper. Approximately 97 percent of passengers in the US now fly with e-tickets.

www.delta.com