The End Approaches for Paper Airline Tickets International Traveler / Update: VANCOUVER, British Columbia

More than 80 percent of airlines worldwide have done away with paper tickets, and the rest will get a year to switch to cheaper electronic ticketing, according to an industry group.

The clearinghouse for the 260-member International Air Transport Association will accept paper tickets through May 31, to give airlines time to make the change, Giovanni Bisignani, chief executive of the group, said Monday at its annual meeting.

“If you traveled here using a paper ticket, frame it and donate it to your local museum,” Bisignani said. “It will soon be a part of our history.”

Carriers pay $10 a ticket to issue on paper, compared with $1 for electronic tickets. With two billion people traveling by air last year, savings are too great for any extensions, Bisignani said.

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