Emirates launches‘Dial-a-Ticket’ in Sri Lanka

E-tickets to be issued on a single phone call in new zero-hassle facility

An airline ticket for travel on Emirates is just a telephone call away, as a result of a super-convenient new facility launched in Sri Lanka by the award-winning Dubai-based international airline.

Effective from September 1, 2007, travellers out of Colombo may make their reservations and purchase their tickets over the telephone, provided they have a valid credit card, from the comfort of their homes or offices.

This ‘Dial-a-Ticket’ (D-a-T) facility completely takes away the need to visit the Emirates office or a travel agent, or to make bookings on-line, and will be particularly useful to people who live outside Colombo and those who need to travel overseas at short notice.

The procedure is minimal: the customer calls Emirates Reservations and requests a booking and provides his or her credit card details over the phone. Authorisation for the transaction is obtained instantly and an e-ticket is issued. A copy of the e-ticket is then emailed or faxed to the customer.

“This is possibly the quickest method to buy an airline ticket,” Emirates Sales Manager Devika Ellepola said. “It is simple, safe and convenient and can be used by virtually anyone who has a credit card and an email address or access to a fax machine.”

“Our objective is to make buying an air ticket as convenient as possible to the traveller, and this facility is just one more step in that direction,” she said.

Dial-a-Ticket is targeted at travellers who are in areas where travel agencies are not easily accessible, those experiencing internet difficulties or who have time constraints. This also eliminates the need to carry cash to pay for tickets.

The facility is available for travel to Emirates on-line destinations on Emirates operated flights only. It cannot be used to purchase tickets for travel by third parties, which means that the person paying should be the travelling party.

Emirates has received more than 300 international awards in recognition of its efforts to provide unsurpassed levels of customer service. From Colombo, the airline operates 17 flight a week to Dubai and four flights a week to Singapore and Jakarta, offering convenient connections to 93 cities in 59 countries in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian subcontinent and Asia-Pacific.