The final paper airline ticket will be sold this Saturday. The International Air Transport Association is officially ending the use of physical ticketing systems at the end of the month, with the vast majority of ticketing moving to the internet.
IATA says the formal end of paper tickets will save airlines a whopping $3 billion a year in cut costs. The organization estimates every paper ticket costs an airline $10 in printing and handling charges; an electronic ticket, in contrast, is said to cost only about a dollar a piece. The move will also, IATA says, save 50,000 trees every year.
All those savings, however, will not result in you getting any more than a measly bag of peanuts on your next flight.
Any paper tickets issued before the weekend will still be valid.