E-tickets a security threat at airports?

Mumbai: E-tickets that can be bought with the click of a button and are fast becoming the norm across the country pose a security threat that airports are grappling with. It was only recently that the ministry of civil aviation discovered that people have found a way to beat the security system and enter an airport without a genuine ticket.
For example, once a person purchases a ticket online, he gets a copy of it mailed to his inbox, which remains even after he cancels the ticket. By simply printing it out and presenting it to the airport security guards, a person can gain entry into a terminal.
This year, nine such cases have been reported at Mumbai, Delhi and Calicut airports. Security officials believe that the number of people misusing e-tickets may be higher as not all cases are easily detectable.
Internationally, all e-tickets are bar-coded and validated at the airports entry point. In India, however, passengers are allowed access to the airport merely by producing the e-ticket along with a proof of identity.
A person need not even go through the trouble of booking and cancelling a ticket. It's possible to download an old ticket and change flight details, the name of the person, etc.
01/10/10 Hemali Chhapia & Chinmayi Shalya/Times of India

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Categories: airports Oct 2010, Safety Oct 2010