This figure represents at least a ten-fold increase over last year: in April 2003 only 2% of tickets were bought over the internet. The most popular routes for internet sales have been those between Dublin and Vilnius, London and Riga, and Oslo and Riga. These have mostly been cheap one-way tickets priced at less than EUR 50.

On-line ticket sales for airBaltic flights have been available via the internet for the past year and a half, and purchasing tickets by this method is convenient, fast, secure and, best of all, cheap. Buying tickets via the airBaltic website cuts out the ticket agent’s fee, because customers select their flight and make their reservation themselves, and purchase their tickets electronically using a debit or credit card. The internet also gives customers access to special offers – certain tickets are available at particularly low prices only if purchased via the internet, for instance, e-deserts special offer tickets for flights out of Riga or low fare one-way tickets between Vilnius and Copenhagen.

Another important reason why internet ticket sales are growing in popularity is the fact that they allow customers to take advantage of ‘ticketless’ travel on all direct airBaltic flights to or from Riga (except on the routes to Warsaw and Brussels) – this type of ticket isn’t available to customers making their purchase at a traditional ticket office.

Passengers benefiting from ‘ticketless’ travel don’t need to obtain a printed ticket voucher – a simple print-out of the internet reservation page is sufficient to obtain a boarding pass at checkin, eliminating the need to visit a ticket desk.

In addition to purchasing tickets, customers visiting the airBaltic website can find all the latest information about the airline, including flight timetables, special offers and corporate information. Journalists can find up-to-date press releases and download visual images from the website. There’s also an online souvenir shop where customers can find a range of items bearing the airBaltic insignia.