22 June 07

VIRGIN NIGERIA GOES PAPERLESS WITH E-TICKETING

Lagos, Nigeria: 22 June 2007: Ahead of the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) May 2008 deadline for global airlines to embrace e-ticketing, Virgin Nigeria has already attained 95 per cent e-ticketing compliance on her global network.

With the 95 per cent e-ticketing compliance feat on her network, Virgin Nigeria now has an integrated ticketing capability across her global route network that offers automated ticketing options towards an enhanced customer service delivery.

Disclosing the e-ticketing status in Lagos, the Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Yemi Osindero said: "Virgin Nigeria is committed to embracing and maintaining globally accepted standards in her operations. With the adoption of this global practice, Virgin Nigeria now operates a seamless interline ticket bookings and reservations with other global airlines".

"Our target is to fully integrate our regional route operations into the global electronic ticketing (ET) network so as to achieve a 100 per cent e-ticketing compliance in the next few weeks. This is indeed another first for Virgin Nigeria as we have always pioneered the introduction of innovative options for our discerning customers and we are happy to be the first airline in Nigeria to have achieved this feat", Dr. Osindero further stated.

E-Ticketing is a real time paperless method for airlines and travel agents to issue tickets that aid individual ticket information stored within the airline's reservation system to be retrieved and processed electronically thereby reducing the amount of inventory and hassle free re-issuance of misplaced tickets.

About Virgin Nigeria:
Virgin Nigeria is the registered, fully private sector flag carrier of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, owned 51% by Nigerian Institutional shareholders and 49% by Virgin Atlantic.

The airline operates the following

intercontinental services:
Lagos to London: Daily
Johannesburg: Three times a week
 

Regional services:
Accra: Eleven times a week
Douala: Two times a week
Dakar: Two times a week

Domestic services:
Lagos - Abuja: Eight times daily
***Lagos - Owerri: Three times daily
***Lagos - Port Harcourt: Three times daily
Lagos - Kano:: Six times a week
Abuja - Kano: Six times a week
Lagos - Sokoto (via Abuja): Three times a week
Abuja - Sokoto: Three times a week
Lagos- Calabar: Six times a week

For reservations, call (01) 460 0505; (01) 271 1111; (09) 461 0505; (084) 460505

For all press enquiries, please contact: corporatecommunications@virginnigeria.com

For media information in Nigeria only, please contact Corporate Communications, 9th floor, Etiebets Place, 21 Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Way, Ikeja, Lagos, or corpcomm@virginnigeria.com; 234 -1 – 2711144

For media information in the UK please contact the Virgin Atlantic Press Office on 01293 747 373.