Continental to Stop Issuing Paper Tickets

Continental Airlines Inc., the fifth-largest U.S. carrier, said Wednesday that it intended to eliminate paper tickets by the end of the year to cut costs.

The Houston-based airline ended 50 ticketing and baggage agreements with carriers that couldn’t communicate electronically.

Continental’s shift to electronic ticketing is aimed at reducing loss, theft and paperwork. Electronic links between carriers allow for so-called interline ticketing, which lets a passenger have a single itinerary when traveling on multiple airlines and provides electronic passenger records that all participating carriers can see.

The move is part of Continental’s previously announced plan to reduce costs by $500 million and follows similar actions by other carriers.

Shares of Continental fell 43 cents to $13.23 on the New York Stock Exchange.