Rumor has it that Northwest Airlines might become the first U.S. airline to switch over to a system in which only electronic tickets will be issued. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Northwest’s issuance rate of e-tickets reached 99.9 percent nationally and 98 percent globally. Continental was sited as having a 97 percent e-ticket rate. The IATA estimates that e-ticketing could save the worldwide industry $3 billion a year. It costs $1 to produce an e-ticket vs. $10 for a paper ticket.