Abstract: A system is disclosed for issuing airline tickets without the intervention of any ticket agent. The system includes a plurality of electro-mechanical ticket terminals in communication with a central computer. Each of the terminals has a card reader, a modem, destination select buttons, and a printer. In operation, the card reader reads data from a magnetic strip on a ticket purchasers credit card and the modem transmits signals identifying this credit card to the central computer. Subsequently, the modem receives signals from the central computer indicating good or bad credit. The push buttons are provided on the terminal to enable the purchaser to manually select his destination; and the printer prints a ticket to the selected destination conditional on the credit check signals received from the modem.