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New Tickets to Paradise

The coupons Aloha Airlines designed for its promotional campaign are purchased in bulk by travel agents and resold at special discounted rates in groups of five to end-users. Contained in unit sets, the coupons require intricate numbering and security features to protect against duplication and theft.

To address these production challenges, Aloha consulted Kerry Lam of Honolulu-based Monarch Business Forms to refine the security features of the original design and get it to the printing press.

Lam, in turn, contacted Skokie, Illinois-based GBF Graphics. Having partnered with GBF in the past, Lam was aware of the manufacturer's special numbering capabilities.

To prevent counterfeiting, GBF produced electronically-programmed MOD 7 numbering, making check digit verification possible. Additionally, color copy security features cause the word "void" to appear on unauthorized copies.

"There were numerous phone calls and faxes to communicate Aloha's precise application needs. Then we mailed samples back and forth to test and verify the accuracy of the numbering," explained Lam.

Updates were made to the original design to freshen the look. The four-color process work was enhanced and a higher grade of paper stock was used.

According to Lam, "The unit set design is well-suited to this application, keeping the coupons and important consumer information together in an individual, self-contained piece. It also aids the administrative processing of the document, allowing Aloha to use one form instead of four or five."

He added that when the form is folded in half, the design is such that it acts as a presentation jacket.

The piece, a 91&Mac218;3x71&Mac218;8&Mac253; six-part unit set, is composed of three carbonless top plys which act as receipts and contain an identical verifying digit. These are followed by the coupons on three plys with pattern carbon, each with a unique verifying digit to ensure authenticity.