ARC Processes First Travel Agent EMD Transaction

Event Initiates Airline Ancillary Sales by Agents for Enhanced Customer Service

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Aug 25, 2011, 05:32 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ARC announced today that it has processed the first transaction of an Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD) on behalf of American Airlines. This noteworthy event marks the first sale of an air carrier's ancillary product by a travel agency processed using an EMD. EMDs allow agency customers to pay for such items as extra baggage or premium seats at the same time their tickets are purchased, thus providing them the convenience of "one-stop shopping."

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ARC has been EMD-ready since 2010 to accommodate various ancillary charges within a single transaction and link them to multiple legs of an airline ticket. This provides significant process efficiency and flexibility, along with much greater account data tracking. This initial EMD transaction on behalf of American Airlines was for a Preferred Seat™ on flight 523 from Dallas / Fort Worth to El Paso, and placed via American's direct connect technology provider, Farelogix.

Mike Premo, ARC president and CEO commented: "When ARC anticipated the sale of ancillary products by travel agents a number of years ago, we triggered a rigorous process ensuring our settlement technology would be prepared for this event. ARC is pleased to have championed this new capability for agents in order that they might provide this valuable service to their clients. All of us at ARC are pleased to have processed the first agency-issued EMD and tip our hats to American Airlines for leading the way."

About ARC:
As the financial backbone of the U.S. travel industry, ARC enables commerce among travel agencies, airlines, and travel suppliers, and offers them secure and accurate financial settlement services. More than 15,000 travel agencies and 190 airlines use the company's transaction settlement services that, in 2010, totaled more than $77 billion in value. ARC also supplies transactional data to organizations, facilitating better business decisions through fact-based market analyses. Established in 1984, ARC is headquartered in Arlington, Va. For more information, visit www.arccorp.com.

SOURCE ARC