EMD Usage Expands with GDS-Sourced Transaction

Sabre and Air New Zealand at the forefront as more ancillary fees are processed through ARC's settlement system

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Sep 14, 2011, 02:20 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Less than a week after processing the initial Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD) for American Airlines, ARC announced today that it has processed additional transactions through Sabre Travel Network, on behalf of Air New Zealand and FROSCH Travel. EMDs allow travel agency customers to pay for items like extra baggage fees or premium seats at the same time they purchase their tickets, providing 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 more accurate data tracking. Sabre, a major global distribution service provider (GDS), has worked closely with ARC to be prepared for EMD processing.

"EMD is a pivotal part of Sabre's innovative and expanding merchandising capabilities, facilitating airlines' ability to sell their products in different ways, while ensuring a transparent and efficient shopping experience for travel agencies and travelers," said Chris Kroeger, senior vice president, marketing, Sabre Travel Network. "ARC and Air New Zealand have helped us deliver a breakthrough solution that ensures both travel agencies and airlines can seamlessly serve travelers. We look forward to working with ARC as more airlines take advantage of these revenue accelerating capabilities."

Mike Premo, ARC's president and CEO commented, "We're thrilled by the leadership and preparedness shown by both Air New Zealand and Sabre, and by their ability to successfully utilize the EMD and demonstrate that it is the solution for effectively selling and settling ancillary services. This is a great win for both carriers and travel agents."

"Great customer service and efficiency are important to the success of our business. With EMD in place, we will have the capability to shop by total price including ancillaries, to book a flight with ancillaries, and to fulfill and settle ancillaries through ARC using our normal workflow process," said Lara Leibman, executive vice president of FROSCH. "We look forward to efficiently servicing our customers as more airlines introduce unbundled services. We appreciate the leadership of ARC, Sabre, and Air New Zealand in bringing EMD to the marketplace. "

Information about EMDs for travel agents is available at: http://www.arccorp.com/emd_agents

Information about EMDs for air carriers is available at:

http://www.arccorp.com/emd_carriers

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