Travel Agent Communications

PED 03/30/2008

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V Australia Has Joined ARC

V Australia (VA/795) has joined ARC as a participating carrier, effective with sales of March 31, 2008 (PED 04/06/08).

With headquarters in Brisbane, Australia, V Australia services between the Australian East Coast and the U.S. West Coast. V Australia operates Boeing 737-700/800s and regional jets, and has seven Boeing 777-300 ERs, A330 and D328-300 aircraft.

V Australia has elected the General Concurrence method of agent appointment whereby all ARC agents are automatically appointed as agents of V Australia. At this time V Australia accepts American Express, Diners Club International, MasterCard, Visa and cash as forms a payment through ARC.

For inquiries, reservations, or sales information, please contact:

Sean Patton
VP, Sales & Marketing
Email: us.sales@vaustralia.com
Toll-free reservations telephone: 1.800.444.0260
International Fax: ++61.7.3333.9399
www.vaustralia.com.au

Aloha Airlines Ceases Operations under Bankruptcy Protection

Aloha Airlines (AQ/327) has announced cessation of operations following their recent filing under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

Accordingly, ARC will not process Aloha Airlines (AQ/327) validated CASH REFUNDS submitted in sales reports for the week ending March 30, 2008. Other AQ transactions, including credit card refunds, will be processed in the PED 3/30/08 report. Effective with transactions of March 31, 2008 (PED 04/06/08), no AQ transactions will be accepted for ARC processing.

Please contact ARC Customer Service Center at 703-816-8003 or through e-mail at csc@arccorp.com with any processing-related questions.

ATB Fees to Increase Effective May 1, 2008

Effective May 1, 2008, the ARC ATB Usage Fee and Document Handling Fee will increase as a result of the continued decline in ATB ticket issuance. Currently 97.5% of all transactions processed through the ARC settlement plan are electronic. The majority of ATB coupons used in travel agencies are for non-traffic documents such as passenger receipts.

ARC is committed to continuing to provide paper ticket documents in a cost-effective manner. However, as printing volume continues to decline, costs to produce paper tickets increase. For these reasons, the ATB usage fee will be increased to $20.00 per box of ATB tickets and the document handling fee will be $7.50 for any item ordered.

While the ability to print passenger receipts on ATB stock will not be inhibited, travel agents can choose whether to continue printing passenger receipts on ATB stock or plain paper, such as Mini Itins (where available), or to explore other electronic passenger receipt options provided by their GDS.

  • The usage fee will be increased to $20.00 per box of 1,000 ATB coupons and will be effective on May 1, 2008.
  • The handling fee will be increased to $7.50 per item effective on May 1, 2008.
  • ARC evaluates the usage of ATB stock twice yearly, and reserves the right to adjust document fees in future to reflect the ratio of ATB stock used for non-traffic documents.
  • Consult your GDS provider for additional information on electronic passenger receipt alternatives.
  • ARC Mini Itins can be used with some GDSs to print passenger receipts and itineraries (www.arccorp.com/solutions/printables-collection.jsp)

ARC Printables - Customize Your Ticket Jackets

For the first time, ARC is now offering customized ticket jackets, equipped with a selection of fonts, including bold and italic options, and the option of adding info such as:

  • Agency name
  • Web address
  • Address and phone number
  • Tag line and logo
  • Other info, i.e., hours of operation

You're the Architect - Log in to Document Ordering System now and check out the new customizable ticket jackets.

ARC Fraud Prevention Workshop - April 21

ARC's Risk Management Department will be hosting a Fraud Prevention Workshop on Monday, April 21, in Las Vegas. Industry-specific topics to be covered will include credit card fraud, counterfeiting, and agency-targeted scams. Attendees will also have the opportunity to share their travel industry experience and concerns with ARC representatives. ARC hopes to use this feedback to help shape future fraud prevention seminars for Travel Professionals. The ARC Fraud Prevention Workshop is a free event, conveniently planned for the afternoon before the TRAMS Technology and Marketing University (April 22-24).

Please Click Here for additional event details and registration.

Tip of the Week: IAR Administrative Coverage

Having more than one IAR Administrator in your organization can decrease reporting issues that can arise when your sole IAR Administrator is unavailable. If you have multiple agents within your office, it is recommended that you add at least one additional IAR Administrator to serve as backup. The primary role of an IAR Administrator is to manage IAR user accounts. This includes:

  • Creating additional user accounts
  • Modifying a user account
  • Deleting a user account
  • Defining a user's role
  • Resetting a user's password

When a sole IAR Administrator is unavailable, user management functions cannot be performed. This may potentially impact sales reporting and may result in needless debit memos and/or unreported sales.

To learn how to assign a user an IAR Administrator role, please refer to www.arccorp.com/webhelp/iar/ (IAR Online Help) or contact the ARC Customer Support Center at 703.816.8003 or csc@arccorp.com.

Please distribute the ARC TAC among staff and colleagues.

ARC Customer Care Center | Tel. (703) 816-8003 | Fax (703) 816-8039 | csc@arccorp.com

ARC Corporate Communications | Tel. (703) 816-8525 | Fax (703) 816-8168 | corpcom@arccorp.com

www.arccorp.com