Abacus to implement Automated Miscellaneous Documents with Ticket Limit Control

Abacus is to implement automated miscellaneous documents with ticket limit control capability to travel agencies in Asia-Pacific

Abacus-connected travel agencies in Taiwan will be the first country enabled to issue miscellaneous documents (MDs) from their Abacus terminals, with the Hong Kong and Singapore markets to be upgraded within the next few months.

The Ticket Limit (TLM) functionality for Automated MDs will enable airlines to better manage the number of MDs from which an approved travel agency location can issue in a reporting period.

Auto MDs is a newly designed automated ticket type to be introduced in the Abacus markets that will have its own set of system generated ticket numbers. It may be issued to cover collections such as excess baggage charges, class upgrades, hotel accommodation and deposits or down payments. Abacus said it enhanced the Automated MDs with Ticket Limit Control as it was identified that there was a need to restrict the number of Auto MD issue allowed by an agent. With this new enhancement, Abacus is therefore able to control the number of MDs issued either by a specific carrier or by an agency.

Until now, MDs have been written and issued manually by the travel agency. Manual MDs were not only time consuming to prepare, but more difficult to verify if not completed correctly or redeemed in a different market.

“Automating MDs is a very exciting initiative that we have undertaken in response to feedback from both airlines and travel agencies,” said Miss Aileen Tan, Vice-President Centres of Excellence, Abacus.

“By automating this process, we are making it simpler, faster and more robust in terms of security and accountability. TLM functionality will enable airlines to track their exposure to MDs and manage their financial risk more effectively,” said Miss Tan. “It’s better for airlines, better for travel agencies and better for customers.”

Automated MDs with control capability will be available in Taiwan this month and IATA Billing Settlement Plan (BSP) plans to introduce to Hong Kong and Singapore this year. A separate section in Travel Journal Record (TJR) on the Abacus terminal will list the carrier codes that allow for Auto MD issuance.

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