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Amadeus
has launched its Virtual Miscellaneous Charge Order (Amadeus Virtual MCO), a transitional solution supported by IATA (International Air Transport Association)
replacing current paper Automated MCO.
As
the IATA 100% e-ticketing deadline passed at the end of May 2008, some airlines may
still not be able to provide travel agents with e-tickets for all bookings. The Amadeus Virtual MCO has been developed to enable agents to issue a MCO in exchange for travel-related
services, and a new functionality has been added to allow receipts to be sent directly through email to the customer. The Amadeus Virtual
MCO, which is based on the current Amadeus Automated MCO product, can be used for infant tickets, unaccompanied minors and excess
baggage as well as standard tickets.
Damian Hickey, Vice President of Airline Business Group for Amadeus Asia Pacific, said, “We are very pleased that with minimal training,
travel agents will be able to continue to provide all transactions without interruption, despite the implementation of IATA’s 100%
e-ticketing deadline. The Amadeus Virtual MCO will be fully integrated into the whole Amadeus booking process (from PNR until reporting)
enabling all the information to be seamlessly transferred to the agency back office system.”
IATA began the move towards 100% e-ticketing in June 2004 with the aim of making travel more convenient, cost-effective and
environmentally friendly. According to IATA, a paper ticket costs US$10 to process compared with US$1 for an e-ticket. IATA says using
e-tickets will save the industry more than US$3 billion a year.
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