Abacus launches E-Ticketing with Malaysia Airlines in Myanmar

As of today, authorised travel agents in Myanmar will be able to issue electronic tickets on behalf of Malaysia Airlines. This highly anticipated initiative comes hot on the heels of Abacus’ successful rollout of its electronic transitional automated ticketing platform (eTAT) with Bangkok Airways in Myanmar in September 2009.

This development also represents the addition of the latest carrier in a growing list of airlines that have already or are planning to adopt the Abacus eTAT platform. This includes Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, EVA Air, Bangkok Airways and Vietnam Airlines. The eTAT solution is currently being deployed in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines and Vietnam.

Mr. Min Din, Managing Director, Columbus Travels & Tours, said, “We are delighted that Malaysian Airlines has worked with Abacus to implement the eTAT solution in Myanmar. Being able to issue electronic tickets directly from our office has enabled us to improve our productivity and customer service level and has made flight reservations between the two cities much easier and simpler. What’s more, our customers now have an increased number of options open to them for travel, including Malaysian Airlines, one of the most prominent airlines operating in this market.”

eTAT provides many distinct advantages to airlines in that it provides an e-ticketing solution whilst supporting the generic IATA 722 format. eTAT presents agents a solution which is applicable and complements existing ticketing and fare functions – IUR, net ticketing, DQB, refunds exchanges. Further advantages include the ability to access Airline Direct Reporting - providing airline sales reporting file (SRF) data and ticket inventory data (TID) for their offline processing.

Moreover, the solution has Airline Specific Control meaning that functionality can be configured on an airline by airline basis for greater flexibility. Further tailoring can also be provided through eTAT thanks to the activation of solutions being controlled on a market-by-market basis.

Dr Amin Khan - Senior General Manager, Network & Rev Management Malaysia Airlines, said, “Malaysia Airlines is delighted to have successfully launched electronic ticketing in Myanmar with Abacus through their innovative eTAT solution. Working closely together, we now have electronic ticketing capability in non-BSP markets such as Laos and Myanmar meaning that authorised Myanmar travel agents can enjoy the greater convenience of issuing electronic tickets directly from their Abacus terminals and in the comfort of their locations. This will help by freeing up our airline reservation office to focus on providing other value-added services to our customers.”

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