Airlines across Asia Pacific have been handed a lucky break from Asia Pacific’s leading travel distributor, Abacus International. Recognising that many airlines need a boost amid tough conditions in the travel industry this year, Abacus will waive all the standard subscription fees for its popular Abacus FareX solution said Brett Henry, the company’s Vice President Marketing.

“Airfare pricing is some of the most dynamic pricing of any industry, anywhere in the world and the 12-month fee waiver on Abacus FareX will make it even easier for travel agents to stay on top of the ever-changing picture of net fares which change by the hour and day,” Mr Henry said.

With an impressive range of 59 airlines spanning 19 markets distributing their net fares through the Abacus FareX system, the Abacus move will save airlines up to USD200,000 per year. The system is rapidly replacing the cumbersome manual systems previously in place which involved travel agencies receiving multiple faxes and emails from the different airlines each touting the latest changes.

“The older channels make keeping track of net fare changes a chore and often result in inaccurate fare quotes or misinterpretation of fare rules, leading to travel agents incurring Airline Debit Memos (ADMs). Apart from the considerable financial impact, airline debit memos can also be the cause of strained relationships between travel agencies and airlines,” Mr Henry said.

Built into Abacus FareX are unparalleled pricing tools that allow travel agents to search for the lowest special fares with automated guaranteed pricing, ticketing and complete rules validation.

Airlines have welcomed the fee waiver from Abacus. Mr James Yu, Vice President, of China Airlines Taiwan said “In the current environment many airlines are looking to reduce their costs and every bit makes a difference. We applaud Abacus’ move with its Abacus FareX solution which is rapidly becoming an industry essential as net fares proliferate.”