SINGAPORE – Abacus International, Asia’s leading travel facilitator, has launched electronic ticketing (eTicketing) with China Southern Airlines outside the People’s Republic of China, making it first Global Distribution System (GDS) to do so.
The implementation enables Abacus’ travel agents in the major markets of Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia to issue electronic tickets on China Southern Airlines. Plans are already in place to implement in the other markets.
Abacus International Vice President of Airline Marketing and North Asia, Patrick Lai said the new service would help the airline to reduce their ticketing costs, improve passengers’ convenience and extend their reach on the Abacus network.
As at August 2007, electronic tickets account for more than 76% of all tickets issued by Abacus. This is expected to rise in the coming months as more airlines step up to meet IATA’s dateline as part of its “Simplifying the Business” initiatives to increase efficiency and generate industry savings of US$6.5 billion every year.
With China Southern Airlines on board, more than 98% of all Abacus tickets are now ET-ready.
