Abacus International has announced the launch of the first and only automated exchange solution for net fares.

Net fares are an increasing component of Asian airlines distribution strategies with key Asian travel markets now issuing between 40 and 60 per cent of all tickets via net fares.

Currently, all Abacus-connected travel agents benefit from access to the most extensive net fare content in the region via Abacus’s private fare database, Abacus FareX.

“Net fares ticketed on Abacus FareX are on the rise, and we want to provide our partners and customers with a scalable solution that will allow them to continue to serve their customers efficiently,” said Martin Symes, vice president, marketing, Abacus International.

“The new automated exchange function in Abacus FareX helps to save time, reduce errors while driving additional revenue for travel agents and airlines.”

Over 20,000 travel agents with access to more than five million origin and destination net fares can now expect a simpler and more streamlined process with Abacus FareX Automated Exchange.

Abacus is the first and only GDS offering an automated exchange solution for nonpublished fares.

“Reissuance required on net fares is a common challenge that takes up a great deal of agents’ time.

This new capability helps our agents increase productivity and avoid the hassle and risk of error in manual reissuance,” added Symes.

The automated exchange process for reissuance of net fares within Abacus FareX is covered by the same Fare Guarantee associated with published airfares.

Airlines will also benefit through rapid distribution of net fare content and reduction in the administrative overhead associated with processing ADMs.

Abacus FareX Automated Exchange will first be used by launch partner, Singapore Airlines before being rolled out to other partners.