Online IAR Access Available

<B> Online IAR Access Available</B>

The Airlines Reporting Corp. is testing a new product that would allow direct access through the Internet to its Interactive Agent Reporting System, according to ARC president David Collins.

The IAR is ARC's weekly electronic reporting system for travel agency sales reports. While Collins said that ARC expects primary access to the IAR to continue to be via agents' GDSs, he said the new product is being developed in response to requests from some agents who said their GDS terminals are fully utilized and are unavailable to transmit sales reports. The tests should be completed soon and the product then will be made widely available, Collins said.

The demographics of IAR usage demonstrate that the system is winning acceptance among large agencies but is not being adopted as readily by the smaller and medium-size agencies, Collins said. He added that this is of concern to ARC since smaller agencies may be left behind in the trend toward electronic transactions.

ARC is reviewing the concept of bringing new entrants in its program directly onto the IAR system, said Collins. "There seems to be no purpose" in bringing new participants into an outdated system.

The next initiative in ARC's move toward e-commerce will be to allow electronic storage of travel agent documents, Collins said. Further, ARC expects to be making additional announcements about travel products agents can sell through its system, he said.

Other innovations at ARC include accreditation of corporate travel departments. Although there has been "some apprehension" over this development within the travel agent community, Collins said it is important to see that these accredited corporations still are using travel agents.