ARLINGTON, Va. -- ARC said processing volume through its
Internet-based IAR Interactive Plus reporting system has hit 99%,
as manual processing took a step closer to becoming a thing of the
past.
"This ... marks a singular milestone for ARC and the travel
industry," wrote ARC president David Collins in a letter sent to
all ARC accredited travel agencies.
ARC processes some $70 billion in agency sales annually.
"Particularly now, with the financial crises facing the airline
industry, the cost savings benefits of IAR will serve us all well,"
Collins continued.
At the beginning of the year, ARC said its goal was "to have a
single electronic reporting system in place by the end of the
2002."
At that time, the volume running through IAR was about 93%.
ARC announced that it would close down the last center capable
of processing sales reported manually by the end of the year.
In July, ARC said only 1,250 agents still had not yet converted
from manual to electronic sales reporting via IAR.
"We are over 30,000 locations, which puts us pretty much there,"
said an ARC spokesman. According to ARC's August sales statistics,
there are 31,145 ARC accredited agency locations.
"We are well ahead of where we had hoped to be at this point,"
the spokesman said.
ARC may close down the last processing center for manually
reported sales "sooner depending on how many we have left" to
convert to electronic processing, the spokesman said.
With nearly all accredited agencies reporting by IAR, Collins in
his letter to agencies indicated ARC would now focus on enhancing
the Internet-based service.
"Our system and services will continue to evolve," Collins wrote
in the letter. "But at least for now, we should also take the time
to reflect on the singular collective accomplishment that has got
us to where we are today."