First BSP ticketing on Abacus in China

SINGAPORE After gaining Billing and Settlement Plan certification in June, Abacus became the first foreign global distribution system, Tuesday, to issue air tickets through technology customised for China.
With a network of mainland travel agents in place, Abacus has secured a new channel for airlines to access this vast and expanding outbound market.
Flights from Beijing, on Etihad Airways, were chosen for the first bookings, from among four initial carriers available to Abacus connected travel agents in China.
The content and fares of many more foreign airlines will be added soon at over 20,000 locations across the Asia Pacific region using Abacus technology.
“Etihad Airways is one of 25 major airlines joining Abacus in meeting demand from our expanding mainland distribution grid,” said Abacus President and CEO, Robert Bailey.
“There is space for a complementary foreign distribution platform and we are encouraged by the level of interest among international aviation brands and local agents, especially now that Abacus has shown that BSP compliant transactions are happening.”
Beijing China Travel Air Transportation Company Limited (CTBA) issued the first tickets using the GDS desktop system, Abacus WorkSpace.
CTBA general manager Xiang Wei said: “We are proud to be part of an initiative of this scale, widening the market for our outbound travellers and aligning us more closely with international best practice.”
Abacus, Asia Pacific’s leading travel technology company has been operating in China since 1995 when it began recruiting specialist teams in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing and Chengdu to customise its solutions for mainland users.

sourced:ttrweekly.com