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Business Impact Guide Discontinuation of printing of Agent Coupons Answers to Frequently Asked Questions The following FAQs are provided to assist your agency in transitioning to a paperless environment. These recommended business practices provide practical assistance and guidance on how to conduct business efficiently without the paper agent coupon.* FAQs (Click on topics to view) What can I do to prepare for this change? Are agents and CTD's still required to keep transaction records for two years? What will happen to the passenger receipt of all transaction or flight coupons on paper tickets? If I do not have the Agent Coupon, how will I know which transactions are issued each day? Without the Agent Coupon, how will I know if a transaction is missing from IAR and the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS)? What is the difference between Settled and Initial Transactions? If I void a ticket, when will the ticket show voided in DRS? How will I reconcile my weekly ARC report without the Agent Coupon to compare to IAR? How do I view the image of the Agent Coupon in the ARC Document Retrieval Service? How will I verify the accuracy of financial and carrier information on the Agent Coupon once they are discontinued? How can I check my exchanges for accuracy without having the Agent Coupon? If I have a problem with a refund or exchange that requires me to put it through the IAR exception process, don't I need my original Agent Coupon? Without the Agent Coupon, will the time it takes to reconcile the sales report increase? In the event of a dispute concerning a transaction, will carriers accept the agent coupon facsimiles from the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS)? How can I access data in the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS) that is older than 39 months? Should I still save the Agent Coupon from handwritten transactions (4-flts, MCOs, TOs, PTAs)? Will I be able to see my invoice number /‘print line A’ data on the agent facsimile in DRS? Can I print the image of the transaction from the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS)? My agency issues a lot of bulk tickets/ negotiated fares. Can I get an exemption from ARC so I can still print my agent coupons? Does ARC have reference materials for using the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS)? Helpful Hints - Using the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS) Benefits - Discontinuation of Agent Coupons Q: What can I do to prepare for this change? A: Your agency or CTD can start to use the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS), powered by ARC COMPASS®, to view, access, and print copies of transactions, in lieu of the paper agent coupon. If you are not already registered to use DRS, please click on this link to access the registration page - http://www.arccorp.com/products/prod_fin_DRS_signupinstructions.html and click on Sign Up Online. (It's FREE!) Begin to use DRS in your day to day work and gradually transition your staff from the using agent coupons. If you receive a debit memo, practice looking for the item in DRS, rather than looking through the paper coupons. If you need to do an exchange in IAR, practice pulling up the old ticket information in DRS, rather than searching for the agent coupon. If you registered for DRS some time ago, but have not used the system. Please sign in and ensure that your passwords are still valid. Your DRS Security Manager can reset any passwords for your internal staff. (Top of Page) Q: Are agents and CTD's still required to keep transaction records for two years? A: Agent Coupon data is accessible via the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS) for 39 months from the date of issuance of each transaction, therefore, Agents and CTDs that report sales via IAR are not required to maintain two year's worth of ATB Agent Coupons. Please note, however, Agents and CTDs are still required to retain the following documents for a two-year period from the date of issuance: all manual traffic documents, UCCCFs, debit and credit memos, AADs, PTA refund documents, discount certificates and vouchers, value coupons associated with refunds and voids, as well as other documents which ARC or a carrier may require. (See, section XIV, Note A, of the ARA and CTDRA, respectively, for details.) Although it is highly recommended that Agents and CTDs take advantage of the opportunities and benefits of accessing DRS, there is no requirement to do so at this time. (Top of Page) Q: What will happen to the passenger receipt or flight coupons on paper tickets? A: The passenger receipts and flight coupons will continue to print. Passenger receipts can be printed on plain paper. (Top of Page) Q: If I do not have the Agent Coupon, how will I know which transactions are issued each day? A: A record of transactions issued can be generated in each GDS. The applicable GDS links are provided below: GDS Report Name GDS System Entry Help Page Amadeus Query Report TJQ HETJQ Daily Report TJD HETJD Apollo TINS Report HMPR/date HELP TINS Sabre Agent's Audit Trail DQB* Search for ‘ATB DQB’ in Format Finder Worldspan Daily Activity Report INFO DDP HELP DDP Daily Documentation Log INFO DDL HELP DDL Document History in the PNR INFO *DH HELP *DH (Top of Page) Q: Without the Agent Coupon, how will I know if a transaction is missing from IAR or DRS? A: Obtain the GDS transaction records via the entries shown on the table above, in order to review the transactions that were generated in your system. If you have additional questions about the GDS reports, please contact your GDS. (Top of Page) Q: What is the difference between Settled and Initial Transactions? A: Settled Transaction is used to describe the transactional data processed by ARC after your report was authorized. Initial Transaction is used to describe the transactional data received from the GDS before the report is authorized. (Top of Page) Q: If I void a ticket, when will the ticket show voided in DRS? A: Voids are not updated in DRS until after settlement because the initial transaction or issuance was marked in DRS as a sale. Since there can only be one original (initial) transaction, the first transaction received by ARC from the GDS will be the first one stored in DRS until after settlement. Any changes made to a ticket after issuance is complete are not considered to have happened in the initial phase of the ticket but during report preparation but prior to settlement. There is an update process that is done after settlement which will update the initial transaction as a void but this process can only occur after settlement which allows ARC to confirm that a true void was conducted and processed before making any changes or updates to the initial transaction. (Top of Page) Q: How will I reconcile my weekly ARC report without the Agent Coupon to compare to IAR? A: The agent coupon is available in the ARC Document Retrieval Service the next business day after issuing the transaction, just like IAR transactions. You will be able to access, print or review the image of the transaction and reconcile your IAR report. (Top of Page) Q: How do I view the image of the Agent Coupon in the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS)? A: It’s easy to do. The key features and functions for getting started are outlined. Sign into DRS. You will see an agency search screen displaying nine search options that are divided into 3 categories; Quick Search, Passenger Search, and Transaction. The first and easiest way to search is by using Quick Search. With Quick Search, you can search by (1) document number, (2) PED, (3) PNR, or (4) date of issue. Verify the ACN you are querying in the Common Search Options. At ‘Type’ click on initial or settled for the type of transaction you are searching for. In the Quick Search section, click on the down arrow at ‘Search By’. Select ‘Document Number’ from the drop down box. Type the transaction number in the blank field. Do not include the carrier code. Click ‘Search’. This will display a single transaction. Click on AGT. This allows you to view the agent coupon image. Verify the ACN you are querying in the Common Search Options. At ‘Type’ click on initial or settled for the type of transaction you are searching for. In the Quick Search section, click on the down arrow next to ‘Search By’. Select ‘PED (mm/dd/yyyy)’ from the drop down box. Type the period ending date in the blank field. Do not include spaces, dashes, or slashes. Click ‘Search’. This will display the all transaction for the entire PED. Click on AGT. This allows you to view the agent coupon image. Verify the ACN you are querying in the Common Search Options. At ‘Type’ click on initial or settled for the type of transaction you are searching for. In the Quick Search section, click on the down arrow next to ‘Search By’. Select ‘PNR’ from the drop down box. Type the PNR in the blank field. Click ‘Search’. This will display the all transaction for the entire PED. Click on AGT. This allows you to view the agent coupon image. Verify the ACN you are querying in the Common Search Options. At ‘Type’ click on initial or settled for the type of transaction you are searching for. In the Quick Search section, click on the down arrow next to ‘Search By’. Select ‘Date of Issue (mm/dd/yyyy)’ from the drop down box. Type the issuing date in the blank field. Do not include spaces, dashes, or slashes. Click ‘Search’. This will display the all transaction for the entire PED. Click on AGT. This allows you to view the agent coupon image. (Top of Page) Q: How will I check the accuracy of financial and carrier information on the Agent Coupon once they are discontinued? A: That information can be found on the Ticket Detail Screen within the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS). Once you perform a search and the Initial Response Screen is displayed, to display the Ticket Detail Screen, simply click on the document number in the TKT/DOC column. If you print from this page, you must change the format from portrait to landscape. Otherwise return to the Initial Response Screen and Click the check box on the left side next to the status column for the transaction you want to print. If you want to print all the transactions from the search, click on ‘select all’ at the bottom left under the results display. Click on ‘Export & Print Selected Items.’ Select Ticket Detail by clicking the appropriate button. Click ‘Create PDF’ – This puts your selected transactions into a PDF file from which you can choose a print option. To print, click on the printer icon on the tool bar. Click on ‘Back to Results’ to return to the Initial Response Screen. (Top of Page) Q: How can I check my exchanges for accuracy without having the Agent Coupon? A: The details of the exchange transaction can be found in the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS). Verify the ACN you are querying in the Common Search Options. At ‘Type’ click on initial. In the Quick Search section, click on the down arrow at ‘Search By’. Select ‘Document Number’ from the drop down box. Type the transaction number in the blank field. Do not include the carrier code. Click ‘Search’. This will display a single transaction. Click on AGT. This allows you to view the agent coupon image. (Top of Page) Q: If I have a problem with a refund or exchange that requires me to put it through the IAR exception process, don't I need my original Agent Coupon? A: ARC will accept settlement documents (agent coupon facsimiles) that are printed from the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS) for the exception report. The original agent coupon on thermal paper stock will NOT be required to process any transactions which are rejected overnight in IAR. Simply access DRS and print the facsimile of the agent coupon that is available (as an “initial” transaction document) after 9AM on the day after issuing the transaction. (Top of Page) Q. Without the agent coupon, will the time it takes to reconcile the sales report increase? A. As with all new processes, there is always an initial learning curve. However, once this short time period has passed the increased security and cost benefits to the agency or CTD will make the time well spent in the long run. (Top of Page) Q: In the event of a dispute concerning a transaction, will carriers accept the agent coupon facsimiles from the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS)? A: ARC participating carriers will accept a copy of the ticket image (agent coupon facsimile) obtained from DRS. Print the image of the ticket, include the ticket detail screen, if applicable, and attach it to the debit memo, before sending the memo to the carrier. ARC cannot intercede with respect to the validity of a debit memo; however, we can assist you, if a participating carrier will not accept a copy of the DRS image for review. Please contact ARC’s Customer Support Center, if a participating carrier is requesting an agent coupon. (Top of Page) Q: How can I access data in ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS) that is older than 39 months? A: Transactional data is removed from the DRS 39 months after the issuance of the transaction. However, prior to the purge (destruction) of such data, ARC will offer agents and CTDs the opportunity to purchase a CD-ROM containing applicable transactional information included in the agent's/CTD's sales report. The CD-ROMs contain the transactional data that was previously accessible via DRS. Pricing for the 2002 Transaction History Data on CD is based upon your agency's annual transaction volume and includes free shipping. Please visit http://www.arccorp.com/products/prod_dat_trans_hist_file.html, send an email to arccompass@arccorp.com, or call 703-816-8003, option 6, for questions and to place your order before May 6, 2005. (Top of Page) Q: Should I still save the Agent Coupon from handwritten transaction (4-flts, MCOs, TOs, PTAs)? A: All handwritten transactions are loaded as Initial Transactions in the ARC Document Retrieval Service the day after they are entered into IAR. However, agents and CTDs are required to retain, for at least two years from the date of issue, the original paper copy of all Agent Coupons for manual traffic documents. (Top of Page) Q: Will I be able to see my invoice number/‘print line A’ data on the agent facsimile in DRS? A: Effective May 5, 2005, the invoice number/‘print line A’ data is displayed on the agent facsimile in DRS of Sabre transactions only. That information is available in your Back Office System (BOS) for all GDS transactions. Currently, only Sabre transmits that data to ARC. If you are not a Sabre subscriber, please inform your GDS about your need for the invoice number/‘print line A’ data on the agent facsimiles. (Top of Page) Q: Can I print the image of the transaction from the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS)? A: Yes, you may print a single document or multiple documents at a time. Once you perform a search and the Initial Response Screen is displayed. Click the check box on the left side next to the status column for the transaction you want to print. If you want to print all the transactions from the search, click on ‘select all’ at the bottom left under the results display. Click on ‘Export & Print Selected Items.’ Select the format in which you want to view the transactions, ATB or Ticket Detail by clicking the appropriate button. Click ‘Create PDF’ – This puts your selected transactions into a PDF file from which you can choose a print option. To print, click on the printer icon on the tool bar. Click on ‘Back to Results’ to return to the Initial Response Screen. You must have Adobe Reader Software on their system in order to create a PDF file. If you do not have Adobe Reader, click on the ‘Get Adobe Reader’ button to redirect to the Adobe website to download free reader software. (Top of Page) Q: My agency issues a lot of bulk tickets/ negotiated fares. Can I get an exemption from ARC so I can still print my agent coupons? A: No, you will still need to restructure your business practices to accommodate the discontinuation of printing the agent coupons. (Top of Page) Q: Does ARC have reference material for using the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS)? A: DRS has a comprehensive online help guide. To view the most recent enhancements for DRS go to https://arcdrs.arccorp.com/drs/login.jsp and click on Learn More. You can find additional Frequently Asked Questions at http://www.arccorp.com/products/prod_fin_DRS_faq.html. If you have additional questions or need assistance with these recommendations, please contact ARC’s Customer Support Center at 703-816-8003 or www.csc@arccorp.com (Top of Page) Helpful Hints - Using the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS) (Click on tip to view) (Top of Page) The following are some useful tips for utilizing DRS to locate and review transactions. Online Help Login/ Password Changes Home Office searching for a branch office/ STP transaction Using the Response Screen Displaying a document image Reading a text image Displaying a ticket detail screen Displaying a tax detail screen Viewing the ESAC code Viewing the ISS reference number Viewing a full list of transactions for a specific PED Online Help When working in the ARC Document Retrieval Service (DRS) you can find help online. To access the online help, click on 'Help' in the upper right corner of the main blue-gray area. This will open up a new window with the first topic relevant to that screen. If the task you want to perform is not listed, click 'Show' in the upper left corner for the entire Help File listing. Once you open the expanded view, you can browse the Table of Contents, search an index of keywords, perform a general search, or look up a term in the Glossary. To access the different features, click on 'Table,' 'Index,' 'Search,' or 'Glossary' buttons on the upper left corner. To browse the Table of Contents, click on the 'Table' button. On the left side bar, click on the page or book icon to view topic. To search the Index, click on the 'Index' button. Type topic you want to view. Click on topic from the list on the left side bar to view topic. To perform a general Search, click on the 'Search' button. Type topic you want to view. Click on 'Go.' Click on topic from the list on the left side bar to view topic. To look up a definition of a word or phrase in the Glossary, click on the 'Glossary' button. Scroll through the list of terms and phrase to locate the one that you want. Click on the term that you want defined. The definition is located in the bottom window of the left side bar. Please remember when viewing any transaction in the DRS that if you forget what a column heading or a code means, you can click on the column heading and it will give both the explanation and example of any code. (Back to Tip Index) Login/ Password Changes Go to http://www.arccorp.com/compass/compass_index.html . Go to the upper right corner DRS Login: Users- CLICK HERE. This will take you to the ARC Document Retrieval Service Login screen. At the Login Screen, enter your Organization Number, User ID, and Password and click LOGIN. Organization Number – Your Agency’s or CTD’s eight-digit ARC number. User ID – Created by and managed by your agency or CTD. Please note that only the Security Manager ID can log into DRS or create individual user IDs. The Owner/Officer ID can not log into DRS or the Administration system Password – Assigned by ARC for first-time login use only. You must change your password upon initial login. Changing the security password is required for each first time user of this system and periodically thereafter. A password change is also required every 90 days or after a password has been reset. Additionally, users may choose to change their password at any time for any reason. Changing a password is accomplished from the Login screen. IMPORTANT: Any user who attempts to enter an invalid password more than three times will be locked out of the Service. Additionally, any user who has not used the Service for more than 120 days after the last password change will no longer have an active User ID. In either event, the user will need to contact their organization’s Security Manager. PASSWORD REQUIREMENTS: All passwords must be 8 characters in length, must contain BOTH alpha (A, b, L) and numeric (1, 3, 8) characters, and begin with an alpha character. All passwords are case sensitive. For additional information about password changes see the Changing a Password section in the online help. (Back to Tip Index) Home Office searching for a branch office/ STP transaction Login to DRS. Enter the branch ARC Number in the ACN field of the Common Search Options then continue with Quick Search, Passenger Search, or Transaction Search. (Back to Tip Index) Using the Response Screen After a query has been initiated, DRS will retrieve all transactions that match the criteria you entered. The response time will vary from seconds for a single ticket to minutes for a weekly report. When the search is complete, an Initial Response screen displays. Depending on the search, anywhere from one to thousands of lines of document information may be returned. The search will return all of the information available. The search request criteria table (at the top) presents the parameters you entered at the input screen. The main table will display all available records that meet the search criteria. [NOTE: Screen breaks occur every 100 lines. When 101+ lines are retrieved multiple response screens will be available and "Page 1 of 1" will be replaced with the ability to navigate among screens, such as "Page 1 of 8 <<1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8>>".] All of the data table column headings are defined in the online Help system and are hyperlinked directly to their definitions from this screen. Just click on the column heading and it will give both the explanation and example of any code. (In order to review all 29 data field column headings and corresponding sales report lines, move to the right using the scroll bar on the bottom of the screen.) The Item Type field identifies not only the kind of document that the sales report line data describes, but is also used to connect to text image detail data. (You can review 'Understanding the ATB View' in the Initial Response Screen section of the online help for more information.) Item Type identifier codes are defined in the Online Help in the Initial Response Screen section under Initial Response Screen Column Headings. To more easily identify all the documents related to a single transaction, table color alternates by transaction (although documents associated with a single transaction may appear on multiple pages because each full page has exactly 100 lines.) If no valid data exists for a search, the Initial Response screen displays a message stating, “No Matching Documents Found for Your Search.” After reviewing the results, you may click the NEW SEARCH button to go to the Input screen or click the LOGOUT button to end the session. For more information, see ‘Initial Response Screen’ section of the online help. (Back to Tip Index) Displaying a document image After initiating a query and the Initial Response Screen is displayed, click on the item type listed for the transaction that you want to display. This will display the image of the transaction you wish to view. See the Initial Response Screen section of the online help for additional information. (Back to Tip Index) Reading a text image All of the standard ticketing documents are presented in ATB II format, laid out in a manner to be easily read in most browser windows. In order to provide the fastest possible response times, a single font is used on the entire document, not the multiple fonts that occur on actual printed tickets. The settlement documents are based on the current ARC settlement documents in production today. To see a breakdown of ATB II fields and field descriptions, you can review ‘Understanding the ATB View’ in the Initial Response Screen section of the online help. (Back to Tip Index) Displaying a ticket detail screen After initiating a query and the Response Screen is displayed, click on the document number listed in DOC/TCKT column listed for the transaction that you want to display. This will display the Ticket Detail Screen of the transaction you wish to view. (Back to Tip Index) Displaying a tax detail screen Simply click on the dollar amount in the column labeled “Total Tax” and a pop-up window will open containing all of the tax amounts making up the total tax for that transaction. Definitions of the various tax codes are available by clicking on the word “Tax” in the pop-up window. (Back to Tip Index) Viewing the ESAC code After initiating a query and the Response Screen is displayed, scroll to the far left side of the screen. The ESAC code will be displayed on the line with the document number. On voids, it will also show the ESAC Source, Void Source, and IAR Void Date. (Back to Tip Index) Viewing the Internet Sales Summaries (ISS) reference number After initiating a query and the Response Screen is displayed, scroll to the middle of the screen. The Reference Number, that corresponds to the Reference Number on your Sales Summary from the Internet Sales Summaries. PED of Report is the period that the transaction was settled. PED of Sale is the period where the transaction was sold or validated. (Back to Tip Index) Viewing a full list of transactions for a specific PED Verify the ACN you are querying in the Common Search Options. At ‘Type’ click on initial or settled for the type of transaction you are searching for. In the Quick Search section, click on the down arrow next to ‘Search By’. Select ‘PED (mm/dd/yyyy)’ from the drop down box. Type the period ending date in the blank field. Do not include spaces, dashes, or slashes. Click ‘Search’. This will display the all transaction for the entire PED. Click on AGT. This allows you to view the agent coupon image. Please remember when viewing any transaction in DRS that if you forget what a column heading or a code means you can click on the column heading and it will give an explanation and a key to of any code. (Back to Tip Index) Benefits - Discontinuation of printing of Agent Coupons Increase Security Paper agent coupons display the full credit card number that was used by the client. DRS allows you to mask the credit card number and establish system access so that only those employees that need to view that data have access to them. If your agency or company is a victim of a burglary, the paper coupons can be stolen. The perpetrator now has access to your customer’s credit card numbers. DRS allows you to mask the credit card number and passenger name. Business Continuity Disaster recovery - If your office or the location where you store your agent coupons is damaged by fire, water or other such disasters, the paper coupons may be lost forever. DRS will store your records safely and securely for 39 months from the date of issuance of the transaction. Process Improvement If you reduce the amount of ATB stock that you are using to print the unnecessary agent coupon, you reduce the costs for document shipping Storage of paper coupons - You can also reduce the costs incurred for storing 2 years of agent coupons (Top of Page) *The responses to the FAQs do not supercede or take the place of the terms of the Agent Reporting Agreement (ARA) or Corporate Travel Department Reporting Agreement (CTDRA) and, in the event of a conflict between the responses to the FAQs and the applicable Agreement, the Agreement shall control.

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