ARC NOTES CONTINUED GROWTH IN TRANSACTIONS AND FARES PROCESSED

Arlington, VA, May 13, 2004 - ARC's April operational statistics show that ARC settlement solutions support continued strength in the distribution of air travel.  For the second consecutive month, the number of transactions processed by ARC (Tickets/Miscellaneous Documents Processed) increased by a double-digit percentage over the same month in 2003.  International fares processed were 60 percent higher than April last year and only half a percent lower than in the same month in 2000, considered a banner year for the travel industry.

"ARC has facilitated the growing sales volume we have seen since last summer and the year-on-year growth in transaction counts in five of the last sixth months," said David R. B. Collins, CTC, ARC president and CEO.  "These increases confirm ARC's role as the industry's premier settlement system."

The average weekly sales volume per accredited ARC travel agent and corporate travel department location has grown in each of the last twelve months over the previous year, demonstrating the increasingly important role each location plays in travel distribution.   While the number of ARC-accredited locations dropped by 12 percent in April 2004 compared to the previous year, the average weekly sales per location grew by 39 percent.

Note: ARC's current and archived monthly statistics are available at no charge on ARC's Web site.  Visit http://www.arccorp.com/regist/index.jsp to register for access and email updates.

About ARC
ARC is the premier financial transaction processing and settlement corporation that facilitates the distribution of travel products and related information in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.   There are more than 25,000 ARC-accredited travel agency and corporate travel department locations and approximately 135 participating airlines and railroads in ARC's settlement system.  Using increasingly sophisticated electronic means for ticket distribution, reporting, and remittance, these points of sale are responsible for air and rail sales exceeding $60 billion per year. For more information about ARC, please visit http://www.arccorp.com.