Insights
Guides for your team, briefings for leaders.
Plain answers for agency teams and the people who lead them, with every source named.
Interactive tools for your team's week.
Measure the hours your team could get back, and check the airline rules and ticket taxes it works with every week. Each tool runs in your browser, and what you enter stays on your screen.
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Estimate your hours back
Type your weekly transactions and see the projected hours back, job by job.Type your weekly transactions, or pick a published volumeSee the projected hours back, job by jobCopy a link to your estimateOpen the estimator - 02
Airline policy finder
Pick an airline and see its rule for debit memos, unused credits, schedule changes and voids, with the source.Debit memos, unused credits, schedule changes and voidsThe proof to gather and the last day to dispute a memoThe day a credit runs out, with reminder datesFind a policy - 03
Ticket tax decoder
Paste the taxes from a ticket and see what each code is and which ones come back on a refund.Paste the tax box as it shows on the ticketEach code named, with its amountWhich taxes come back when the ticket goes unusedDecode the taxes
Most-read guides.
Agency operationsHow do I dispute an airline debit memo?
How to dispute an airline debit memo in ARC Memo Manager, with the proof for each reason and the airline's window to file.
AI and automationHow do we estimate the hours a team gets back?
Where every Projected figure on this site comes from, with its range and the checks we run on it.
Agency operationsWhat should travel agents do when a winter storm cancels flights?
A Northeast storm cancelled hundreds of flights on November 13. Here's how an agency finds affected travelers and works each waiver.
All guides and briefings.
Pick a topic, or choose who it's written for.
- Agency operations
What should travel agents do when a winter storm cancels flights?
A Northeast storm cancelled hundreds of flights on November 13. Here's how an agency finds affected travelers and works each waiver. 
AI and automationCan travel agencies use AI agents to book United flights?
On November 11, United moved to restrict third-party AI agents, including through agencies. Here's what changed and what agencies should check.
Agency operationsWhat are ATPCO Category 31 and Category 33 fare rules?
Category 31 holds an airline's voluntary change rules and Category 33 its refund rules. Here's how they drive reissues and the debit memos that follow.
Industry trendsHow busy will Thanksgiving air travel be in 2026?
Airlines expect their busiest Thanksgiving in years, and November 29 is the peak. Here's what it means for an agency's changes and its ARC week.
Agency operationsHow should travel agents prepare travelers for Europe's EES border checks?
Europe's biometric border checks now run at full strength, and the EU is suing the contractors behind them. Here's how agents plan trips around the queues.
Security and complianceDo travel agents have to show the total airfare in their ads?
DOT has proposed loosening the full fare rule, which covers ticket agents too. Here's what the rule asks today and what could change.
Security and complianceHow do travel agencies stop GDS phishing before it turns into fraudulent tickets?
ARC is warning agencies about fake Sabre login pages and a breach through a third-party branch. Here's how the scheme works and the controls to set up.
Agency operationsWhat is an involuntary exchange after an airline schedule change?
When an airline changes a flight, the agency reissues the ticket under the airline's rules. Here's how to reissue it, and when a refund is due.
Industry trendsWhy are GDS air bookings falling while agency sales grow?
Sabre and Amadeus counted fewer air bookings this year, while ARC's agency sales rose 18 percent. Here's what sits behind the gap, and what to watch.
Agency operationsWhat is an EMD in airline ticketing?
An EMD is the airline document for seats, bags, fees and deposits. Here's how EMD-A and EMD-S differ, and how ARC handles them in IAR.
Corporate travelHow far have corporate travel programs come on sustainability?
GBTA's November 2 benchmark of 204 companies puts sustainability at 1.5 out of 5, while the Americas slipped to 0.7. Here's what it means for TMCs.
Agency operationsWhat is residual value on an airline ticket exchange?
When a traveler trades down to a cheaper ticket, the balance can live on an MCO or EMD. Here's how to issue it and link it in IAR.
Agency operationsHow do travel agents handle an airline bag fee increase?
JetBlue raised checked bag fees again on November 3. Here's how to tell which travelers it reaches and what to put in quotes and itineraries.
Security and complianceWhat does the FTC's case against Priceline mean for travel agencies?
Booking Holdings set money aside this week for an FTC case on lookalike hotel booking sites. Here's what it means for agencies that book hotels.
Agency operationsWhat is the difference between ARC and BSP?
ARC settles airline sales for US agencies. IATA's BSP does the same job in most other countries. Here's how they compare, and where IATAN fits.
Corporate travelAre corporate travel teams understaffed?
GBTA's November 3 study: 62 percent of travel managers say their teams are understaffed. Here's what it means for the TMC that serves them.
Agency operationsHow do travel agents use an airline waiver code?
A waiver code lets an agency reissue a disrupted ticket with the change fee waived. Here's where the code goes and what to record with it.
Security and complianceWhat should travel agencies do about the Amadeus booking data exposure?
Airlines are telling travelers their booking data was exposed through an Amadeus flaw. Here's what's known, and the steps an agency takes this week.
Security and complianceWhat does the CDC's Ebola attestation mean for travelers flying to the US?
From 11:59 p.m. Eastern on November 3, everyone flying into the US from abroad signs a DRC attestation before boarding. Here's what to tell travelers.
AI and automationCan AI agents book flights for travelers?
Flight sellers are opening their content to AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT. Here's how agent booking works today, and where agencies fit.
Security and complianceWhat is IATA One ID, and will travelers still need a passport?
IATA named the first One ID holders on October 28. Here's what biometric travel means for your travelers, and why the passport stays in the bag.
Corporate travelHow do travelers set up TSA PreCheck Touchless ID?
TSA PreCheck Touchless ID runs at 65 airports with six airlines. Here's how travelers opt in, and what your agency checks in each profile first.
Agency operationsWhat are Delta's rules for travel agencies?
Every Delta rule an agency works with, from debit memos to voids, each with its source and the day we checked it.
Agency operationsWhat are American's rules for travel agencies?
Every American rule an agency works with, from debit memos to voids, each with its source and the day we checked it.
Agency operationsWhat are Southwest's rules for travel agencies?
Every Southwest rule an agency works with, from debit memos to voids, each with its source and the day we checked it.
Agency operationsWhat are Alaska and Hawaiian's rules for travel agencies?
Every Alaska and Hawaiian rule an agency works with, from debit memos to voids, each with its source and the day we checked it.
Agency operationsWhat are JetBlue's rules for travel agencies?
Every JetBlue rule an agency works with, from debit memos to voids, each with its source and the day we checked it.
Agency operationsWhat are Air Canada's rules for travel agencies?
Every Air Canada rule an agency works with, from debit memos to voids, each with its source and the day we checked it.
Industry trendsWhat do the new EU refund rules mean for travel agents?
Two EU laws put travel agents in the refund chain from October 2027: 14 days to refund a cancelled flight, fees included. Here's what to set up now.
Industry trendsWhat is an airline order, and how does ARC settle it?
ARC now settles airline orders paid by cash or card. Here's what an order is, how it differs from a ticket, and how an agency gets ready.
Agency operationsHow do travel agents check entry requirements before an international trip?
IATA says airlines are paying for passengers refused entry. Here's how an agency checks a traveler's documents before each trip.
Industry trendsIs US air travel demand slowing down?
US domestic flying fell 2.7 percent in September, IATA says, while agency trips rose 2 percent. What the gap means for agency teams this fall.
Industry trendsWhy are airlines worried about what payments cost them?
IATA says airline payment costs grew faster than sales, and cards cost the most. Here's what that means for agency forms of payment and orders.
Agency operationsHow long can you void an ARC ticket in a holiday week?
ARC's 2026 holiday schedule moves the void window and the weekly report deadline. Here are the dates left this year and how to plan each week.
AI and automationHow many travelers use AI to plan their trips?
IATA's 2026 survey says 49 percent of travelers have used AI to plan a trip. Here's what that means for agencies, from search to entry rules.
AI and automationWhere will AI help travel agencies first?
AI is earning its place in the work behind each booking: reports, matching, refunds and email. Here's where it fits, and where a person approves.
Security and complianceWhat do corporate clients ask about AI and data security?
Corporate RFPs now ask how a TMC protects traveler data and uses AI. Here are the questions to expect, and how to prepare your answers.
Corporate travelHow are corporate travel programs changing?
Corporate buyers in 2026 want cost control and one view of their program. Here's what they ask their TMC for at renewal.
Corporate travelWhat does the new DOT delay rule mean for travel agencies?
Since October 19, ten causes of delay count as outside an airline's control. Here's what that changes for meals and hotels, and what agencies tell travelers.
Running an agencyHow do agencies take on more accounts with the same team?
Growing agencies make room for the next client by timing their week and moving repeatable work off their people's desks.
Agency operationsWhat happens if I miss the ARC reporting deadline?
The IAR sales report is due Tuesday at 1:59 p.m. Eastern. Here's what ARC does when it's late, and how agencies close the week on time.
Industry trendsWhat does NDC mean for an agency's week?
NDC sales settle through ARC in the same IAR report. What changes is servicing and the data your mid-office receives.
Industry trendsHow should an agency prepare for Delta's NDC launch?
Delta plans to launch NDC content by the end of 2026. Here's what it covers at launch and the checks to run before your first booking.
Agency operationsHow should a TMC track unused ticket credits?
Tie every open ticket to its traveler and its expiry, apply it at the next booking and report it to the client each month.
Industry trendsWhere is the travel agency market heading?
Agency air sales set records in 2026, driven by higher fares. Here's what the numbers say about demand, staffing, consolidation and distribution.- Agency operations
How do I dispute an airline debit memo?
How to dispute an airline debit memo in ARC Memo Manager, with the proof for each reason and the airline's window to file. - AI and automation
How do we estimate the hours a team gets back?
Where every Projected figure on this site comes from, with its range and the checks we run on it.
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