What is the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC)?
ARC is the company in the middle of US travel agency ticket sales, between the agency and the airline. This cheat sheet covers how to think about it. How it compares with IATA's settlement plan is further down.
How to think about it
- It sits between agencies and airlines. An agency's reporting agreement is with ARC, acting for itself and for the airlines that appoint the agency.
- Accreditation means ticketing power. ARC-accredited agencies can issue tickets on more than 200 airlines, through global distribution systems, aggregators and the airlines.
- Agencies report, ARC settles. The agency submits a sales report, and ARC draws the authorized amount from the agency's bank account, no earlier than the fifth calendar day after the reporting period closes.
- It's moving to orders. In January 2026, ARC launched an orders-based reporting and settlement system and said it would support both GDS EDIFACT and NDC transactions.
ARC vs. IATA BSP
| ARC | IATA BSP | |
|---|---|---|
| Run by | Airlines Reporting Corporation, based in Arlington, Virginia | IATA |
| Settles between | US travel agencies and the airlines that appoint them | Airlines and IATA-accredited travel agents |
| What agencies do | Submit sales reports; ARC draws the settlement from their bank account | Use one standardized framework for sales reporting, remittance and settlement |
Questions
What does ARC do?
It accredits US travel agencies to issue airline tickets and runs the settlement plan that moves the money from those sales between agencies and airlines. ARC processes over $100 billion in US-based agency air sales a year.
How does a travel agency become ARC accredited?
ARC's accreditation datasheet lists a US location, a $2,300 application fee, a bond, letter of credit or cash deposit of at least $20,000, entity papers and an IRS Employer ID Number. Each agency also needs a designated manager and an ARC Specialist who passes an ARC exam.
What's the difference between ARC and IATA?
ARC settles sales for ARC-accredited US travel agencies. IATA runs its own Billing and Settlement Plan, which handles sales reporting, remittance and settlement between airlines and IATA-accredited travel agents.
Does ARC handle NDC bookings?
Yes. ARC says it will support the reporting and settlement of orders-based transactions as well as both GDS EDIFACT and NDC transactions.
Sources
- Airlines Reporting Corporation, Agent Reporting Agreement, accessed November 2, 2026.
- Airlines Reporting Corporation, ARC Accreditation, accessed November 2, 2026.
- Airlines Reporting Corporation, ARC Launches Orders-Based Reporting and Settlement System to Advance Airline Retailing, accessed November 2, 2026.
- IATA, Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP), accessed November 2, 2026.
- Engine, Business Flight Booking With Engine, accessed November 2, 2026.