ARC Updates 2021 Holiday Schedule

The ARC 2021 Holiday Schedule has been updated online, including four new ARC-recognized holidays. The following federal and non-federal holidays have been added to the schedule of ARC-recognized holidays:

  • MLK Day – Monday, January 18, 2021
  • Presidents Day – Monday, February 15, 2021
  • Juneteenth – Friday, June 18, 2021
  • Veterans Day – Thursday, November 11, 2021

ARC has updated the GDS/IAR void extension dates for each of the newly recognized holidays. Communication will be sent to agencies leading up to the individual holidays concerning these changes.

Ravn Alaska (7H/808) Joins ARC

Ravn Alaska (7H/808) will join ARC as a participating carrier effective December 14, 2020 (PED 12/20/2020).

Headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, Ravn operates various domestic routes intrastate Alaska. Many of these communities are rural, isolated locations dependent on air service for their survival. Ravn operates Dash 8-100 aircraft and has a fleet of 10 planes.

They have elected the General Concurrence method of agent appointment whereby all ARC agents are automatically appointed as agents of Ravn Alaska.

For inquiries, reservations or sales information, contact them at 1-833-418-2360 or visit their website at https://ravnalaska.com/.

Changes to ARC’s Weekly Cash Disbursement and Refund Processes

As announced via email to ARC’s travel agency customers on October 29, 2020, ARC has been informed by its settlement processor bank, U.S. Bank, that all ACH debits must be secured by the bank prior to being disbursed as part of the ACH process. U.S. Bank has taken this position as part of its own risk mitigation practices associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, ARC is required to make updates to its settlement calendar until further notice. ARC’s primary objective in this instance is to provide an equitable solution for the market and ensure airline and travel agency customers will continue to receive any funds they are owed as soon as possible.

To comply with the bank’s requirements, ARC will require all airlines to wire any funds owed and process cash debits from its travel agency customers on the Friday following the end of the sales week (five days after the period ending date, or PED+5). ARC will then process wires to its airlines and credits to its travel agency customers the following Wednesday (PED+10). These changes will go into effect beginning PED 11/08/2020. When banking holidays fall on a Friday or Monday, this schedule will adjust slightly. A visualization of the new calendar, including holiday scenarios, is available here.

For the travel agency community, this means customers who authorize a weekly sales report with a cash debit balance will be drafted five days after the close of the sales week (Friday), whereas customers who authorize a weekly sales report with a cash credit balance will disbursed funds 10 days after the close of the sales week (the following Wednesday).

Please note:

  1. These changes apply to ARC cash settlement transactions, including ARC Pay.
  2. These changes do not affect credit card transactions.

A list of FAQs is available here. If you have any questions, please contact ARC’s Customer Care Center at ccchelp@arccorp.com.

Tip of the Week: How to Dispute a Memo in Memo Manager

ARC Memo Manager gives you the ability to dispute a memo at the discretion of and within the guidelines of the validating airline. The Memo Administrator and Memo User roles can dispute a memo by using the Dispute button on the top of the Memo Details page or by using the Dispute Memo link in the Disputes section of the Memo Details page. Please note that only entering comments in the public correspondence does not change the status of the memo to a disputed status.

To dispute a memo:

  • Click the Dispute button. The “Memo Manager – Dispute” screen will appear.
  • Type the dispute dollar value in the Dispute Amount field.
  • Type any comments concerning the dispute in the Comment (public) textbox.
  • If you need to attach any supporting documentation, click the Attach File link.
  • Click Submit.
  • The “Memo Manager – Save” screen will be displayed asking "Do you want to submit changes?"
  • Click Yes to save the changes.

Once you have completed this process, the status of the memo will change to “Open-Dispute Pending”. The Airline will then either accept or reject the dispute. Airlines can set the limit of the number of times a memo can be disputed. Once the limit has been reached, the memo can no longer be disputed, and the Dispute button and Dispute Memo link will no longer be available.