Purpose

Strategic Partners in this Area of Involvement can participate in different activities and working groups that focus on the development of Settlement and Accounting Standards. Moreover, Strategic Partners may send senior level delegates to the Advisory Forum of the Settlement and Accounting Standards Board.

Settlement and Accounting Standards Strategic Partnerships Summary

The Settlement and Accounting Standards Strategic Partnerships area derives from one of the five management boards established by Resolution under the Passenger Standards Conference, which combines the activity of the Passenger Services Conference and Passenger Tariffs Conferences. The Passenger Standards brochure (pdf) outlines the conference structure as well as standards adoption and development procedures.

Each management board is an airline-only group overseeing the strategy and direction of standards development and implementation within a specific business domain. The board has the autonomy to create and disband groups to work on specific areas of standards. Each board will also have an advisory forum, where Strategic Partners can meet with board member airlines to discuss issues around standards development and implementation.

The Settlement and Accounting Standards Board manages the development of standards concerning any interaction between airlines and other parties for the purpose of managing financial processes supporting the delivery and fulfilment of passenger services, to the extent these are developed under the Passenger Services Conference. Fulfilment is characterized as processing payment and transferring funds to the provider.  

Benefits

Activities

The Settlement and Accounting Board oversees standards covering many areas of distribution and will establish Groups to develop proposals for standards regarding business processes and data exchange in these areas:

  • BSP DISH (Data Interchange Specifications Handbook) Data Exchange Standards
  • Order Accounting
  • Revenue Accounting
  • Sales Accounting
  • Settlement with Orders

Groups under each Board may be created or disbanded by the Board at any time, but an up to date list of active groups is available online. Access to meetings and working groups are subject to individual group terms of references.  

Airline Billing and Settlement Working Group 

The Airline Billing and Settlement group is responsible for developing billing and settlement business requirements documentation and procedural standards that facilitates the exchange of information necessary for billing and settlement between airlines and any third-party transportation provider using enhanced and simplified distribution based on the passenger offer and orders standards (NDC and ONE Order). The working group is also responsible for the SwO (Settlement with Order) standards. In addition, the working group is also responsible for reviewing and endorsing proposals to amend the IATA RAM (Revenue Accounting Manual) rules (passenger and cargo). Members if the group should have experience with revenue accounting (passenger and cargo), knowledge of offers and orders industry standards (NDC and ONE Order), interline billing and settlement processes, knowledge of third-party transportation provider's billing and settlement, accounting and other financial processes. 

BSP Data Interchange Specifications Working Group 

The BSP Data Interchange Specifications group is responsible for the exchange of passenger ticketing and related data between airlines, ticket system providers and the IATA DPC within Billing and Settlement Plans (BSP). In addition, the group identifies items for future DISH releases and decision for the future of DISH with respect to the new emerging standards such as NDC and ONE Order. Members of the group should have experience in airline BSP DISH teams.

Order Accounting Working Group 

The Order Accounting group is responsible for reviewing and endorsing proposals to create or amend enhanced and simplified distribution data standards governing order accounting processes. Proposals from this group will align with existing standards and development of accounting data standards relating to orders and settlement with orders. Members of the group should have experience with passenger revenue accounting, accounting and finance processes. 

Note: Strategic Partners must join the Plan Standards, Shop Order Pay Standards, Settlement and Accounting Standards, Architecture & Technology, Common Use, Customer Experience & Facilitation, Ground Operations and/or Baggage Services Areas of Involvement in order to attend the Passenger Standards Conference as an observer. 

Focus Areas

  • Financial processing
  • Settlement data exchange
  • Financial data exchange
  • Revenue accounting

Designed For

  • Travel management companies
  • Online travel agencies
  • Global Distribution Systems (GDSs)
  • Technology providers

Please view the full list of Strategic Partnerships Program benefits (pdf).