Abacus seals Air Busan content
Abacus International has signed a new five-year exclusive agreement with Korean low-cost carrier Air Busan.
Effective 1 August 2012, the deal will see Air Busan become the first Korean LCC to offer its fare content for sale with Abacus. Under the terms of the full content parity agreement, Abacus-connected travel agents will be provided with complete access to Air Busan’s fares and inventory.
“We are very excited to partner with Air Busan and privileged with their belief in our ability to provide them with the most effective distribution platform to reach out to their customers and support their growth in Asia,” said Ho Hoong Mau, Abacus’ Division Head for Airline Distribution. “This partnership is significant to Abacus as it marks our first foray into the Korean low-cost carrier industry. With our extensive network of travel agents across Asia, we will ensure that Air Busan will have a broad distribution solution that caters to the airline’s requirements in establishing itself as a leader in the Korean LCC market as well as with international expansion.”
Established in 2007, Air Busan is subsidiary of Korea’s Asiana Airlines. It currently operates three domestic routes to Seoul and Jeju and seven international routes to destinations in the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and China. The airline is also looking to add flights to Kaohsiung and Macau.
“We are very pleased to enter in this partnership with Abacus. With their strength and expertise across Asia, we are confident they are the ideal partner to help us grow both our brand and presence in Asia. We hope that through this agreement, we will be able to leverage their extensive network to reach out effectively to our consumers,” commented Pan Ho Choi, Vice President of Air Busan’s Management Division.
The agreement follows a number of LCC content agreements recently finalised by Abacus, including those with AirAsia Philippines and Scoot.