Australia’s low fares airline Jetstar has continued to develop its distribution network for the benefit of its customers by enhancing and extending its agreement with the largest Global Distribution System (GDS) in the South East Asia region, Abacus.

The new agreement with Abacus will provide travellers with even greater access to the Jetstar network of more than 50 destinations across Australasia, South East Asia and the United States.

Abacus is the largest GDS in the South East Asian region, which represents a fast growing market for Jetstar (JQ) and respective Jetstar Brand carriers Jetstar Asia (3K), Jetstar Pacific (BL) and Valuair (VF).

This breakthrough arrangement has increased participation for the Jetstar Brands in Abacus allowing all carriers to facilitate interline sales and significantly increase their exposure to customers in the rapidly growing market. Jetstar Pacific will join the arrangement by March 2010.

The extension of the Jetstar product available through Abacus marks an enhanced offering which will build on the airlines’ growing interline selling proposition allowing greater accessibility for customers seeking to purchase complex itineraries interlinking numerous destinations and carriers.

Flight sectors on the Jetstar Brands will be ticketed when combined with an interline partner through the arrangement.

Jetstar Executive Manager Commercial David Koczkar said the enhanced arrangement with Abacus added to Jetstar’s growing number of distribution partners and marked another significant step forward following recent agreements with complementary world-leading GDS partners Galileo, Sabre and Worldspan.

“Jetstar has ambitious growth plans for the Asia Pacific market and so the increase of our participation with Abacus will provide heightened brand exposure and distribution in the region, and provide more options for customers to purchase our fares,” Mr Koczkar said.

“In addition, Abacus’ existing strength in the Asia Pacific will see our ongoing and now extended commercial relationship with them importantly help build a strong foundation for the growth of our interline business.”