BSP (Billing and Settlement Plan)

The Billing and Settlement Plan is the method for providing and issuing Standard Traffic Documents and other accountable forms, and for accounting for their issue between participating BSP Airlines and Accredited Agents 1. The rules sit in the Passenger Sales Agency Rules and Resolution 850, and the BSP Manual for Agents sets out the procedures agents follow 1.

Once accredited, an agent gets access to BSPlink, the main interface for exchanging information between BSP participants 4. Appointment to sell for an airline does not by itself allow ticket issue. The agent also needs a ticketing authority from that airline 4. Depending on accreditation type, the agent may use payment options such as cash sales, where the agent collects from the customer and remits on a set date, or customer card sales, where the airline receives payment through its own card processor 4.

Monies for documents issued are treated as due to the airline whose ticketing authority was used, from the moment of issue 3. Electronic funds transfer or business-to-business direct debit is the preferred remittance method where available 3.

In practice, the agency should:

• Review and reconcile the billing reports for each IATA code every period, since IATA does not verify transaction details such as fare computations and the airline does 6.
• Check the Agent Remittance Summary for the amount due on the remittance date 6.
• Pay the full billing even where an item is disputed. A post-billing dispute is raised in BSPlink with written evidence within 12 months of the transaction date 7.