Limited Participants: Effective January 2012 ACH established a Limited Participants category that enables participation in the ACH for companies that would not otherwise qualify for ACH participation as an Associate Member or Airline Related Participant. This new category provides ACH participants and their suppliers with the convenience of net settling of accounts and further allows Limited Participants the ability to net settle with one another. If your company is interested in becoming a Limited Participant, please contact ACH directly at ach@airlines.org.
Airline Related Participants: Recognizing that timely, cost-effective settlement of accounts relating to air transportation may involve both air carriers and certain other entities that are associated with air carriers, ACH permits such other entities to participant in settlements and to receive the services of the ACH based on certain conditions. To determine if your company qualifies for ACH membership as an Airline Related Participant, please contact ACH directly at ach@airlines.org.
Associate Members:
To qualify for Associate Membership in ACH, an applicant must comply with the following requirements:
1) The applicant must be an "air carrier" or a "foreign air carrier" as defined in the federal aviation laws (49 U.S.C., Section 40101 et seq., the "Act"), or a "foreign-flag air carrier" and must be engaged directly in air transportation services.
To substantiate designation as an "air carrier" or a "foreign air carrier", the applicant must be a direct air carrier that serves the United States or its territories or possessions and which possess operating authority for such purposes that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has issued to it.
To substantiate designation as a "foreign-flag air carrier", the applicant must be a direct air carrier that does not serve the United States or its territories or possessions but which operates pursuant to the authority that the civil aviation authority or authorities of the country in which it is registered requires for an air carrier to perform air transportation and is currently qualified under those requirements.
For the purpose of this paragraph, the term "air transportation" means any operation performed by aircraft for public carriage of passengers, baggage, cargo, and mail, separately or in combination, for remuneration or hire.
2) Participate in any one or more of the following airline agreements:
a) ATA Interline Traffic Agreement-Passenger
b) Amended and Restated Universal Air Travel Plan Participation Agreement
c) A bilateral interline agreement with at least one Airline, Member or Associate Member of ACH
d) IATA Multilateral Interline Traffic Agreement
3) Hold an Airline Accounting/Prefix Code and an Airline Designator assigned by the International Air Transport Association.
4) Execute the Agreement Establishing Associate Membership in the Airlines Clearing House, Inc., for the Settlement of Interline Accounts (the “Associate Membership Agreement”)
5) Pay a non-refundable administrative application fee in the amount of $100 and a Participant Deposit in the amount of $5,000. (Such deposit will not bear interest, but will be refundable to a Participant in good standing that withdraws from ACH.)
6) Agree to establish a demand deposit account with the ACH Clearing Bank in order to permit the Bank to effectuate the settlements and reconciliation of accounts.
7) Complete the settlement of all outstanding indebtedness to present ACH Members/Associate Members either through full satisfaction prior to the effective date of membership, or in lieu thereof, establish with creditor Members/Associate Members an agreed schedule of payments, through ACH, with full satisfaction of the indebtedness to be completed within six months from the date of membership. Outstanding indebtedness due from present ACH Members/Associate Members to an applicant prior to the effective date of Membership of the applicant, can not be settled through the ACH without permission from such Members/Associate Members.
If the applicant can meet the above requirements, complete the Associate Membership Application Form and return it the address below along with:
i) A copy of an interline agreement in accordance with number two (2) above
ii) A check in the amount of $5,100 representing the administrative application fee and Participant deposit in accordance with number five (5) above
Secretary-Treasurer
Airlines Clearing House, Inc.
1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 1100
Washington, D.C. 20004-1707
Upon receipt of the completed application form and funds, the Associate Membership Agreement will be sent to the applicant. Once executed, instructions for opening the required demand deposit account will be sent along with an electronic copy of the Airlines Clearing House Manual of Procedure.
