electronic ticketing for airlines

Electronic ticketing for airlines: A position paper ©Infosys Technologies

P A G E 1 O F 2 3 I N F Y P A G E 1 8 / 2 3 / 2 0 0 4 C R E A T E D B Y I N F Y

Electronic Ticketing

for

Airlines INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES LTD. TRANSPORTATION AND SERVICES

PANKAJ NARAYAN PANDIT

E- mail: [email protected] 16th February ‚04

A position paper on technology of e-ticketing for airlines.



Executive Summary

“Distribution costs are the second highest costs for airlines; e-ticketing saves $ 10 costs per paper ticket for airlines , it also saves labor costs in revenue accounting, reduces total transaction costs of making a booking, for airlines”

E lectronic ticketing (e-ticketing) involves generating an electronic

record of ticket details, keeping status of the ticket updated at every stage as the passenger uses each of the flight coupon, on post flight reconcile payments , process refunds , reissues or to generate management reports. E-ticketing has grown rapidly since its inception in 1997, mainly due to its cost saving feature for airlines. IATA has resolved that no airlines will issue paper tickets after 2007. E-ticketing, emergence of the internet websites by OTAs(Online travel agents) and airlines backed websites such as Orbitz, Hotwire have already transformed the distribution supply chain for airlines, since 2001. The complexity global electronic ticketing solution is compounded when e-tickets are interlined and used by different legacy CRS(Computerized Reservation systems) of user airlines.

H ow It W orksE -ticket

• The capabilities of In te ractive S ell is a p rerequ is ite fo r e lectronic ticke ting , th is sophis tica ted tool c reates a ticke ting m essage in E D IFA CT form at tha t is sent to a irline at the tim e of ticketing.

• The system then provides ins tan t acknowledgem ent and tracks the current s tatus o f the e lec tron ic ticke ts – whether they are flown, checked in , refunded, exchanged, o r voided. G D S provides an in terface fo r subscribers to view th is data from your e lectron ic ticketing database for subsequent passenger servic ing.

1.C reation o f E TR tem pla te

Tetetype m essageto

airline

2 . U pdating theStatus e-tk t

C oupon ind icators,fte r check in

3. R aise interlineB illing/P rocess

R efunds, e tc



In the late 1980’s , electronic distribution of the airline product was pioneered by the Global Distribution System (GDS) industry . Now the GDS industry is being challenged by the internet, Electronic ticketing may offer an opportunity for the GDS to stage a comeback while they help airlines reap benefits of cost advantages of inter airline e-ticketing . A Global Interline electronic ticketing solution will have to be anchored by a leading GDS, or a leading IT provider like IBM, SITA, to bring cost benefits to the airlines and convenience to the air traveler in the 21st century. IBM, SITA as well as GDS like Amadeus are spearheading efforts for a global inter airline e-ticketing solution and E-ticketing is essentially all about managing electronic data processing such as electronic image creation, sharing the data, communications protocols, settling interline billings, processing data for interline billings, revenue accounting, allocation of revenue , reconciliation. Infosys offers to partner with leading airlines in evolving interlining of e-ticketing solution.

Key Questions

Key questions that the airline industry is debating are,

a) How long it will take for e-ticketing to transform the “distribution supply chain” of travel industry? It was only few years ago that airline industry migrated from hand written tickets to automated printed tickets from a common BSP ticket stock.

b) Airline websites in USA account for more than 60% of online travel, enable bookings on own airline . Ability to make bookings on more than one airlines , issuing e-tickets valid on many airlines will involve MITA(Multilateral Interline Ticketing Agreements) between different airlines, uniform e-ticketing standards for managing e-ticketing database. IATA working group is setting standards for e-ticketing. However who will take a commercial lead in integrating airlines under one e-ticketing technology platform?

c) The GDS, backed by IBM main frames, set foundation of electronic distribution for airlines in the late 80’s. Can the GDS industry now lead airlines to a e-ticketing solution with interlining capabilities?



d) The airlines in North America are setting pace for rapid migration from paper tickets to e-ticketing by 2007. However “ the slowest ship in the fleet decides the speed of the entire fleet”, and it is the slow moving pace of e-ticketing in Asia, Africa , that will slow down airline industry’ s migration towards to a Global interlining e-ticketing solution. When will airlines in Asia, Africa break the technology as well as financial barriers to migrate towards e-ticketing?

e) How will e-ticketing solution work when thousands passenger are stranded due flight interruptions due natural calamities, airline resorting to strike, cancellation of flights due weather, or engineering delays? Will the additional complication of e-ticket exacerbate the situation while airline staff struggle to handle unusual events like above? How can an airline carry out transactions such as endorsement of tickets, withdrawal of incentives, refunds, rerouting of tickets issued for e-ticketing?

f) As per Airline IT Trends Survey 2004, average time scale for airlines to use e-ticketing for majority tickets sales will be 3.7 years.

When will the majority of tickets be as e-tickets?

0% 5% 10% 15% 20%

e-tickets

Already do

By end of thisyearTwo years

Three years

Four years

Five years

More than 5yearsDon’t know

No answer



This paper outlines Infosys position with respect to implementation of e-ticketing technology for airlines. We describe, in this paper, our vision about the adoption of e-ticketing technology in various regions of airline industry. Let us start with a brief overview of the e-ticketing technology and related developments.

What is E-Ticketing?

E lectronic ticketing(e-ticketing) is creation of a computer record which

instantly advises the airline(s) about details of the purchased ticket .This ticket record is stored in the ticket issuing airline's computer system, based upon which boarding card is issued to the passenger at airport, on presentation of personal identification. Since its inception in 1995, the use of e-ticketing has grown at a rapid pace. E-Ticketing frees an airline customer from the need for a paper airline ticket for boarding an aircraft. An e-ticket stores computerized passenger travel information for airlines, reduces ticket deliveries for agencies, eliminates lost tickets for passengers and provides them last-minute change options and faster airport check-in.

Domestic travel in USA is now by e-ticketing

In USA, airlines now sell electronic ticketing as a default option for domestic internet sales and only if the passenger requests a paper document a traditional paper ticket is issued. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has

#�



forecasted that by 2010, nearly 80 percent of tickets issued in the United States and the majority of tickets worldwide will by electronic.

Stages of e-ticketing

Creation of Electronic image

With electronic image, the advantages of Electronic Ticketing can be

extended even to those passengers for whom paper tickets have been issued. Electronic Image allows to access the same comprehensive passenger information you get with electronic-ticketed passengers. This information provides valuable marketing intelligence . Electronic Image also provides U.S.-based airlines with an efficient means to comply with the Air Transport Association’ s latest resolution addressing increased air travel security. Creation of electronic image completes the advantages of Electronic Ticketing. It extends the real-time exchange of ticketing data to the more traditional ATB and OPTAT paper-issued tickets.With Electronic Image , airlines capture and transmit a full and complete accounting of each ticket.

Three stages of E-icketing

Creation of electronic image

Revenue Accounting, interline billing,

Updating status of ET



Updating status of e-ticket

Tracking usage of the passenger transportation on e-ticket is an important

feature. A historical record of each ticketing transaction is maintained on the e-ticket record. The ET record is stored in issuing airlines’ database. A coupon status indicator appears against each flight coupon. These codes are not to be confused with the reservation status codes such as WL for waitlist, HK for confirmed, etc.

Status Indicator

What it means

A Coupon under airport control C Coupon checked in E Coupon reissued, exchanged F Coupon flown, used I Irregular operations L Coupon lifted, boarded N Coupon notification, airline O Coupon open for use P Print, Coupon converted to

paper doc with same ticket number

R Coupon/ticket refunded S Coupon suspended by airline T Sale transaction was issued as

paper ticket V Coupon voided X Print, Coupon converted to

paper doc with different ticket number

Revenue Accounting

In a paper ticket, the revenue accounting work typically commences only

after all the travel is complete and data entry of all elements of the coupon is then entered into airline database, either physically or through its optical image.



The value of coupon which is uplifted is then prorated for interline accounting, through IATA-BSP. In case of e-ticketing, the revenue accounting work is cheaper, faster and more efficient as valuable marketing information is readily available in electronic form and there is no need of separately entering data fields of the ticket.

GDS/CRS enable interline e- t icketing

E-ticketing information flow

MC/Validating carrier MC/Marketing carrier

CRS

MCPNR

MCPNR

MC/ETdatabase

3

OC/Operating carrier

OCPNR

OC/ETdatabase

1

2

4

5

OC/Ground handler

OC DCS

6

8(10)

7(9)

?

MC/RES will pass information about SSR TKNE and SSR FOID to OC/RES for passengers booked on MC marketing flight (5). Since OCis Operating carrier, OC/ETS must request “Airport Control” from MC/ETS. When flown, OCETS will send flown status to MC/ETS.

A prerequisite for electronic ticketing is the ability of CRS/GDS(Global

Distribution System) to support the particular airline for e-ticketing . This is particularly important when a booking is made with the itinerary involving multiple airlines. If e-ticketing is supported, then the GDS feature creates a ticketing message to the concerned airlines in EDIFACT format (Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport ). This message is sent also to the passenger at the time of ticketing. The system then provides instant acknowledgement and tracks the current status of the electronic tickets – whether they are flown, checked in, refunded, exchanged, or voided. Most GDS provides an interface for subscribers to view this data from electronic ticketing database for subsequent passenger servicing.

In mid 80’s, the GDS enabled inter-airline connectivity as well as established a communication link between airline and the travel agent. GDS also played a major role in migration of airline industry from handwritten tickets to printed tickets from a common BSP ticket stock.



Most passengers still want or need a hard copy Passenger Receipt, and most airlines still have to deliver a paper Boarding Pass. A number of government regulations, as well as the Warsaw Convention on liability, require that various "Notices" be provided to passengers. It is not inconceivable that a smart card could be the provider of this information and might also be used at self-service kiosks to obtain the notices and necessary boarding documentation. Sabre Airline Solutions, Amadeus, IBM, and SITA , Unisys offer e-ticketing systems that let airlines interline e-tickets with one another, without expense of creating their own systems.

E-Ticket process flow

“E-ticketing technology is about managing dynamic information flow and keep track of the status of ticket throughout its life cycle during journey of a passenger”

Many applications, systems, and processes within any given airline are

impacted by electronic ticketing. The processes are Reservations, Departure


P A G E 1 0 O F 2 3 I N F Y P A G E 1 0 8 / 2 3 / 2 0 0 4 C R E A T E D B Y I N F Y

Control, Revenue Accounting, Passenger Handling.

Changesto E-Ticket

Check-In

RevenueAccounting

Issuing airlineAccept/rejects

Billing for adjustments

Application of prorate rules,

Bill issuing airlineThru ICH

Airlineenters data on

ET in their system

Electronicflow ofUpliftedticket

PhysicalCheck-in at

airport

E-Ticket Process flow

Agent retrievesE-tkt for making

changes

Changes in Ticket: The travel agent wants to change the original bookings due to desire of passenger. Check in process : The passenger checks in with ET at the airport, which means status of the ticket needs to be updated in system Revenue Accounting: After check in , the data about “uplifted” ticket is entered into airline revenue accounting system, interline billing is done through IATA Clearing House , as per SPAs (Special Prorate Agreements). Towards a Interline Global ET solution : Both IBM and SITA are developing interline global solutions for ET, summary of which processes are given as under.



Summary of development stages

Interline Electronic Ticketing Hub

The Electronic Ticket Locator System

InterlineBilling

Proration

Benefits

The Hub provides connectivity betweenelectronic ticketing systems– EDIFACT handling– Message routing– Message translation– Logging– Reporting

The Electronic Ticket Locator System isdesigned to assist with ‘go-show’ passengersusing electronic ticketsIt handlesalternate search criteria queries and identifiesthe validating carrier of an electronic ticketwhen the ticket number is not known

The interline billing and pro-ration makes payments to other airlines, based on segments flown on them

Expand electronic ticketing to all itineraries will realize associated savings– Customer convenience– Reduce FIM cost– Minimize development– Additional controls for bilateral or allianceschemes

Issues

Key successfactors

Summary of Key development stages

Phase I Phase II Phase III

Airline industry to save $ 3 billion per year !

Airlines make direct savings of $10 each time an e-ticket replaces a

printed ticket; IATA –BSP distributes 300 million paper tickets a year for airlines, and the airlines themselves issue 70 million. According to other estimates, airlines can save $ 15-24 in total costs per ticket issued electronically as e-ticketing eliminates as many as 12 steps in manual handling of the ticket by travel agents. Last year, 8 million passengers, two out of three Air Canada customers, chose e-tickets. American Airlines, Continental, Delta, have announced that all their interlining partners will have to be compliant with e-ticketing by 2005, they plan to go 100% electronic by then.

a Ironically, it is the leisure travelers, who first began using latest technology of e-tickets, while more technology savvy business travelers did not patronize it for fear of losing flexibility.

a It is possible to track unused portions of e-tickets, make changes, request refunds, or credit miles to loyalty program, all using internet, something next to impossible with a paper ticket. Business travel using e-ticket

IA TA has pledged to push paper tickets out by 2007, as e-tickets will reduce costs and improve customer service . A merican, Continental, Delta have already averaged over 90% mark in use of e-tickets



means easier accounting, expense tracking, and even self booking by the executive.

a The CIO in airline has become important in delivering e-ticketing solutions quickly for its cost saving nature as well its simplification of business processes.

a Airline alliances will be the first ones to offer e-tickets capable of interlining among airline partners as they are most likely to have all the SPAs(Special Prorate Agreements) , technology standards in place for moving to interline e-ticketing between alliances, thereby differentiating with others.

a How to take the e-ticketing, after its adoption among airline alliances, to the second tier, smaller airlines is a key question that will divide the airline industry.

IATA’s Standardization efforts “IA TA working group is working on standardization of e-ticketing parameters”

O ne of the major problems with e-ticketing adoption for interlining

applications is the lack of standardization across many fronts, ranging from the different legacy systems used for reservations, ensuring that e-ticketing data remains accessible to al other participating airlines. To overcome such problems several standardization activities have started such as CUSS( Common Use Self Service) kiosks that automate check in process. The development of CUTE(Common use terminal equipment) helps airlines lower the costs of airport infrastructure and making airport check in easier experience of airline passenger. All such technological developments have speeded implementation of e-ticketing.

IA TA is actively working towards a industry standard for use of e-ticketing by airlines and has set a deadline of 2007 for full migration to e-tickets.



Airline IT Trends Survey ’04

“In Infosys view, US based airlines will completely phase out paper tickets and reach almost 100% of e-ticketing capability within next three years.”

Airport IT trends survey reveals that within 3.7 years, majority of airline

industry ticket sales will be e-tickets. At present, N. America leads the industry with 41.4% tickets issued as e-tickets. (Source: Airline Business-Aug’ 04)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

N.America EUR. APAC Avg.

E-tickets issued as % of total

Infosys view of e-t icketing technology

Infosys believes the e-ticketing technology will be fully adopted into all

major airlines in USA, Europe by 2007, which is the IATA deadline for migration from paper tickets to e-ticketing . E-ticketing , online booking and sales are powerful tools enabled by internet have transformed the travel distribution chain. The leading airlines now insist that their interlining partners

Focusing on leading airlines of airline alliances, for interlining solution of e-ticketing applications, is the key for developing end-to-end capabilities and emerging as an important player in the e-ticketing space in airline industry.



from other airlines adopt e-ticketing which will hasten implementation of this technology in Asia , and Africa.

The market opportunity

Airlines that invest early in e-business will outpace the competition and

achieve cost reduction. Since the introduction of GDS technology, the travel industry has been at the forefront of e-business transformation. Today, the challenges are more complex. The first wave of e-business applications , e-ticketing for domestic travel, has gained initial acceptance, and now must expand to meet international travelers’ expectations. Travel is fast becoming the most-purchased product on the Internet as traditional distribution channels are giving way to online intermediaries. Travel portals and e-markets require alliances with competitors and suppliers.

While Infosys is convinced about the huge market opportunity for e-

ticketing applications in airlines in USA, Europe, we are aware that large scale adoption of this technology by airlines in Asia, Africa is still at least a couple of years away. While the airlines in USA, Canada race to adopt e-ticketing technology due to cost saving nature, they will make their alliance partners elsewhere to fully adopt e-ticketing capabilities .At Infosys, TnS , we believe that cost saving technology of e-ticketing in airlines can find its adoption in several other fields in transportation and entertainment industry. The

Indirect costs associated with paper tickets will spiral as majority airlines adopt e-tickets; thus airlines left behind will be severely handicapped in integrating with others.



standards set by the airline industry can be easily adopted in railways, car rentals, entertainment, cruise, hotels industry.

a The first phase (1997-2004) of e-ticketing adoption for airlines, was confined to major airlines in USA, Europe and now the action will shift to Asia, Africa.

a The other dimension is that e-ticketing technology will have profound changes in several related fields like revenue accounting, MIS for airlines, ICH(IATA clearing house) operations for interline billing, automated check in counters, leading to greater coordination between e-ticketing data meshing with CRM (Customer Resource Management) applications. All this means airlines will have more control over their consumer data and can use it for better control over buying behavior.

Conclusions

E -ticketing technology for airlines will emerge as a major cost saving

technology for airlines, promising to save $3 billion per year. More savings are expected from saving in travel agency commissions, which are possible only due paperless transactions. Further, e-ticketing will result in quicker realization of payments, shorter working capital cycle, faster accounting systems for reporting revenues. North America is leading region in implementing e-ticketing technology , due to spread of internet, online travel portals and the airlines’ emphasis on developing own websites. Airlines in USA will continue to hasten the pace of global interlining solutions of e-ticketing, after experiencing its cost benefits on online carriage. As e-ticketing is essentially all about managing information, (electronic image creation, sharing information, communications protocols, settling interline billings, processing data for interline billings, revenue accounting, allocation of revenue , reconciliation, etc) as has been explained in this paper, Infosys can very well position their proven IT capabilities in any of the following ways; Infosys’ business consulting role: IATA/SITA as well as IBM are interested in hearing from prospective launch customers for e-ticketing interline solution to enable beta-testing to take place. Infosys as a business consultant can carry out a pilot for the interlining of e-ticketing solution to increase its effectiveness. Infosys role in internal airline IT system development: ( Legacy system protocol adaptors) There are number of “ off the shelf ” commercial packages



available in areas such as e-ticketing, finance, revenue accounting, CRM, crew scheduling, Internet booking engines, etc. However the integration of these packages with core sales and operating systems of the airline is often the black spot of the project. Lack of understanding of data and protocols often leads to delays, hidden costs and delay in “time to market” which denies full benefits of the new system. Infosys as IT consultants can expose the host data in XML with schemas which enables any solution provider to plug in their application quickly into airline environment. Infosys role in B2B system development: Airline need to optimize the value supply chain with their suppliers, intermediaries, corporate customers, where fast and efficient flow of information is the key to success. The creation of well structured XML messages enables the airline to establish business relationships that can be implemented quickly, extended easily . Infosys has proven success stories in design, development of B2B internet based portals for Reatisl Supply chain industry. Similar initiatives for airlines focusing on their corporate clients, frequent flyers, interline partners, etc, will greatly assist airlines in transition to an “IT enabled airline.” Infosys role in B2C system development: By converting the host e-ticketing data in XML, it is possible to match with multiple interfaces. For example, a single host transaction such as flight information , can be transformed into XML, and then retransformed into XSLT to provide a web interface, an SMS interface, a voice interface(using VoiceXML), a kiosk interface or an interactive inter active TV interface.



References: 1.IATA ticketing handbook, 32nd edition. 2.www.iata.org 3.www.Heedna.org 4.www.sita.org 5.Airlinebusiness/SITA airline IT survey-2004 1. Annexure Resolution 784

Electronic Reservation Services Providers PSC(MV)784 (except USA) Expiry: Indefinite Type: B

Effective June 1, 2001

Resolved that, When selling air transportation via electronic commerce Electronic Reservation Services Providers, airlines and CRSs use the following identification scheme and procedures as detailed in the Electronic Reservation Services Provider’s Implementation Guide published separately.

An ERSP (Electronic Reservation Services Provider) is the term used to refer to a business that provides the ability for an individual consumer and/or corporation to make airline reservations via any electronic

The airline industry needs uniquely assigned numbers to identify businesses which make airline reservations and issue tickets. An ERSP number provides a means for airlines to identify reservation services providers which allow individual consumers and/or corporations to make airline reservations electronically.

Electronic Reservation Services Provider Identification

In order to differentiate between consumer based reservations made via an Electronic Reservation Services Provider and traditional professional travel agent initiated bookings, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in co-operation with the Air Transport Association of America (ATA) and the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) have developed a numbering scheme to uniquely identify all Electronic Reservation Services Providers and traditional professional travel agents operating an electronic reservations service (IATA Resolution 898a refers). All Electronic Reservation Services Providers, airlines and CRSs identify all known consumer Electronic Reservation Services Providers to IATA and ARC so that these unique numbers can be assigned. The unique numbers will be passed to airlines in all interactions between an Electronic Reservation Services Provider and airline host system.

For detailed information on procedures recommended for ERSPs, airlines and CRSs when selling air transportation via electronic commerce refer to the Electronic



Reservation Services Providers Implementation Guide, published in the Reservations Services Manual. Airline Guide to Involuntary Rerouting

The IATA publication "Airline Guide to Involuntary Rerouting" is now available. This guide details procedures to be followed and suggests best practices when dealing with flight disruptions. Produced in co-operation with the Airline Revenue Accounting community as part of their "Vision Project" the book in particular suggests ways in which the issuance of Flight Interruption Manifests (FIMs) can be reduced and dispels some of the most common beliefs surrounding revenue accounting and FIMs. The book also comes with a high value CD-Rom incorporating an electronic version.

Appendix A Electronic Ticketing - Glossary of Terms AGENT means an accredited Passenger Sales Agent location having direct access to one or more System Providers/Servicing Carriers. AUTOMATED TICKET/BOARDING PASS (ATB) is the form of automated ticket and boarding pass described in Resolutions 722c and 722d. It is a single copy non-carbonised ticket (normally on card stock) with each coupon imprinted separately. Each coupon used for air transport is comprised of a flight coupon and a detachable passenger coupon and boarding pass for a specific flight. One coupon is issued as the passenger receipt which together with all passenger coupons and boarding passes builds up the passenger copy of the passenger ticket and baggage check. BILLING AND SETTLEMENT PLAN (BSP) is a method of providing and issuing traffic documents and of accounting and settling accounts between airlines and Travel Agents. COMPUTER GENERATED DOCUMENT NUMBER is a document number that is computer generated and printed on the document at the time of issue. The airline code and form code may be pre-printed, with the serial number being computer generated. COMPUTER RESERVATIONS SYSTEM (CRS)/SYSTEM PROVIDER means a



computerised system containing information about schedules, availability, fares and related services, and through which reservations can be made and/or tickets issued, and which makes some or all of these facilities available to subscribers. COUPON MEDIA means a code used in connection with the "Issued In Exchange For" data element to identify if the flight coupon(s) being exchanged is "P" for paper or "E" for Electronic, i.e., 9991234567890/234/EEP. COUPON STATUS INDICATOR indicates the current status of the flight/value coupon, e.g. open for use, flown. The following indicators are valid: A3 Airport Control B Reserved for future Industry use (Interline Billing) C3 Checked-In E2 Exchanged/Reissued F3 Flown/Used I1,3 Irregular Operations (used to notify the Validating Carrier that the Marketing Carrier is extending the length of time it will maintain control of a coupon (beyond the 48 hours) due to an irregular operation situation) L3 Lifted/Boarded N Coupon Notification O Open for Use P Printed R2 Refunded S1,4 Suspended (Security/Fraud/Possible or identified fraudulent transaction) T Paper Ticket 2 Note: Indicates that the sale transaction was issued as a paper ticket with a computer generated ticket number. V Void (All coupons) X Print Exchange 0-9 Reserved for on-line use only FOOTNOTES: 1 Coupon may not be used 2 Status set by Carrier or from a message generated by a CRS on behalf of an agent. The result may be a Refund/Exchange Authorisation (REA) and/or Settlement Authorisation Code (SAC). 3 Status to be set by Carrier only 4 Status to be set by Validating Carrier only DEPARTURE CONTROL SYSTEM (DCS) is an automated method of performing check-in, capacity and load control and dispatch of flights. DOCUMENT NUMBER is the unique identification number of a traffic document as outlined in Recommended Practice 1720a. The document number comprises the airline code, form code, serial number and in some cases, a check digit.



EDIFACT means Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport. ELECTRONIC COUPON means an electronic Flight Coupon or other value document held in Carrier’s database. ELECTRONIC MISCELLANEOUS DOCUMENT (EMD) means an electronic record issued by a Member or its authorised agent, in accordance with applicable tariffs, for the issuance of the Excess Baggage Ticket, Miscellaneous Charges Order. Electronic Miscellaneous Documents issued in conjunction shall be considered a single electronic record. ELECTRONIC TICKET (ET) means the Itinerary/Receipt issued by or on behalf of Carrier, the Electronic Coupons and, if applicable, a boarding document. ELECTRONIC TICKETING DATA ELEMENTS GLOSSARY means a document that defines each of the data elements used in Electronic Ticketing EDIFACT messages. ELECTRONIC TICKETING EDIFACT IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE means a document that describes the recommended standard for Electronic Ticketing EDIFACT messages. Where possible, the Guide follows ATA/IATA PADIS documentation standards. ITINERARY/RECEIPT means a document or documents forming part of the Electronic Ticket which contains the information and notices required in accordance with Resolutions 722f and 722g. INTERLINE is used in conjunction with another word to describe anything involving two or more Members, such as interline itinerary, interline reservation, interline stopover, interline point, interline transaction, etc. INTERACTIVE CONVERSATION allows for immediate processing and response and can involve additional queries and responses. 3 MARKETING CARRIER means the airline whose Airline Designator is recorded as the transporting Carrier on the electronic flight/value coupon(s). MESSAGE CONSTRUCTION MATRIX means a grid containing a master list of data elements that comprise each Electronic Ticket/Miscellaneous Documents EDIFACT message. The message construction matrix for airline electronic ticketing can be found in Resolution 722f and for neutral ET in Resolution 722g. NEUTRAL TICKET is the form of Automated Ticket for use by Travel Agents not bearing any pre-printed individual airline identity.



OFF-PREMISE LOCATION means any non airline location where automated tickets are issued, e.g. an approved location of a passenger sales agent or a commercial account. OFF-PREMISE TICKET means a ticket described in Resolution 722a and intended for use by Travel Agents, whether or not this bears a pre-printed individual airline identity. OFF-PREMISE TRANSITIONAL AUTOMATED TICKET (OPTAT) means either form of automated ticket, normally issued by agents, described in Resolution 722a. It is a multi-copy carbonised ticket. OPERATING CARRIER means the airline actually providing carriage or other services incidental to such air carriage.. The Operating Carrier may be different from the Marketing Carrier in situations where bilateral agreements exist, e.g., code share agreement. Used only when different from Marketing Carrier. PNR (PASSENGER NAME RECORD) means a record of each passenger’s travel requirements which contains all information necessary to enable reservations to be processes and controlled by the booking and participating airlines. PNR ADDRESS is a term used to designate an alpha-numeric code referring to a specific area in the memory of an automated reservations system in which a given passenger name record is stored. PRE-PRINTED DOCUMENT NUMBER is a document number that is pre-printed on the traffic document at the time of manufacture. REAL-TIME means a computer system which processes the input and gives a response immediately or within seconds. REDIRECT AIRPORT CONTROL means the process by which a Marketing or Operating Carrier may return control of the ET flight coupon(s) to the Validating Carrier with instructions to transfer control to a designated Carrier. REFUND/EXCHANGE AUTHORISATION (REA) is used by a system provider to report a refund, exchange or transaction to a BSP. The data elements to be reported are those detailed in the Data Interchange Specifications Handbook (DISH). SETTLEMENT AUTHORISATION CODE means a reference number generated by the Validating Carrier authorising settlement of a coupon(s) upon final use (e.g., coupon status change to E, F, P, R, V, or X) of that coupon by another Carrier or agent.



4 TICKET means either the document entitled “Passenger Ticket and Baggage Check” or the Electronic Ticket, in each case issued by or on behalf of Carrier, and including Conditions of Contract, notices and the Coupons contained in it. TRANSACTION ACTION defines the purpose of a request/outbound message. Valid codes are as follows: C = Change in Status - Indicates a request to modify the current coupon status; e.g. "open for use" to airport control". D = Display - Indicates a request to exhibit information associated with the ET/EMD. E = Exchange/Reissue - Indicates a request to update the coupon status of the original ET/EMD and record the sale of the new transaction. H = History Display Request - Indicates a request to exhibit the chronological transaction information associated with the ET/EMD. L = Revalidation - Indicates a request to modify specified fields associated with the ET flight coupon. N.= Redirected - Indicates a request to redirect airport control of an ET to a designated Carrier. P = Print - Indicates a request to convert the ET/EMD flight/value coupon(s) to paper document(s). R = Refund - Indicates a request to return the unused value of the ET/EMD flight/value coupon(s). S = Sale - Indicates a request to document the issuance of an ET/EMD. T = Transfer Control - Indicates an unsolicited request to change control from the Validating Carrier to the Marketing Carrier. U = Update - Indicates a request sent to the Validating Carrier of the passenger ticket to associate an EMD to a specific ET flight coupon. V = Void - Indicates a request to cancel the sale of an ET/EMD. X = System Cancel - Indicates a request sent only by the CRS/System Provider to null and void the "Issuance" message or "Exchange/Reissue" message. The message is generated when a response is not received from the Validating Carrier due to a system outage, system time, etc. TRANSITIONAL AUTOMATED TICKET (TAT) is the form of automated ticket, normally issued by airline offices, described in Resolution 722. It is a multi-copy carbonised ticket.



TYPE "A" MESSAGE means an interactive communications format that requires an immediate response. TYPE "B" MESSAGE means a communications format that guarantees the delivery of the message to the receiving system. In the airline industry, this communications format is used for teletype traffic. No response is received from a message of this type. VALIDATING CARRIER means the issuing airline whose numeric airline code is reflected in the electronic transaction for the flight/value coupon(s).The Validating Carrier shall be the controlling and authorising entity for Electronic Ticketing transactions. 1 Appendix B - Electronic Ticketing Messages Summary Each ET message exchange comprises two parts: � a request message, requesting a specific action to be carried out (e.g. obtain control of a coupon, refund a ticket, display a ticket, etc.) � a response, either confirming the requested action has been carried out or refusing the request and stating the reason for refusal.