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Introduction to Sabre for New Agents
Pre-course Material
Sabre Training Department
Sabre Pty Ltd ABN 072 003 696 982
Table of Contents
Introduction to Sabre for New Agents ................................................................................ 3 Course Objectives ........................................................................................................... 3 Learning Outcomes .......................................................................................................... 3 Assessment & Proficiency Review ...................................................................................... 3 Introduction to Sabre for New Agents ................................................................................ 4 Assumed Knowledge & Prerequisites .................................................................................. 4 Topics Not Covered ......................................................................................................... 4 Pre Course Reading ......................................................................................................... 4 Sabre Overview .............................................................................................................. 5 Sabre’s Database ............................................................................................................ 5 Travel Industry Overview ................................................................................................. 6 International Air Transportation Association ........................................................................ 8 How it Works .................................................................................................................. 8 Universal Codes .............................................................................................................. 9 Encode/Decode ............................................................................................................... 9 City Codes .................................................................................................................... 10 Major City Codes ........................................................................................................... 10 Airport Codes ................................................................................................................ 11 Airline Codes ................................................................................................................ 11 Class of Travel .............................................................................................................. 12 Airline Reservation Codes ............................................................................................... 12 Class of Service ............................................................................................................ 12 24-Hour Clock ............................................................................................................... 12 Days of the Week .......................................................................................................... 13 The Sabre System ......................................................................................................... 14 Connecting to Sabre ...................................................................................................... 15 Sabre City Pair Availability .............................................................................................. 17 Passenger Name Records ............................................................................................... 17 Creating a PNR ............................................................................................................. 18 Special Service Requests ................................................................................................ 18 Other Service Information .............................................................................................. 18 Sprint Home ................................................................................................................. 19 The Sabre PNR .............................................................................................................. 20 Sabre PNR Example ....................................................................................................... 20 Glossary ....................................................................................................................... 21 Pre Course Exercises ..................................................................................................... 24
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Sabre Training Sydney, Australia A.B.N. 72 003 696 982 E: [email protected]
Pre Course Reading Page 3 of 26 January 2015
Introduction to Sabre for New Agents
Course Objectives The Introduction to Sabre for New Agents course is
designed for new travel consultants who have basic
travel industry knowledge with limited or no experience
using the Sabre computer reservation system.
The course aims to give you the Sabre skills required to
confidently create, maintain and manage air bookings in
the Sabre system.
The course is conducted in sequential order, using step
by step explanations and scenario based examples. It is
competency based and directed towards the practical,
day-to-day tasks of travel consultants.
In depth knowledge of the system will come with time
and experience of using the system.
Learning Outcomes On completion of this course, you will be able to:
Create and modify flight reservations
Interpret Sabre responses
Update Passenger Name Records (PNRs)
Request special meals and services
Send ‘Other Service Information’ to the airlines
Request and interpret Sabre fare quotes
Use Sabre online help
Assessment &
Proficiency Review
Throughout the course, there are a series of ‘hands on’
exercises designed for you to practise your new Sabre
skills.
On the last day you will do a Proficiency Review to assess
your ability to use the Sabre system. The review is an
open book and scenario based exercise that requires you
to create and modify a multi segment flight itinerary,
request special meals, retrieve and interpret fare
information and advise specific information to the
airlines.
After successful completion of this exercise, you will
receive a Sabre ‘Certificate of Achievement’.
Note. A pass mark of 85% is required to be deemed
competent.
Pre Course Reading Page 4 of 26 January 2015
Introduction to Sabre for New Agents
Assumed Knowledge &
Prerequisites
From your travel agency experience and by studying this
pre-course information guide, we expect you to know the
following:
Travel Agency practices and procedures
Major cities around the world
24 hour clock eg.1900
Days of the Week Codes eg. 6
Sabre Identification Code keys
Mandatory items for creating Passenger Name Records
How to use a keyboard and a mouse
Topics Not Covered This course will not include:
Travel business practices and procedures
IATA Fares and Ticketing I and II
Travel destination information
Car and hotel reservations
Sabre automated ticketing or electronic ticketing
Mid or back office financial practices and procedures
Pre Course Reading In preparation for this course, please read through this
guide, complete the exercises and bring it with you on the
first day of your course.
Pre Course Reading Page 5 of 26 January 2015
Sabre Overview
Sabre is the leading provider of technology, distribution and marketing services for the
travel industry. There are over 350,000 Sabre Connected agencies around the world
connected to the Sabre system. The Sabre global distribution system (GDS) is the
world's largest travel marketplace - more than $110 billion worth of travel is sold
through it each year
The Sabre system was developed by American Airlines for Travel Agents in the 1960s
and is now the world’s largest non government computer system. It is also the largest
database of travel and tourism information.
Sabre’s Database
The Sabre database stores a range of information, much of which is provided directly
by vendors, such as airlines, hotels, car companies. Information stored in Sabre
includes: 800 airline schedules
Ability to shop and book 400 airlines globally
986,000 City pairs
87+ million published fares
1 billion+ fare constructions
125,000 hotel properties
25 rental car companies
16 Cruise Lines
200 Tour Operators
50 Rail Carriers
80,000 Transactions per second (at peak)
100,000+ Agency Computers accessing Sabre travel content globally at any time
Present in more than 85 countries and 15 languages
Automated Reference System
Sabre Pty Ltd commenced operations in Australia in 1989 and is wholly-owned by
Abacus International. Sabre markets and distributes the Sabre system and a locally
developed Travel Management System (Sabre Agency Manager) in the South Pacific
region.
Pre Course Reading Page 6 of 26 January 2015
Travel Industry Overview
The Travel industry is made up of a great many companies ranging from international
airlines and hotel chains to local information centres and IT solution providers. A Travel
agent sells goods and services on behalf of suppliers, such as airlines, hotels and tour
operators.
Each time a sale is made, the travel agent generally earns a commission. Travel Agents
may also generate income from other sources, such as Fees for Service, Incentives and
Rebates.
There are many different types of travel agents that cater for a very wide range of travel
needs, from business and leisure to shopping tours and religious pilgrimages. Listed
below are some widely used terms and definitions.
A G E N C Y T Y P E E X P L A N A T I O N
Corporate Business Travel usually conducted over the phone.
Leisure or Retail Holiday Travel usually conducted face- to-face in retail locations, such as shopping centres.
Inbound Travel arrangements for people coming into a country. Eg. To Australia
Outbound Travel arrangements for people travelling to another country. Eg. To Europe.
Accredited Travel agency with a license to issue international and domestic airline tickets. Also known as an IATA Agency (see International Air Transportation Association)
Implant A travel consultant employed by a corporate travel agency, who is located within a major, corporate headquarters. Eg. IBM
Freelance A self employed travel consultant with their own client base, who is associated with an accredited travel agency.
Consortium A group of companies who jointly own a travel agency.
OTA (Online Travel Agent)
A Travel Agent that primarily uses the internet to conduct their business.
Independent A Travel Agent that is owned and operated by an individual person or company.
Wholly Owned Travel Agency Group usually with many branches.
Franchise A Travel Agent affiliated with a wholly owned Travel Agency Group. Eg. Jetset
Pre Course Reading Page 7 of 26 January 2015
Travel Industry Overview
The Travel Agent
Commission
Suppliers
Transportation Airlines
Car Hire
Cruise
Coach/Bus
Limousines
Ferry
Rail
Taxi
Bicycle
Boating
Accommodation Resorts
Hotels
Motels
Youth Hostels Lodges
Camping/Caravan
Tour Operators Local/International
Theme Parks
Theatre
Sports
Tourist Attractions
Travel Related Global Distribution Systems
IT Providers
Consolidators
Consulates
Airport taxes
Health Services
Tourist Bureau
Travellers Cheques
Insurance
Duty Free
Restaurants/Cafes
Fee for Service Incentives & Rebates
Leisure Corporate
Pre Course Reading Page 8 of 26 January 2015
Travel Industry Overview
International Air Transportation Association
Most major airlines are members of the International Air Transportation Association
(I.A.T.A) which is the governing body responsible for creating and enforcing the rules
and regulations for international air transportation of both passengers and cargo.
How it Works
The Travel Agent is
accredited to issue
electronic tickets on behalf
of participating airlines.
Daily ticket sales reports
are sent electronically (via
Sabre) to a ‘clearing
house’ known as BSP.
Full payment for all tickets
issued the previous week
is automatically deducted
from the travel agent’s bank account each week.
I.A.T.A. grants a license to travel
agents that are able to meet specific
criteria to issue electronic tickets on
behalf of members or participating airlines.
Billing Settlement Plan - BSP is a
division of IATA that acts as a
clearing house on behalf of
participating airlines.
BSP processes and reconciles tickets
issued by all IATA accredited travel
agents and consolidators (ticket
wholesalers) in Australia.
The airline handles all queries and
ticket discrepancies directly with the
travel agent. The airline checks all
tickets to ensure the correct fares are
charged in accordance with the fare
rules for the ticket.
If they find errors, the airline will send
an Agency Debit Memo (ADM) to the
travel agent for the balance of the fare
– known as an Additional Collection.
Pre Course Reading Page 9 of 26 January 2015
Universal Codes
When you make a flight reservation in Sabre the same codes for airports, cities and
airlines are used worldwide. It is not necessary for you to know all the codes but it is
important that you use the right codes.
Sabre has special entries that enable you to find out a code (encode) or find out what
the coded name is (decode).
Encode/Decode
Sabre can encode and decode:
cities and airports
airlines
aircraft equipment
city and country codes
Tip! Encode converts a Name to Code
Decode converts a Code to Name
Encode Example
Decode Example
Pre Course Reading Page 10 of 26 January 2015
Universal Codes
City Codes
All major cities and airports around the world are identified by a
three-letter code. The three letter city or airport code is used
when requesting a city pair availability or making a flight
reservation.
For example, if you were requesting a city pair availability between
Sydney and Melbourne, you would use the codes SYD (Sydney)
and MEL (Melbourne)
Major City Codes
Australia Asia United States Adelaide ADL Bangkok* BKK Chicago* CHI Alice Springs ASP Beijing* PEK Honolulu HNL Brisbane BNE Denpasar
(Bali)
DPS Las Vegas LAS
Cairns CNS Hong Kong HKG Los Angeles LAX Canberra CBR Jakarta JKT New York* NYC Gold Coast OOL Kuala Lumpur KUL San Francisco SFO Darwin DRW Manila MNL Washington* WAS Hobart HBA Singapore SIN Launceston LST Tokyo* TYO Canada
Melbourne MEL Vancouver YVR Perth PER New Guinea Montreal* YUL Sydney SYD Port Moresby POM Toronto* YTO Townsville TSV Fiji New Zealand Europe Nadi NAN Auckland AKL
Amsterdam AMS Suva SUV Wellington WLG
Athens ATH Christchurch CHC London* LON Paris* PAR Rome* ROM
*Some cities have multiple airports – the codes shown above are CITY codes, not airport codes. Though, in some circumstances they can be the same.
Pre Course Reading Page 11 of 26 January 2015
Universal Codes
Airport Codes
When cities have more than one airport, that city will have a code for each airport as
well as a city code. For example, Paris (PAR) has 2 major airports: Orly (ORY) which is
used for predominantly domestic travel and Charles De Gaulle (CDG) which is used for
international departures and arrivals.
C I T Y A I R P O R T C O D E
Washington Washington Dulles International
Washington Reagan
IAD
DCA
New York La Guardia
John F. Kennedy
Newark, New Jersey
LGA
JFK
EWR
Montreal Mirabel
Trudeau
YMX
YUL
London London Heathrow
London Gatwick
LHR
LGW
Tokyo Tokyo Haneda
Tokyo Narita
HND
NRT
Airline Codes
All airlines are identified by a two-character code. To be able to book the right airline to
the right destination, you must use the right code for the airline, airport, and /or city.
Major World Airlines include:
A I R L I N E C O D E
Air China CA
Air India AI
Air Pacific FJ
Air New Zealand NZ
Alitalia AZ
American Airlines AA
Asiana OZ
British Airways BA
Cathay Pacific Airways CX
China Airlines CI
China Eastern Airlines MU
Garuda Indonesia GA
Emirates Airlines EK
Japan Airlines JL
Korean Airlines KE
Lufthansa LH
Malaysian Airlines MH
Philippine Airlines PR
Qantas Airways QF
Singapore Airlines SQ
Thai Airways International TG
United Airlines UA
Pre Course Reading Page 12 of 26 January 2015
Universal Codes
Class of Travel
Airlines may have one, two, three or four classes of service
on board an aircraft depending on the size of the aircraft.
These are usually First, Business, Premium Economy or
Economy Class.
In North America, economy class is known as coach class.
Airline Reservation Codes
All airlines offer a range of fare types to cater for different travel needs. For example,
some fares must be purchased in advance; some have preset travel dates and others
may have minimum and maximum stay requirements. In most instances the airline will
allocate a limited number of seats per flight for a specific fare type.
When you make a reservation in Sabre, you need to use a single letter reservation code,
which represents both the class of service and type of fare the passenger will be
purchasing.
24-Hour Clock
The 24-Hour clock is widely used in the travel industry to show
departure and arrival times. In North America the 12 hour clock (am
and pm) is used.
For example, your client wants to travel from Sydney to Melbourne
at 6pm. In your Sabre availability entry you would enter 1800. This
would tell Sabre to display only the flights departing around that
time.
The following table lists the twenty-four hour clock and the time in
twelve-hours.
0100 1.00am 0700 7.00am 1300 1.00pm 1900 7.00pm 0200 2.00am 0800 8.00am 1400 2.00pm 2000 8.00pm 0300 3.00am 0900 9.00 am 1500 3.00pm 2100 9.00pm 0400 4.00am 1000 10.00am 1600 4.00pm 2200 10.00pm 0500 5.00am 1100 11.00am 1700 5.00pm 2300 11.00pm 0600 6.00am 1200 12 noon 1800 6.00pm 0000 12 midnight
Class of Service First Business Premium
Economy
Economy
Reservation
Code
F or P J or C T or E
Varies per
carrier
Y or M
Eg. B Q L K
Pre Course Reading Page 13 of 26 January 2015
Universal Codes
Days of the Week
In a Sabre city pair availability response or an itinerary display, the days of the week
are shown as numbers and in some instances as letters.
Monday MON 1 M
Tuesday TUE 2 T
Wednesday WED 3 W
Thursday THU 4 Q
Friday FRI 5 F
Saturday SAT 6 J
Sunday SUN 7 S
Month Abbreviations
When you are requesting city pair availability (flight) availability in Sabre, the month of
travel is abbreviated to a three letter code shown below.
January JAN February FEB March MAR
April APR May MAY June JUN
July JUL August AUG September SEP
October OCT November NOV December DEC
Pre Course Reading Page 14 of 26 January 2015
The Sabre System
Sabre Red
Workspace
The Sabre® Red™ Workspace is an easy-to-use agent booking
platform, and the core of the Sabre® Red™ travel solution. Our
intelligent workspace delivers all relevant content within your
workflow. From the world’s largest travel marketplace to advanced
booking capabilities and application integration — the Red Workspace
is a one-stop shop.
Information from your workstation flows through the Internet via a
Virtual Private Network into the Sabre database located in Tulsa,
Oklahoma, USA.
Because much of the Sabre Red Workspace application will live on
your desktop, you will experience faster loading times as it does not
load over the Internet. In addition, when you sign into Sabre Red
Workspace, the Sabre system work area loads prior to checking for
updates. You will see greater stability since much of the heavy
processing will occur on the desktop side instead of on the server side.
This will require a lot less reliance on Internet connectivity and speed.
Pre Course Reading Page 15 of 26 January 2015
Connecting to Sabre
The keyboard designated for the Sabre workstation has several special symbol keys not
found on regular keyboards. Many other keys are labelled for particular Sabre functions.
These keys are combined with other letters and numbers to communicate with Sabre
and are known as Identification Code Keys. When a format is entered correctly Sabre
is able to interpret your message and provide a response.
For example, if you wanted to request a city pair availability from Sydney to Melbourne
on 9 May at 5 PM, this is the entry you would make in Sabre:
109MAYSYDMEL1700
K E Y L A B E L F U N C T I O N & S A M P L E F O R M A T
1 AVAIL Displays city pair availability. Eg. 122JANSYDMEL1700
2 FLIFO Flight information. Eg. 2UA2550/17OCT
3 GFAX Send general passenger information to an airline. Eg. 3OSI QF CTCM 0411 222 333
4 AFAX Send passenger information to American Airlines Eg. 4OSI AA CTCM 0411 222 333
5 RMKS Remarks. Eg. 5NEED VISA FOR CHINA
6 RCVD Received - the person who requested the booking. Eg. 6PAX
7 TKT Ticketing deadline. Eg. 7TAW22JAN/
8 TL Time limit – similar to ticketing deadline, but automatically cancels the reservation if no ticket is issued. Eg.81800/17JUN
9 PHONE Phone number. Eg. 902-9555-2121-H
0 SEG Sell segment. Eg. 01Y1 (sell 1 economy class seat line 1)
- NAME Precedes last name. Eg. –HITCHCOCK/ALFRED MR
Pre Course Reading Page 16 of 26 January 2015
Connecting to Sabre
K E Y L A B E L F U N C T I O N & S A M P L E F O R M A T
* DSPLY Displays information when used in combination with other characters eg. Display Name: *-CROWE
/ IAS Insert after segment is used to rearrange items, such as inserting segments into an itinerary. /0/2 (after line 0, insert line 2)
. CSS Change segment status is used to change the action/status code of a segment. eg. .2HK
, NEW# New number in party. The number of passengers now travelling eg. ,2
¤ CHNG Change key is used to change, delete or calculate information
eg. (change second phone number) 92¤02-9555-2121-H
§ END-ITEM End item is used to string several Sabre system entries together
-PARK/JOHN MR§903-9555-3442-B§6JOHN§7TAW22JAN/
¥ CROSS Cross of Lorraine is used as a plus sign and separator. Eg. (465 + 43) T¤465¥43
Pre Course Reading Page 17 of 26 January 2015
Sabre City Pair Availability
A Sabre City Pair Availability (CPA) display provides a range of essential information, such
as which airlines operate between the two cities, flight departure and arrival times, type
of aircraft used and most importantly - seat availability.
Format: 1•Date•City Pair•Departure Time
Example: 120JUNSYDPER0900
120JUNSYDPER0900«
20JUN SAT SYD/Z‡10 PER/-2
1VA 555 J7 C7 D7 I7 Y7*SYDPER 0930 1240 332 M 0 DCA /E
B7 H7 K7 L7 E7 N7 V7 Q7 T7
2AB/VA 5399 J2 C2 D2 I2 Y4*SYDPER 0930 1240 332 0 DCA /E
B4 H4 K4 M4 L4 V4 S4 N4 Q4
ONLINE CONEX/STPVR TFC ONLY
3QF 575 J9 C9 D9 I9 Y9*SYDPER 0810 1120 332 B 0 X7 DCA /E
B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 V9 S9 N9 Q9
4EK/QF 5575 J4 C4 I4 O7 P2*SYDPER 0810 1120 332 M 0 X7 DCA /E
Y7 E7 R7 W7 M7 B7 U0 K0 H0
INTL ONLINE CONEX/STPVR TFC ONLY
5QF 581 J9 C8 D5 I2 Y9*SYDPER 1010 1315 73H L 0 DCA /E
B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 V9 S9 N9 Q9
6AA/QF 7299 J7 D0 I0 Y7 B7 SYDPER 1010 1315 737 L 0 DCA /E
H7 K7 M7 L7 V7 S7 N7 Q7 O7
INTL ONLINE CONEX/STPVR TFC ONLY
* - FOR ADDITIONAL CLASSES ENTER 1*C.
Passenger Name Records
When you make a reservation in Sabre you are building or creating a Passenger Name
Record or PNR for short. A PNR is a record of the client’s travel details - when, where,
who and how etc. PNRs also contain the travel agency details, the date and time the
reservation was made and by whom.
Once a PNR has been created, the passenger data and the itinerary can be amended or
updated. Any changes that are made to the PNR are automatically recorded in the PNR
History.
Your request
City Pair
Flight departure and arrival times are
always local ie. the actual time in the
particular city.
Class of Service operating for the flight
Reservation Codes. Note the D reservation category is 0 indicating
there are no seats available for a D class fare.
Number of available seats. 9 indicates there are 9 or more seats
available on the flight.
Two-character airline
code and flight number.
Eg. QF 575.
3 = Line number in the
display.
When 2 airlines are next
to the flight, this is a
codeshare, Eg. EK/QF
5575
Pre Course Reading Page 18 of 26 January 2015
Creating a PNR
To build a PNR, Sabre requires six 6 mandatory items before you can complete the
booking.
1. Travel Agency details. This information is stored in Sabre in the Agency Profile.
2. Itinerary details eg. Flight, car , hotel
3. Client/Passenger Phone details
4. Client’s Name
5. The date the ticket will be issued
6. Name of the person who requested the reservation
Special Service Requests
When a client requests an additional service not normally provided, the airline usually
needs to do ‘something’ in advance, such as organising wheelchair assistance or preparing
a special meal. This is known as Special Service Requests or SSR.
Some SSR Codes used in Sabre
Vegetarian meal VGML
Childs meal CHML
Deaf Passenger DEAF
Wheelchair WCHR
Infant INFT
Other Service Information
The information you send to an airline, such as the passengers’ phone contact(s), is
information the airline needs to know but does not generally require an action as with
an SSR. This information is known as Other Service Information or OSI.
Some OSI codes used in Sabre
Hotel or Home Contact CTCH
Mobile Contact CTCM
Total Complete Party TCP
Pre Course Reading Page 19 of 26 January 2015
Sprint Home
S Sabre Agency
Profile
Agency Profile
P Phone Contact details for your client
R Received From Name of person who requested the
reservation
I Itinerary Flights, car or hotel
N Name Client’s Name
T Ticket Date the ticket will be purchased and
issued
H Health Special Meals, Wheelchair
O Office Business Traveller, Frequent Flyers
M Mother Bassinettes, children, infants
E En Route Language, Meet and Assist, Seating
Requests.
To help you remember all
the things you need to
include in your PNR –think SPRINT HOME
Pre Course Reading Page 20 of 26 January 2015
The Sabre PNR
Mandatory Items to build a PNR
P N R I T E M D E T A I L S S A B R E E N T R Y E X A M P L E
Agency Profile Agency Details Most agencies have their agency
details setup on a Program Key –
usually F1.
Phone Client’s Phone Contact
902-9351-7855-H
Received From Miss MoneyPenny 6MS MONEYPENNY/JB
Itinerary
SYD/BNE 15JUN
A) City Pair Availability:
115JUNSYDBNE1200
B) Sell From Availability
01Y1
This entry will sell one, economy
class seat from line 1 of the
availability.
Name Mr James Bond (as per passport or other photo
identification)
-BOND/JAMES MR
Ticket Date ticket to be
purchased and issued
7TAW01NOV/
Note. When you build a PNR, the information can be entered in any order as Sabre
will automatically put it into the correct order as per the example below.
Sabre PNR Example
1.1BOND/JAMES MR
1 QF523Y 15MAY 2 SYDBNE HK1 1250 1510 /DCQF*DHCWS2 /E
2 QF524Y 20MAY 7 BNESYD HK1 1410 1425 /DCQF*DHCWS2 /E
TKT/TIME LIMIT
1.TAW01NOV/
PHONES
1.SYD02-9381-2460-A
2.SYD02-9351-7855-H
ADDRESS
SABRE
LEVEL 13, 68 YORK STREET
SYDNEY NSW 2000
PROFILE INDEX DATA EXISTS *PI TO DISPLAY ALL
GENERAL FACTS
1.SSR DBML QF NN1 SYDBNE523Y15MAY
2.SSR WCHS QF NN1 BNESYD524Y20MAY
REMARKS
1.PSGR HOLDS VALID AUSTRALIAN PASSPORT
5H-PSGR OFFERED DOMESTIC TRAVEL INSURANCE VP
5¥S1 PLEASE CHECK IN 60MINS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE RECEIVED FROM - MISS MONEYPENNY/JB
A4S1.A4S1*QVP 1815/20DEC14 STPRGS
is the name of person who requested the reservation
and
Pre Course Reading Page 21 of 26 January 2015
Glossary
The following terms are universal to the travel industry and will be used throughout
your Sabre course.
Airline Code The two-character code used in place of the airline name,
for example QF is the airline code for Qantas. Also referred
to as Carrier Code.
Airport Code The three-letter code used to identify each commercial
airport worldwide. For example, JFK is the airport code for
New York City’s John F. Kennedy airport.
ARNK or ARUNK Stands For ‘Arrival Unknown’. This term used to describe
when a passenger is making their own arrangements
between two cities, such as driving. This is also known as
a surface sector.
Availability An entry to check for flights operating between two cities
and seat availability. Also applies to hotels and cars.
City Code The three-letter code used to identify major cities with
commercial airports. For example, SYD is the city code for
Sydney, Australia.
City Pair Availability
A display of flights operating between two cities. eg. SYD
to PER.
Class of Travel There are 4 common classes of service: First, Business,
Premium Economy and Economy class. Most airlines offer
at least two different classes of service. See Reservation
code for more information.
Computerised
Reservation System
(CRS)
Now known as a Global Distribution System (GDS). A
central computer database which houses and/or provides
access to multiple airline, accommodation and hotel
inventories, enabling you to book flights, rooms and/or
cars directly with the vendor.
Confirmed The booking status of where a seat on a flight has been
successfully reserved or booked.
Decode To translate a code into a name. eg. CNS = Cairns
Encode To convert a name into a code. eg. Launceston = LST
Equipment This refers to the type of aircraft being used on the sector.
Global Distribution
System (GDS)
A central computer database which houses and/or provides
access to multiple airline, accommodation and hotel
inventories, enabling you to book flights, rooms and/or
cars directly with the vendor.
Pre Course Reading Page 22 of 26 January 2015
Glossary
Log-in Code A code used to connect or gain access to a LAN (Local Area
Network), or office computer setup which gives you access
to common programs (Sabre, Word processing, e-mail etc)
and office printers.
Open sector or Open
Dated Sector
Is when the flight date is ‘left open’ as the client does not
have a definite travel date. Open sectors are dependent on
the airfare sold.
Other Service
Information (OSI)
Other Service Information is administrative information
sent to an airline, such as cross reference (TCP)
Phonetic Alphabet The phonetic alphabet used universally to ensure there are
no errors in verbal communications.
Example: RFD = ROMEO, FOXTROT, DELTA
A ALPHA N NOVEMBER
B BRAVO O OSCAR
C CHARLIE P PAPA
D DELTA Q QUEBEC
E ECHO R ROMEO
F FOXTROT S SIERRA
G GOLF T TANGO
H HOTEL U UNIFORM
I INDIA V VICTOR
J JULIETTE W WHISKEY
K KILO X X-RAY
L LIMA Y YANKEE
M MIKE
Z ZULU
PNR Number A booking reference number you receive when you
complete a booking in Sabre eg. Eg. AJKVLS. Also known
as a Record Locator, RecLoc or ReLoc.
Pseudo City Code
(PCC)
The unique 4-character Sabre Agency Identification
security code. eg. A4S1 is a PCC used for Sabre Training.
Record Locator A PNR booking reference. Eg. AIKVLS. Also known as
RecLoc or ReLoc. Some airline Record Locators are alpha
numeric eg. V9XA6G
Segment A component of an itinerary, for example a flight from
Sydney to Cairns, a hotel or car reservation. Also known
as sector.
Sector Another term used for a component of an itinerary. Other
types of sectors are: Open sector or Open Dated and
Surface sectors.
Special Service
Request
A ‘Special Service Request’ is as its name suggests a
request for a special service, such as a special meal or
wheelchair. SSRs generally require advanced preparation
by the airline.
Pre Course Reading Page 23 of 26 January 2015
Glossary
Status Code A two letter code used to identify the status of a flight
segment, such as a flight not operating, confirmed,
waitlisted or unable to confirm.
HK confirmed
HL waitlisted
KL confirmed from waitlist
UC unable to confirm
NO flight not operating
SS sold from the status from availability display.
Surface sector The term used to describe when a client is making their
own way between two cities. For example they could be
driving or travelling by train. These sectors are also
referred to as arrival unknown (ARNK).
Waitlisted The booking status where a seat is required on a fully
booked flight. The seat request has been placed on a
waiting list. If and when a seat becomes available the
airline will generate a message to you through Sabre
advising a status change to KL (confirming the waitlist).
You would then change this to confirmed status (HK
holding confirmed).
Pre Course Reading Page 24 of 26 January 2015
Pre Course Exercises
1. Thinking About Reservations. Imagine you are planning to go to a restaurant with
a group of friends to celebrate a very special occasion. Make a list of all of the questions
you need to ask your friends and the information the restaurant will need to know.
Example: Which restaurant?
2. People travel for many reasons – understanding why people travel will assist you in
making the appropriate travel arrangements for your clients. Use the symbols as a
guideline to make a list of the reasons why people travel.
Eg. Honeymoon
3. Taking into consideration the reasons why people travel and the basic things you
need to include when you make a reservation make a list of a) the additional things or
special needs a passenger might require whilst on board an aircraft and b) what other
information an airline might need to know about a passenger or the itinerary.
Use the symbols below as a guide.
P A S S E N G E R N E E D S ? A I R L I N E N E E D S ?
Eg. Language
Passenger only speaks Swahili
Pre Course Reading Page 25 of 26 January 2015
Pre Course Exercises
4. What are the three letter codes for the following cities or airports?
Hobart
Bangkok
Darwin
Frankfurt
Singapore
London
Gold Coast
Honolulu
Paris - Orly
Tokyo
New York
Denpasar
5. What do the following codes stand for?
GDS
PNR
ARNK
OSI
CPA
PCC
6. What are the codes or names for the following airlines?
CX
American Airlines
JL
British Airways
SQ
Air New Zealand
7. Tick (√) the correct code:
The two character code for Lufthansa German Airlines is:
LL LH GA
The three letter airport code for Tokyo, Narita is:
HND EWR NRT
The three letter city code for Vancouver is:
VAN VCR YVR
8. Tick (√) the correct answer:
a. The flight status code KL means:
Flight has been requested
Flight has been cancelled
Flight is now confirmed from waitlist
b. The flight status code HK means:
Flight has been waitlisted
Flight is confirmed
Flight has been cancelled
Pre Course Reading Page 26 of 26 January 2015
Pre Course Exercises
9. Convert the following times into 24 Hour clock:
5.15pm
9.30am
11.30pm
4.15pm
7.55am
8.45pm
10. All items listed below can be included in a PNR –tick the 6 essential items
required when you first create a PNR?
Client Name Received From Preferred Seating Special meals Ticket numbers Frequent Flyer Client address Client Phone number Ticket Deadline Agency Details Flight Itinerary Child’s Ages
11. The times listed for flight arrival and departure times
are in local time.
True False