WO2002015101A1

WO2002015101A1 - Method and system for processing and settlement of travel transactions

Info

Publication number: WO2002015101A1
Application number: PCT/US2001/041683
Authority: WO
Original assignee: Airlines Reporting Corporation
Priority date: 2000-08-16
Filing date: 2001-08-13
Publication date: 2002-02-21
Also published as: AU2001287171A1

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for accessing and displaying in a graphical user interface on the screen of a personal computer (200, 210) an automated interactive travel service information management system. The system is internet based and, as such, allows simultaneous sessions to be established with an interactive agent reporting system (150) from a plurality of personal computing stations while, at the same time, emulating sessions with one or more computer reservation systems (60, 70, 80, 90). As a result, the interactive agent reporting system can be accessed and utilized simultaneously by multiple accounting and sales information management personnel without the use of computer reservation system terminals or work stations. This is important to reduce the usage of expensive computer reservation systems for non-sales related activities. Moreover, the graphical user interface of the internet based system simplifies the data exchange between the agent and the system.

Description

Title

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROCESSING AND SETTLEMENT OF

TRAVEL TRANSACTIONS

Field of Invention

The present invention relates generally to a method and system for accessing an automated travel service information management system. More specifically the present invention relates to a system for recording, maintaining and processing travel transaction information, sales data and financial settlement information through an internet interface on a personal computer.

Background Of The Invention

With the growth of e-commerce and the accompanying proliferation of web based travel sites, travel agents are facing an increasingly competitive environment. Some independent web based travel sites offer travelers self-service access to consolidated information for several airline carriers, while carrier-operated travel sites, such as the corporate web sites of American Airlines, US Airways and Delta Airlines, provide travelers with fast, direct access to the carrier's schedules and often offer reduced-price travel options. Additionally, carriers have reduced the commissions paid to travel agents for their services. As a result, travel agents must seize every opportunity to automate their business processes in order to realize substantial timesaving and operational efficiencies. In particular, the travel agent industry has seen rapid growth in electronic reporting and settlement of travel transactions. Such interactive reporting systems offers many substantial cost savings and efficiencies in ticket distribution, processing, and settlement and enables travel agents to compete more effectively with increasingly popular and lower cost travel planning alternatives now available to travelers.

Travel agents assist consumers with their travel plans by making reservations on common carriers such as commercial airline flights, railways and bus lines. They also issue either paper or electronic tickets redeemable for travel. In order to sell tickets and close travel arrangements, agents must have various transactions between carriers and travelers settled. Agents settle these transactions through Airlines Reporting Corporation ("ARC"). ARC is the organization that administers the Standard Ticket and Area Settlement Plan (ASP), created in 1964 to regulate the provision of services related primarily to the distribution and settlement of travel purchased in the U.S. The ARC Standard Ticket and Area Settlement Plan (ASP) provides the basic ticketing and reporting requirements for over 46,000 ARC approved travel agent locations. The essential elements of the ASP are: standard traffic documents instead of individualized carrier documents; one step imprinting on documents of the issuing carrier's name and the agent's validation at the time the document is issued; a consolidated sales report and single-sum remittance for all carriers to a designated area bank; an area bank, acting as a clearing house, to determine the amount due each carrier and transmit such amounts to the carrier; and computer generated sales summaries to each agent and carrier for their respective sales activity. Historically, the travel agents have used (and some still use) a manual system of recording, maintaining and processing travel transaction and financial settlement information. More recently, in order to determine the availability of travel related services such as making reservations and generating tickets, travel agents may access (via a remote workstation) one of a number of proprietary travel reservation systems known as Computer Reservation Systems (CRS's). For example, for booking an airline flight, an agent may access the SABRE™ system which is associated with American Airlines, the Worldspan® system which is owned by Pars Marketing Partnership and associated with Delta Airlines, TWA, and Northwest Airlines, the Apollo® system which is owned by Galileo International Partnership and associated with United Airlines and U.S. Air, or the System One® system which is owned by Amadeus Global Travel Distribution and associated with Continental Airlines. As shown in figure 1, to access these four CRS systems, an agent's office 10 would contain dedicated terminals 20, 30, 40 and 50 connected to the SABRE™ 60, Worldspan® 70, Apollo® 80 or System One® 90 systems respectively. These dedicated terminals 20-50 communicate exclusively with their respective systems 60-90.

For a travel agent to maintain up to four CRS systems and settle travel transactions with paper documents is time consuming and inefficient. To reduce such inefficiency, ARC introduced the Interactive Agent Reporting (LAR) system. LAR is an electronic sales reporting system with the functionality to electronically record, maintain and process travel transactions, including automated and manual ticket sales, refunds and exchanges, and to record, maintain and process financial settlement information. Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the LAR system. The agent's office 10 has one AR system 100 which consists of a personal computer operating according to a software program that emulates all four CRSs 60-90 and provides accounting type functionality tailored to settling travel transactions. That is, LAR 100 operates in a first mode (with respect to the agent) just as the combination of dedicated terminals 20-50 of figure 1 operated. Further, LAR 100 and CRSs 60-90 interact with IAR database system 150.

LAR database system 150 stores sales and other information (including but not limited to carrier identification, fare basis and commission rate) recorded from completed transactions made with each of the CRSs. This LAR database system also incorporates software routines that retrieve stored data in a variety of configurations including as a list of transactions, summaries of sales and commissions, travel restrictions, or fare basis summaries. Through the LAR system, travel agents are also able to complete weekly sales reporting and settlement with ARC through electronic data transfer rather than manually printing, mailing, and balancing a sales report. This electronic data transfer is accomplished through direct electronic links between agents, their CRSs and ARC. Nightly downloads of sales information are transmitted from the CRSs and edited through the IAR system. Credit card transactions are released for direct electronic billing by ARC, and the travel agent receives daily confirmations of verified sales information permitting the agent to release a fully authorized sales report at the conclusion of the sales week. The LAR system automatically consolidates information from different CRSs into one sales report. ARC provides travel agents with computer generated monthly sales summary based on the sales information reported to IAR and provides agents with the service of settling amounts due to the carriers by the agent, less the agent's commissions, based on the sales and commission information reported to LAR. The introduction of the LAR system has enhanced the provision of secure, cost effective, and innovative travel distribution and settlement services. There are, nonetheless, problems with the IAR system. Ln particular, travel agents are only able to access and utilize IAR by first signing into the CRS. The CRS provider charges the agent a sizable fee for access to the CRS. The high CRS fees are intended to be offset by the number of bookings made by the agent. Accordingly, agents must maximize the number of bookings made on CRS while signed on to any CRS. The current method for accessing LAR, however, requires the agent's accounting and sales information management personnel to take up valuable time using the LAR system which restricts the time available to the travel agents to use a CRS for booking travel. As a result, not only does the travel agent see its total number of segment bookings go down, along with a concomitant loss in the number of commissions earned, but it also sees a reduction in the amount by which the agent can offset the high fees for access to the CRS.

Objects Of The Invention It is an object of the present invention to provide travel agents with a more readily accessible and less costly method for accessing the LAR system for travel transaction reporting and financial settlement.

It is another object of the present invention to permit travel agents to further automate their business processes. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a system that emulates a CRS and independently accesses an IAR database.

It is still another object of the present invention to allow a travel agent to simultaneously establish a session with an LAR database at the same time that it establishes a session with a CRS. Lt is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method and system for requesting files containing a list of transactions in LAR that can be accessed for use with the agent's back office accounting system. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method and system for accessing an LAR system's nightly downloads of edited sales information in order to review and correct errors in the sales information.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method for directly accessing a travel transaction reporting and financial settlement system in which the travel agent receives daily confirmations of edited sales information.

Summary Of The Invention

A system and method is disclosed for accessing and displaying in a graphical user interface on the screen of a personal computer an automated interactive travel service information management system. The system is internet based and, as such, allows simultaneous sessions to be established with an interactive agent reporting system from a plurality of personal computing stations while, at the same time, emulating sessions with one or more computer reservation systems. As a result, the interactive agent reporting system can be accessed and utilized simultaneously by multiple accounting and sales information management personnel without the use of computer reservation system terminals or work stations. This is important to reduce the usage of expensive computer reservation systems for non-sales related activities. Moreover, the graphical user interface of the internet based system simplifies the data exchange between the agent and the system.

Brief Description Of The Drawings Figure 1 illustrates a prior art CRS based travel agent system.

Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of a prior art LAR system Figure 3 illustrates a block diagram of an internet based LAR system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 illustrates a sign-on screen according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 illustrates a transaction list screen according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 illustrates a financial list screen according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 illustrates a fare calculation screen according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 illustrates a financial summary report according to one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Description Of The Preferred Embodiments

Figure 3 illustrates an internet based LAR system according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the agent's office 10 are a plurality of computer systems (e.g., PCs) 200 and 210. Typically, such PCs will comprise a 486 type microprocessor having an operating system such as Windows NT, 16 MB of RAM, hard disk and a communication channel coupled to an internet service provider (ISP). The PCs are coupled to a computer network (e.g., the internet) 220 through the PC communication channel and ISP 230. Additionally, the LAR database system 150 and CRSs 60-90 are connected to the internet 220 through ISPs 240, 260, 270, 280 and 290 respectively. The Windows NT operating system running in PCs 200 and 210 incorporates conventional routines for facilitating the display and communication of data to and from the internet 220. Similarly, computers hosting the LAR database system 150 and CRSs 60-90 incorporate conventional software for communicating information to and from internet 220.

Ln operation, PC 200 communicates with LAR database system 150 and CRSs 60-90 independently of PC 210. This is because the plurality of PCs are coupled, in a conventional manner, to the internet 220. As such, the PCs directly interact (through their ISPs) with the internet 220 which independently directs their communications to the IAR database system 150 or CRSs 60-90. Moreover, because each of the CRSs 60-90 and the IAR database system 150 are coupled, in a conventional manner, to the internet 220, they directly communicate with the internet (through their respective ISPs). Accordingly, each of these systems receive communications (from whatever source) independently from each other. Additionally, these systems may also receive communications from more than one source simultaneously. PC 200, then, is able to communicate with LAR database system 150 while PC 210 is communicating with any one of CRSs 60-90. As a result, a travel agent can, for example, sign on to CRS 60 through PC 200 and make travel reservations while the agent's accounting personnel may simultaneously interact with the IAR database 150 through PC 210 to prepare settlement reports. Also, the preparation of settlement reports does not require signing on to a CRS and incurring CRS related fees which reduce an agent's efficiency. In particular, using the system illustrated in figure 3, a travel agent's daily ticket sales are transmitted from each of the CRS systems to LAR database system 150 nightly. LAR database system 150 collects the data and electronically prepares s summary of the agent's weekly sales on a daily basis. The database system 150 verifies each transaction as it is received and identifies specific errors. The agent can view and reconcile its sales report as early as the next day. The database system permits the agent to make corrections to any transactions. As a result, the agent can make use of one of the plurality of PCs (200 or 210) to review errors and/or discrepancies in its sales report and correct and resubmit the report before this information is utilized by ARC for financial settlement of the agent's transactions. The LAR database system 150 incorporates accounting based software to identify errors and prevent an agent from submiting a Sales Report until such errors are corrected.

For example, agents must authorize and submit their sales reports to ARC each week at a defined time (e.g., midnight on Tuesday following the reporting period ending date). When the agent authorizes the report, it is actually authorizing ARC to directly withdraw (or deposit) money from (to) the agent's bank account. Each time an agent issues a ticket or electronic transaction, the name of a validating carrier is designated on the transaction. ARC's processing centers can then identify the airline or travel agent to receive funds or commission for that ticket. Because the LAR database system summarizes sales information, all participating carriers receive one payment from ARC each week for all transportation sold on that carrier by every ARC agent. The agent receives a confirmation number, confirming that the electronic report has been sent to ARC. The agent's designated bank account is debited or credited based on the information in the report. If the agent needs to correct a sales report, the agent may do so during a time up until the time that the report is settled. As illustrated in figure 3, each of the plurality of PCs (200 or 210) accesses the LAR database system 150 and/or CRSs 60-90. The PCs operate according to software routines (typically written using HTML or XML code) in which the first screen presented to a user is a sign-on screen as illustrated in figure 4. As illustrated in figure 4, the sign-on screen is presented as a conventional graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI type of screen is also used in all the screens described below. The GUI provides a convenient mode of accessing and entering data concerning the topics encompassed by the screen type. Moreover, the GUI interface is particularly useful and efficient to develop and operate when used to interact with the internet. The sign-on screen illustrated in figure 4 provides secure access to the LAR database 150 and CRSs 60-90 and is controlled by a Personal Identification Number (PIN). The functionality of the system is controlled via a PLN and each PLN record can be assigned allowable functions. Access Control Management is the creation, maintenance and deletion of PLNs, including the authorization of different functions for each PLN. PLN management can also be performed by Primary and Secondary Master PLNs. PLN management also controls the ability of agents to sign-on to various CRSs. Figure 4 illustrates the information contained in the sign-on screen. It contains transaction and status counts (i.e., sales 310, refunded transactions 312, exchange transactions 314, adjustment memos 316 (debit memos, credit memos and recall commission statements), and agent automated deductions 318 of the oldest unsubmitted Sales Report or Period Ending Date. The screen can be displayed any time while in LAR to view the updated counts by simply typing S* on the command line 325. These updated counts will include any additions or changes made to the Sales Report since sign in.

Once signed-on to the internet based IAR system, a user may access a variety of functions and data from the LAR database system 150. One such function is to view a transaction list as illustrated in figure 5. Viewing these lists, especially prior to submitting a sales report, allows a user to access information about transactions in an agent's sales report. There are three types of transactions that the agent may use: all transactions, transactions with an error status and transactions with a void status. In each case, data from the IAR database system 150 is transferred to one of the plurality of PCs. The List Transactions (LT) display begins with the first document 410 of either the current day, selected day or Period Ending Date, depending on what is selected using the LT display. Documents are displayed in a sequential ascending document (or ticket) number 420 order, from the first document number to the last. Lnformation listed for each document includes total fare 424, commission 426 and net remittance 428.

When the normal sequential document number flow is broken, the LAR flags the break in sequence with an asterisk. Another type of break in the normal sequential document number order occurs when two or more documents legitimately receive the same ticket number. Duplicate ticket numbers are also identified with an asterisk. To view a separate list of transactions that contain an error in any unsubmitted Sales Report, the user may request the List Errors (LE) display. An LE display shows the document number, record locator, error message, and the data that the LAR has identified as being incorrect (if available). A user may also void transactions using the one of several different void entry commands. Voiding a document prevents it from being reported to ARC as a sale. The user may void an entry using either a document number or a line number. A user may even reinstate a voided sale transaction so that it is included back in the Sales Report.

Ln addition to listing transactions, a user may retrieve, modify or process a variety of financial data from the LAR database system 150. For example, as illustrated in figure 6, a user may view, modify and add transactions to the Sales Report any time prior to the submission deadline. The types of transactions that may be modified includes flight tickets, MCOs, Tour Orders, PTAs, Adjustment Memos, AADs, Refunds, and Exchange Transactions. Figure 6 illustrates a financial screen for processing such data. The financial screen shows the status of the document 505, the date of issue 507, the value of the document in the currency of payment collected 510, the dollar value of the document excluding all taxes and service charges 512, all of the individual taxes that apply to the transaction 514, 516, 518, 520, the individual passenger facility charge that applies to the document 522, the service charge in the case of a prepaid ticket advice 524, the total dollar value of the document (fare plus tax) 526, the rate of exchange (where necessary) 528, the commission dollar amount 530, the form of payment on the transaction 532, whether an extended payment option is used 534, the credit card company approval code 536, whether a certificate supports the document 538, the fare calculation information that supports the document 540, and an old document number 542 when an exchange is involved, among other fields. Figure 7 illustrates another screen type for retrieving, modifying and viewing financial data from the IAR database system 150. Figure 7 illustrates the fare calculation screen in which the fare basis information 605 for specific ticket numbers 610 associated with specific carrier identification numbers 612 is displayed. Of course, other types of financial data may be retrieved from the IAR database system 150. Such information includes a tax breakdown, facility charges and credit information. Additionally, other types of screens containing non-financial information to be retrieved and/or modified include, for example, an Itinerary Information (IT) screen which displays the document number (consisting of the carrier code, form number, serial number and check digit of the transaction), the record locator number for the associated passenger name record, the passenger name, an optional code identifying the tour package or carrier special deal under which the document was issued, the stopover code if any, the airport/city code of the origination, the airport/city code for the destination, the two character code of the carrier, the flight number, the class of service, the date of travel, the time of departure, the fare basis/ticket designator for the itinerary, and whether the ticket is electronic. Other non-financial information screens may include certificate numbers or other remarks screens.

After viewing, modifying and/or adding transactions to verify that the data in a sales report is correct, an agent can electronically authorize the report for submission to ARC. Authorization is submits the report to ARC which allows ARC to begin the settlement process. To assist the agent in creating authorization, the LAR database system 150 creates summaries of financial and/or other data. One such report is the financial summary report which is illustrated in figure 8. This report displays the weekly total dollar value of all cash sales 705, the total dollar value of all cash refunds 707, the net total of all adjustments (debit and credit memos and recall commission statements) 709, the total dollar value of all agent automated deductions 711, the net cash total 713, the total dollar value of all credit card sales 715, the total dollar value of all credit card refunds 717, the net credit total 719, the total of all fares (net cash plus net credit) 721, the total sum of all taxes and service charges (net cash plus net credit sales) 723, the total sum of all penalties and cancellation fees) 725, the total sales (the total sum of al fares, taxes and penalties) 727, the total commissions 729, the net remittance (the sum of net cash sales minus commissions, plus or minus net adjustments) 731, the status of the document in the LAR system (i.e., error, authorized) 733, and the field 735 for entry of the password or authorized PLN used to authorize and submit the Sales Report as it is displayed on screen. The agent, through the use of report functions such as the financial summary created by the LAR database system, can retrieve and/or use those reports in submitting information to ARC to settle travel transactions.

In addition to the reports generated by the IAR database system 150, an agent may retrieve data from the IAR database system 150 and generate reports independently of the IAR database system. For example, the agent may use a conventional or proprietary back office accounting and sales management system to plan and measure business results from the data provided by the LAR database system 150. Ln operation, the IAR database system 150 transmits an interface file containing a list of the summary documents from the LAR database system to an ARC web page (www.arccorp.com). From the ARC web page, an agent may download (using the agent's PLN for security) the summary data into the agent's back office software. The agent can then use the data in this file to plan, measure performance, reconcile reports, show discrepancies, or print an IAR report.

While the present invention has been described with respect to particular embodiments thereof, those of skill in the art will recognize that changes in the form or detail of the particular embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Claims

What is claimed is: 1. A system for settling travel transactions, comprising: first and second computers each of which has a communications channel coupled to a computer network; a database system for storing and processing settlement information for travel transactions wherein said database system incorporates a communications channel coupled to said computer network; a plurality of computer reservation systems each of which has a communications channel coupled to said computer network; wherein said first and second computers access data from each of said plurality of computer reservation systems and said database system; and wherein said first computer accesses data from any of said computer reservation systems while said second computer system accesses settlement information from said database system independently of said first computer system.

2. A system, as in claim 1, wherein: said computer network is the world wide web.

3. A system, as in claim 2, wherein: said database system summarizes sales settlement data for a current accounting period on a daily basis.

4. A system, as in claim 3, wherein: said settlement data comprises carrier identification, sales revenue, sales commission and net amount due agent.

5. A method for settling travel transactions, comprising: establishing communications between first and second of computer systems and a computer network; establishing communications between said computer network and a database system for storing and processing settlement information for travel transactions; establishing communications between a plurality of computer reservation systems and said computer network; accessing data from each of said plurality of computer reservation systems and said database system using said first and second computer systems; and accessing data from any of said computer reservation systems using said first computer system while using said second computer system to access settlement information from said database system independently of said first computer system.

6. A method, as in claim 5, wherein: said computer network is the world wide web.

7. A method, as in claim 6, wherein: said database system summarizes sales settlement data for a current accounting period on a daily basis.

8. A method, as in claim 7, wherein: said settlement data comprises carrier identification, sales revenue, sales commission and net amount due agent.