| An airline's direct distribution works within their own | | | | Inventory control is typically manipulated from here, |
| reservation system, as well as pushing out | | | | using availability feeds to open and close classes of |
| information to the GDS. Travel agencies and other | | | | service. Every airline employs staff who code air fare |
| indirect distribution channels access the same GDS as | | | | rules in accordance with yield management intent. |
| those accessed by the airlines' reservation systems, | | | | The compiled set of fare conditions is called a fare |
| and all messaging is transmitted by a standardized | | | | basis code. There are two systems set up for the |
| messaging system that functions primarily on TTY | | | | interchange of fares data - ATPCO and SITA plus |
| messaging called SITA. Airline Reservations Systems | | | | there are some system to system direct connects. |
| contain airline schedules, fare tariffs, passenger | | | | This system distributes the fare tariffs and rule sets |
| reservations and ticket records. Second types of | | | | to all GDSs and other subscribers. This is the first |
| direct distribution channel are consumers who use the | | | | step towards Online Flight Booking Miscellaneous |
| internet or mobile applications to make their own | | | | Charges Order (MCO) is still a paper document; IATA |
| reservations or flight booking. Since airline reservation | | | | has working groups defining the replacement |
| systems are business critical applications, and their | | | | document the Electronic Multipurpose Document |
| functionally quite complex, the operation of an | | | | (EMD) as at 20 The electronic ticket information is |
| in-house airline reservation system is relatively | | | | stored in a database containing the data that |
| expensive. Today, the GDS are run by independent | | | | historically was printed on a paper ticket including |
| companies with airlines and travel agencies as major | | | | items such as the ticket number, the fare and tax |
| subscribers. Prior to deregulation, airlines owned their | | | | components of the ticket price or exchange rate |
| own reservation systems with travel agents | | | | information. The industry is at 98% electronic ticket |
| subscribing to them. The Fares data store contains | | | | issuance today although electronic processing for |
| fare tariffs, rule sets, routing maps, class of service | | | | MCOs was not available in time for the IATA |
| tables, and some tax information that construct the | | | | mandate. In the past airlines issued paper tickets; |
| price - "the fare". Rules like booking conditions e. | | | | since 2008 IATA has been supporting a resolution to |
| Inventory control can also be manipulated manually | | | | move to 100% electronic ticketing. The role of the |
| through the availability feeds, dynamically controlling | | | | Ticketing complex is to issue and store electronic |
| how many seats are offered for a particular price by | | | | ticket records and the very small number of paper |
| opening and closing particular classes. This forms the | | | | tickets that are still issued. So far, the industry has |
| basis of air booking. There are also revenue | | | | not been able to comply due to various technological |
| managers who watch fares as they are filed into the | | | | and international limitations. |
| public tariffs and make competitive recommendations. | | | | |