eRES/eTARS OverviewThe diagram, below, shows the major areas of your airline that eRES/eTARS supports. The relational SQL database is common to all applications installed at your airline. This means that all data can be used by all applications. Data is input only once, thereby eliminated input errors from multiple entries of the same data. Both productivity and accuracy are improved.
eRES/eTARS provides:
The data contained in the relational SQL booking database is originated at:
Interline Operations eRES/eTARS provides, optionally, an interface to other CRS systems. This connection is made via AIRNC's Net Terminal or Amadeus which provides the necessary type "B" protocol and eRES/eTARS provides the IATA, IMP, reservation interline message procedures. This connection allows booking from/to other CRS systems for passengers and to other CRS systems optionally for Hotel and Auto Rental reservations. Availability/Booking of Flights On The CRS/Booking System.If the flight information is on another CRS an "availability" command is sent to the other CRS to search for flights that satisfy the selection criteria as input by the person making a reservation. The availability response from the other CRS must be interrogated. If the preferred segment is not available a request is made for non-specific alternates. When the data is gathered the data is formatted to the eRES/eTARS format and then presented to eRES/eTARS. If the response from the CRS/Booking system was: wait listing, schedule change or the request does not meet all requirements. This information is formatted and then presented to eRES/eTARS. Since all data is formatted to the eRES/eTARS format, eRES/eTARS treats it as local eRES/eTARS data. Availability/Booking of Flights on eRES/eTARSIf the flight information is located on the eRES/eTARS server then the "availability" command is directed to eRES/eTARS. If the availability response came from the eRES/eTARS booking database the data is formatted and displayed to the user. Internet Web Site For your airline eRES/eTARS provides an Internet web site that is capable of allowing reservations to be booked directly from:
If you have an existing web site then, at your decision, eRES/eTARS can be integrated into your existing web site. ReservationsReservations IntroductionThere are four separate versions of the reservation system included in eRES/eTARS:
The basic reservation flow and panels are the same, except that each of the four users are offered different options and functions as well as different payment options. Inventory CaptureTravel RequirementsThe panel below is from the passenger website:
The following panel is when the reservation system is integrated into an existing web site:
The panel below and the rest of the panels shown are from the Travel Agent/Corporate/Airline booking system version of eRES/eTARS. To view the desired Travel Requirements:
Selecting "Continue" will select from the database the flights that satisfy the input criteria, only the flights that have seats available are displayed. Flights that are scheduled but have no seats available are not shown. Select Desired Flight
Flight Information PanelWhen you continue from the selection panel you are shown the information about the selected flight.
At the bottom of this panel (not shown) the person making the reservation can make the decision to:
Itineraries can contain as many reservations as desired, there is no limit. Multiple passengers can also be defined in a single itinerary. PaymentThe standard payment choices are:
The types of payment methods that your airline supports can be configured and supported by using the reservation configuration tool. Credit/Debit Card - All credit and debit cards are supported. Three options are supported by the reservation system to clear debit/credit cards:
The method to be used is a configuration option available in the reservation system. Cash - The acceptance of cash can be limited to particular areas. Such as at approved travel agencies, approved corporate customers, ticket agencies or airports. A system is provided to track and account for cash transactions. Checks - The acceptance of checks can be limited to particular areas within the airline. Such as at ticket agencies or airports. A system is provided to account for check transactions. Invoices - The acceptance of invoices can be limited to particular outside companies or agencies. Such as at corporate customers or travel/tour agencies. A system is provided to account for invoiced itineraries. Western Union - The reservation is booked as delayed and the person booking is given instructions on how to make payment at Western Union. Western Union, when payment is received, notifies the airline immediately. The itineraries status is immediately set to confirmed. Western Union deposits the payment into the airline's bank account directly. Passenger Credit - Passenger credit is generated when a passenger cancels a reservation. Cancellations can carry a cancellation penalty or to be penalty free. Passenger credit is available for one year after the reservation was made. At payment time the passenger credit file is automatically searched and if there is a credit for this passenger it is automatically applied to the payment. Coupons - Coupons are used as advertising and are given out as a free flight. Coupons pay for a particular flight or itinerary in full. Coupons are tracked and checked for validity. Voucher - Vouchers are used as advertising and are given out as a free flight. Vouchers must be paid for by a fee charged on a per segment basis. Vouchers are tracked and checked for validity. Passes - Passes are for company travel and are valid for the period in which they are issued. There is no cost for an employee flying using a pass. Passes are tracked and checked for validity. BSP is provided to allow travel agents to pay for their reservations. ACH is provided to allow other airlines to pay for their reservations. IDxx provides fares for employee interline to other airlines and other airline employees on your airline. Interline fares can be based on a percentage or a fixed fare. Provisions are included to allow both wait-listed or confirmed reservations. eTicketWhen the ticket is paid for an eTicket is generated for each flight in the itinerary. It can be emailed, faxed or printed and mailed to the customer.
Seat Assignment
Passenger DepartureCheck-In Operation
The check-in function is accomplished, by each check-in agent, from an eRES/eTARS panel displayed on their terminal. The single panel contains a listing of all passengers booked on the flight being checked in. The agent, to check-in a passenger is only required to select the correct passenger and select "Checked-In" with the mouse. Selecting the "Update" button immediately updates the central database so that the manifest report is accurate to the second no matter where it is viewed/printed. The agent can display the original reservation and also print an eTicket if needed by the passenger. eRES/eTARS uses standard laser printer to print the IATA standard 2D boarding pass. The laser printer supports standard 2D boarding passes printed on plain paper. The 2D boarding passes are IATA standard and support interlining of boarding passes if your airline has an agreement with the other airlines. The passenger information is immediately made available for
the weight and balance program.
Baggage
The passenger, if they have baggage to check-in, must check baggage in with the agent in order to insure the baggage is routed correctly and that it is labeled. A baggage check-in function is provided that records the bags being checked in as well as automatically calculating any baggage charges due. To activate the baggage check-in function the agent selects the "Baggage Link" on the row representing the current passenger. This automatically presents the baggage check-in panel to the agent. Fast Check-InFast Check-in allows your agents to check-in passengers at the check-in counter
in less than 1 minuet per passenger.
eRES/eTARS allows check-in of both checked and carry on baggage. For security
reasons check-on baggage (including Personal Computers, large hand bags, etc.)
should be checked-in at the check-in counter and a tag be placed on the baggage.
This will allow identification of checked carry-on baggage at the departure gate.
When the agent selects "Continue" the passenger is automatically checked-in. The scanner shown is a Metrologic MS700i. If you choose not to purchase bar code scanners the check-in agent can input the passenger and flight locater number and bag tag numbers using the Personal Computer keyboard.
When you scan or manually input the flight locater number the following panel will pop up providing confirmation that the passenger is checkin-in to the correct flight.
Gate OperationThe boarding function is accomplished from a single eRES/eTARS panel. The single panel contains a listing of all passengers booked on the flight being boarded. The functions provided for the gate agent are the same as the check-in agent with the following additions:
The agent, to board a passenger is only required to select the correct passenger and select the "Continue" button. This function immediately updates the central database so that the manifest report is accurate to the second no matter where it is viewed/printed. When all passengers have boarded the aircraft, the agent can then print the flight manifest for the aircraft's captain. When the flight manifest is printed a check is made to insure that any
passengers that have check-in and checked baggage are on the aircraft. If
all passengers are accounted for the flight manifest is printed. Otherwise
the flight manifest cannot be produced until the checked baggage is removed
from the aircraft or the passenger accounted for.
Fast Passenger BoardingFast Boarding allows your agents to positively board passengers at the gate
in less than 3 seconds per passenger.
If you choose not to purchase bar code scanners the gate agent
can input the passenger and flight locater number
using the Personal Computer keyboard.
When you scan or manually input the flight locater number the following panel will pop up providing confirmation that the passenger boarding is getting onto the correct flight.
Weight and Balance
The above load sheet panel is displayed. To print the report the "Print" function is selected. Flight FollowingThe flight following is either input by the flight operations personnel or the gate agent. The flight following panel is shown below.
Passenger ArrivalThe processing provides:
Upon arrival the passengers, if any baggage was checked, must collect their baggage and then depart the airport. If a connecting flight is to be boarded the passenger's baggage is transferred to the connecting flight and the passenger(s) board the flight. If the passenger's baggage was misplaced, lost or damaged the baggage agent merely needs to input a passenger's baggage claim number and the entire baggage records are displayed. The assigned agent, prior to flight arrival, views the special need report for the flight. This allows the agent to prepare for any special needs indicated. Security - Passenger and BaggageeRES/eTARS supports:
APIS - Advanced Passenger Information SystemAPIS addresses passengers and crews traveling from a foreign country into the USA. eRES/eTARS automatically determines if the flight is coming from a foreign country and entering the USA. For flights that meet this criteria eRES/eTARS begins capturing the needed information at passenger check-in. When all passengers have boarded eRES/eTARS automatically completes the required passenger manifest and sends it automatically to the USA Customs office where the passengers will enter the USA. eRES/eTARS determines the flight crew from the weight and balance report and then captures the needed information from the crew's personnel records to complete the required crew manifest. The crew manifest is then sent automatically to the USA Customs office where the crew will enter the USA. CAPS - Computer Assisted Passenger ScreeningCAPS addresses screening for suspect passengers and informing USA customs. eRES/eTARS provides utilities that will allow the airline to input the screening criteria required by USA Customs. When a passenger checks-in eRES/eTARS automatically compares the customer information to the customs supplied security criteria. If a passenger is determine to be suspect, eRES/eTARS will automatically print a new eTicket that indicates to Customs that this passenger has been determined suspect. eRES/eTARS automatically fulfils the required number of passengers that Customs requires to be screened. Baggage MatchingThe purpose of baggage matching is to not allow baggage on an aircraft if the passenger who checked-in the baggage is not on the aircraft. There are many ways baggage can be placed onto an aircraft and the passenger never boards the aircraft:
eRES/eTARS tracks each passenger and if any passengers have not boarded or has left the aircraft eRES/eTARS will not produce a flight manifest until the passenger's baggage is removed from the aircraft. Dynamic Route ModificationeRES/eTARS configuration provides both segment and flight dynamic insertion and modification based on today's or even this instant requirements. The flight configuration tool allows insertion of new segment(s) into a flight or creation of a new flight in a matter of minutes. Segments can be modified or new ones created in a matter of minutes. This feature allows an airline that has a requirement to dynamically change a flight, segment or route to do so with a minimum of effort and in minutes. Pricing Of InventoryThe fares are input into the system in two different ways. The first being a tool that allows the airline to define fares.
Once the fares are defined in the system a file can be produced that will allow transmission to ATPCO (Airline Tariff Publishing Company) for publishing so that other airlines can pick up the fares. The second method is to down load the fares from ATPCO and automatically install them into eRES/eTARS. eRES/eTARS supports all of the fare types that are available on other CRS and booking systems. This is necessary to allow eRES/eTARS to work in conjunction with the other systems. Unlimited Fares/Class Of Service are available for each defined flight. Each Fare/Class Of Service may have their own or shared rule definitions. Inventory ReportingThe inventory reports are available, to the appropriate personnel, on a real-time basis. The reports can be reviewed, printed or exported to external applications. The following represents a basic set of reports. We will produce the necessary reports to allow you to run your business at no additional cost to you. The data contained in the following reports are based on the information as we understand it and will be refined to reflect what you actually need. Operational ReportsBooked InventoryThe booked Inventory Report shows the inventory booked on a flight basis. Flight ManifestThis is a report that shows the passenger inventory boarded on a flight basis. It is provided to the aircraft's captain in a printed format and can be viewed, printed or exported by the personnel allowed to access this report. Management ReportsBooking ReportThe Booked Revenue report shows the number of reservations made for a specific date and time frame as input by the user. Shown in this report are:
A total summary is provided for each column including the total number of passengers booked. Future Booking ReportThe Gross Revenue Report is a report that is intended for planning and accounting purposes. It allows management to produce a report that shows for a specific period (time and date, from one minute to as long as desired) the number of bookings on every flight flown by your airline. AccountingThe accounting system provides a processing module with the capability to automatically capture the sales transactions, retain the transactions and transfer the daily sales into the airline central accounting system for input free processing. The revenue system provides the following capabilities:
The accounting modules have extensive interfacing capability to methodically track, maintain, control and monitor revenue system management by passenger confirmation number, location, status and agency pricing factors. All the methods and procedures required for a fully functional airline passenger revenue system department are incorporated into these modules. In addition, full reporting capability assures accounting and budget projection accuracy, and marketing support. Passenger confirmation number tracking establishes inventory control to on-line sales and serves as the source for the reports of unreported sales, sold reservations open, and sold reservation tickets closed including variance capture, and the earned/unearned revenue position. The accounting modules allow the data to be automatically exported into a spread sheet application. The spread sheet application can tailored or create new ones reports on a real time basis. The following image shows a report on "Customer Credit" transactions"
The following shows the same report but the format was selected to export the report when it was executed.
The following shows the same report but displayed in a spread sheet. The spread sheet just imported the unchanged data. The steps between the export report above and the display in the spread sheet are:
Once the data is in your spread sheet there are no limitations to the reports and their format that can be produced by your accounting department.
We will meet with your accounting department and determine the needed functions and reports. We will provide the support and reports as required at no cost to your airline. System Management Functions/ReportsSystem Management Definition Functions
System Management Reports
Accounting Reports
Provided Reports
Pre-Flight ValidationFunctionally, in performing the pre-flight validation, the system uses the passenger confirmation number to identify each PNR. If the case where tickets are used the PNR contains both a ticket number and a confirmation number. When the reservation is booked there is an extensive audit to validate accuracy of all input and system generated data. The validation of the itinerary price is automatic as all reservation are made in the centralized reservations system and the fare cost, tax, airport charges, and optional charges are all system generated using the flight price master table. Boarded ValidationOnce a boarding pass has been processed, the passenger transaction record is automatically validated to insure that the monetary value, transaction type, date of usage, and method of payment are all correct. For processing an itinerary's components the pre-flight validated reservation record and the actual sales record after the passenger has boarded ("the boarding pass/coupon is lifted") are used. The actual sales record is used to validate the pricing and reporting of all itinerary sales. This includes passenger, baggage, upgrades, or any other sales transaction. Pre-Flight validation processing provides the source for the air traffic liability (unearned revenue) and once validated the PNR is placed in both the gross revenue and unearned revenue tables. Boarded validation provides for the edit, pricing, reporting, and billing of boarded passengers. This audit includes refunds, exchanges, and re-bills. The boarded validation processing system is the source for earned income and the PNR data is now moved from the unearned to the earned table, Financial ResponsibilityMovement of the financial responsibility from reservation, counter and gate agents occurs automatically when Flight Operations indicates to the Flight Following function that the flight has taken off. At this time the revenue becomes earned and the accounting department has complete control of the flight's financial records. Flight Operations is still responsible to insure that the flight completes its schedule itinerary and to keep the flight following data current. All information is still available to the airline personnel but they are unable to modify the data after accounting is given control. Daily ReconciliationDaily Reconciliation is accomplished by accounting reviewing the unearned revenue report at the end of the day. If there are no entries in the unearned revenue report the entire days flights are reconciled. This is the first action required by accounting. If there any entries in this report accounting must manually reconcile them using the data made available by eRES/eTARS. Accounting was not required to manually input information from coupons which were pulled and received days later nor were they required to validate any data, it is automatically accomplished by the eRES/eTARS accounting process. Credit Card Batch ReconciliationCredit cards can be processed using two methods. The first and most used method is that the credit card is authorized and cleared by the credit authority in one step. This means that when the reservations are made the credit cards are authorized and cleared into your bank account. The second method is when credit cards are only authorized at the time the reservation is made. And the reconciliation is handled at a later time when after a reconciliation batch is built and sent to the bank. The building of the batch file is accomplished by utilizing the "Credit Card" function, this is the reconciliation batch to be sent to the bank. This report assembles into one report any unreconciled credit card charges into one reconciliation batch to be sent to the credit authority. Once the report is verified as correct the accounting department can send the report automatically to the credit authority using the supplied support. Each report is time stamped and dated. When the credit card payments are received the accounting department is required to input the actual payment received into the system. When the entire batch is reconciled it may be move to the archive files for later use. Networking
Access to the eRES/eTARS functions can be connected to using the following methods:
When using the Internet's World Wide Web access can be made from anywhere in the World. Local and remote terminals can be installed in less than 15 minutes. The terminals are inexpensive Personal Computers with any Operating System installed that supports an Internet browser. This includes Microsoft Windows/NT client or Linux. All inexpensive terminals include the necessary programming. There is no additional programming to load onto the terminals other than what is shipped with them. To install a remote terminal you connect the remote terminals to the Internet, select the reservations system with the browser and it is installed. To install a local terminal plug the LAN cable into the Personal computer, select the reservation system via the browser and it is installed. There is no limit to the number of terminals you can connect to the reservation system. We install, at no cost, a network/website traffic analyzation tool that will allow you to understand the people that are accessing your reservation system and what areas they are accessing. Other Airlines optional - not includedThe interface to Other Airlines is via our business partner Amadeus. Connecting eRES/eTARS to and from Other Airlines on a host-to-host is made by Amadeus. Amadeus connects eRES/eTARS to the target airline and eRES/eTARS then makes the reservation on a host-to-host basis. Reservations made on eRES/eTARS by other airlines or their connected travel agents is accomplished by a connection via Amadeus to eRES/eTARS. Once the connection is made the reservation is then made on a host-to-host basis. To view the details of eRES/eTARS interline support select the following: Interlining PDA and Mobile Telephone SupportThe eRES/eTARS Airline Management System is accessible from mobile phones or PDAs. 
Passengers, Travel/Tour Agents, Corporate Customers and your airline employees using a WAP equipped mobile phone can access your eRES/eTARS Airline Management System from anywhere the world. All functions of the eRES/eTARS Airline Management System are supported. Passengers can:
Your airline can:
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