JP2002230382A - Ticket reservation support device, and method and device for flight ticket reservation support that can use the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To overcome the problem that the procedure is complicated when a reservation is received on-line across the point of time when flight fares are changed since they are frequently changed. SOLUTION: A temporary reservation acceptance part 56 accepts a temporary reservation for an air flight. The temporary reservation is made when the formal fare of the air flight is not determined. A monitor part 62 periodically monitors the determination of the temporarily reserved flight. The fare of the flight is properly uploaded to a center-side CRS(computer reservation system) 20. A notification part 64 informs the user having made the temporary reservation of the contents of the fare when the determination of the fare is detected.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technology for supporting airline ticket reservations, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for supporting airline ticket reservations mainly by electronic procedures using a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, deregulation contributes to enhancement of supply routes of goods and services and reduction of prices. In recent years, the effects of this have reduced barriers to entry in areas where new entry was practically impossible or difficult, and intensified price competition. For example, in the aviation industry, major companies and ventures from both inside and outside the country have remarkably entered the market. Even traditional airlines are caught up in price competition, sometimes leading the way.

[0003] On the other hand, the aviation industry, together with the wide range of industries that support it, is a field that has a significant impact on national interests, and cost reduction is an area that should always be discussed in relation to safety. From this point of view, while the principle is moving towards competition as a market principle, regulations remain from the point of view of state administration. One of them is the normal class ticket, which is commonly called the economy class.
There is a revision of the ticket applying the regular discount fare (so-called PEX) except for the cheap ticket called T. That is, PE
X's fare is set to be revised twice a year in April and October, and the fare at that time is regulated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It is unknown how long these systems will survive, but even if the systems disappear, the aviation industry will tend to adopt a seasonal fare system, and it is expected that the frequency of fare revisions will be high. Can be

[0004]

The revision of air fares complicates travel agency counter operations. For example, if a person who wishes to travel (hereinafter simply referred to as a user) reserves a PEX ticket immediately before the revision, the price of the ticket will not be known until the revised fee is confirmed. Therefore, the agent generally shows the user the fee of the previous term as a reference fee, notifies the user again when the formal fee is determined, and proceeds to the formal reservation and ticketing processing if the user does not exist.
When the user deposits a part of the travel price as an application fee, the user is required to pay the difference from the application fee again after the official fare of the air ticket is determined.

[0005] Under such circumstances, the present inventor has come to realize that the revision of the fee not only complicates the agency business but also becomes a very large barrier when developing the reservation business using the Internet. Was. That is, communication with a user via the Internet is disadvantageous in the following points as compared with manned work at a counter.

[0006] 1. 1. Explain to the user who makes a reservation before the revised fee is fixed that the fee can be changed later, especially that the fee can be higher. 2. Explanation that the travel fee will not be finalized unless the revised fee is finalized. As soon as the revised fee becomes high, the user will promptly confirm whether or not to continue the reservation. It is easy to conclude that it is safer to accept reservations, and there is a risk that business opportunities will be missed even if the reservation business is developed on the Internet. This tendency is particularly strong in April to May, when demand for air tickets is highest, and during the year-end and New Year holidays, which are relatively close to the time of fare revision.

The present invention has been made based on such recognition, and an object of the present invention is to provide a highly convenient air ticket reservation support technology using a network or other electronic means. Another object is to provide a ticket reservation assisting technology in anticipation of a fare revision. Still another object is to provide a technology capable of widely supporting ticket reservation, not limited to air tickets.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention introduces the concept of "temporary reservation", for example, for a reservation that extends over a time period for revising a fee, and accepts this online. One embodiment of the present invention relates to an airline ticket reservation support device. This device is
A provisional reservation receiving unit that receives a provisional reservation of a flight via the network, a monitoring unit that detects the confirmation of the charge of the provisionally reserved flight, and a connection with the monitoring unit, when the confirmation of the charge is detected,
And a notifying unit for notifying the user who has made a temporary reservation of the flight.

According to this configuration, even if the fee is undecided or the fee is revised, the user is notified when the fee is determined, so that the user can easily know the final fee. Yes, and can proceed to the settlement process. By linking the monitoring unit and the notification unit, the revision of the fee can be automatically and reliably transmitted to the user, so that the leakage of the revision information to the user, which may occur in the manned business, can be prevented. In the case of manned work, furthermore, the user must always be nervous about the revision of fees, and the work burden is large. In this respect, the present invention is greatly advantageous.

The monitoring unit refers to a table on the center side where information on flights of a plurality of airlines is constantly updated and held, for example, a table in a CRS (Computer Reservation System) via a network as needed. The confirmation of the fee may be detected.
The CRS is an existing system that manages reservations and fees for flights to and from Japan, and accepts reservations from agents and devices of the present invention.

[0011] Another embodiment of the present invention also relates to an airline ticket reservation assisting apparatus. This device obtains a flight reservation status from a first communication unit that communicates with a user terminal, a second communication unit that accesses a service system including airline ticket reservation, and the service system, and presents this to a user. A status presentation unit,
A provisional reservation receiving unit that receives a reservation for the flight in the form of a provisional reservation when the airline charge is approaching the revision time, and a reservation registration that registers the received provisional reservation as a normal reservation in the service system. A monitoring unit that detects the determination of the fee of the provisionally reserved flight by accessing the service system at a predetermined interval;
And a notifying unit for notifying the user who has temporarily reserved the flight when the confirmation of the fee is detected. If the user who has received the notice pays the application fee at the time of the provisional reservation, the settlement process for collecting the difference can be performed by determining the fee.
Here, as an example of the service system, in addition to the above-mentioned CRS, in addition to reservation and management of air tickets, GDS (Global Distribution System) including reservation of hotels and rental cars, etc.
em: Travel product distribution system).

Still another preferred embodiment according to the present invention relates to an airline ticket reservation supporting method. The method includes the steps of presenting a flight flight reservation status to a user, receiving a provisional flight flight reservation from a user via a network, detecting the confirmation of the provisionally reserved flight fee, and determining the fee. Is notified to the user who has made a tentative reservation for the flight when the is detected.

Still another preferred embodiment according to the present invention relates to a ticket reservation supporting apparatus. This device includes a provisional reservation receiving unit that receives a provisional reservation of a ticket via a network, a monitoring unit that detects the confirmation of the fee of the provisionally reserved ticket, and temporarily detects the confirmation of the fee when the confirmation of the fee is detected. Notification unit for notifying the user who made the reservation. With this configuration, the present invention can be widely applied not only to air tickets but also to general tickets.

It is to be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, and those in which the present invention is expressed as a method, a system, a computer program, a recording medium, and the like, are also effective as embodiments of the present invention.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below. This embodiment relates to an apparatus for supporting airline ticket reservation online, and specifically corresponds to an online agency function built in a website.
This online agency is working to solve the aforementioned issues.
Introduce a reservation system called “temporary reservation”. "Temporary reservation" means that if the airfare is approaching any of the revision periods twice a year, the previous period price will be presented to the user as a reference fee, and provisional reservation will be accepted for users who can obtain consent with the contents, Later, when the official air fare is confirmed, the difference is settled. Therefore, once a provisional reservation has been made, an application fee is once received from the user, and when a formal airfare is determined, this is notified to the user online, and the difference between the formal fee and the application fee is collected. By automating this series of procedures in the airline ticket reservation support device placed in the online agency, it is possible to avoid omission of notification of the official fee to the user and delay of the notification. Also, from the user's point of view, even if it is "temporary reservation",
For the CRS, a formal reservation is entered from an online agency, so that the user can reliably secure a flight ticket.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a series of processes from temporary reservation to settlement according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, an airline ticket reservation support device (not shown) is mounted in the online agency, and this device mediates the user terminal 10 and the CRS 20. CRS20 is the GD
Although S may be used, CRS is exemplified here. This apparatus mainly includes an AP server 12, an I / F server 14, and an order DB 16. The AP server 12 is a so-called application server, while the I / F server 14 is a CRS
20 that communicates with the server. The order DB 16 is a database that manages orders for provisional reservation and the like. CR
There are several S20s according to the alliances of airlines, travel agencies, and the like. Here, it is assumed that, for example, the vacancy status and the fare for all aircraft arriving and departing in Japan are centrally managed. In the following description, the user terminal 10 and the user are not distinguished unless otherwise required.

In FIG. 1, the user terminal 10 first issues a reservation request to the AP server 12 of the online agency. This request is notified to the I / F server 14, and the I / F server 14 requests the CRS 20 to refer to the vacant seat and refer to the fee. In response, the CRS 20 notifies the I / F server 14 of the search and reference results. The I / F server 14 notifies the contents to the user terminal 10.

It is now assumed that the airline ticket which the user intends to make a reservation for is at the time of charge revision and is in an uncertain state. The I / F server 14 notifies the user to that effect,
The user requests a provisional reservation after understanding the situation.

Upon receiving the request for provisional reservation, the AP server 12
The CRS 20 requests a reservation, and the CRS 20 responds in response to the request that the reservation has been input. After confirming this answer, the AP server 12 notifies the user terminal 10 of the previous term's fee as a reference fee and requests payment of the application fee.

Next, when the formal fare for the flight is determined by the airline, the new fare is input to the CRS 20.
The I / F server 14 monitors the charge of the CRS 20, and extracts the new charge when it is posted. The extracted new fee is notified to the AP server 12, and the AP server 12
Sends a notification to the user terminal 10 and a request for final payment. At this time, information about the user who made the tentative reservation is read from the order DB 16.

The user receiving the settlement request makes a necessary settlement to a bank or other settlement institution, and the AP server 12
Confirm the payment. The payment confirmation is reflected in the order DB 16, and thereafter, the process proceeds to a ticketing process.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of an airline ticket reservation support device 50 installed in an online agency. Here, since the functions of the AP server 12 and the I / F server 14 are collectively expressed, their distinction is not shown. That is, the configuration shown in FIG. 2 is a block of the function that achieves the purpose of the embodiment, and does not necessarily correspond to a unit of hardware or software components. Therefore, it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that this configuration can be realized by combining any elements of hardware or software.

First, the airline ticket reservation support device 50 has a first communication unit 52 for communicating with the user terminal 10 and a second communication unit 54 for communicating with the CRS 20. Of course, these two communication units may have the same configuration. In the following description, the communication between the airline ticket reservation support device 50 and the user terminal 10 and the CRS 20 is performed via the first communication unit 52 or the second communication unit 54, and this is described unless otherwise necessary. Absent.

The status presenting section 60 is provided by the airline ticket reservation support device 5.
The vacant seat and other information are appropriately presented to the user who browses 0 or issues the reservation request.
The provisional reservation receiving unit 56 receives the provisional reservation issued by the user, and notifies the reservation registration unit 58 of this. Reservation registration unit 58
Logs into CRS20 and enters the user's provisional reservation into CRS2.
Request for registration of a formal reservation for 0. The fact that the registration has been made, the reference fee, and the like are notified to the user terminal 10 via the status presentation unit 60.

The monitoring unit 62 monitors the determination of the official fare of the provisionally reserved flight. For this purpose, the monitoring unit 62 detects the settlement of the charge as early as possible, for example, by the following method.

1. The user automatically logs in to the CRS 20 at predetermined intervals, such as several times a day, and obtains a number in the fare column of a desired flight.

2. The above 1. In addition, we introduce monitoring with irregular timing. For example, a fee is detected at a relatively short interval at a time when it is assumed that a new fee will be fixed.
Conversely, at a time when it is assumed that there is still time to determine a new fee, the fee is detected at a relatively long time interval.

The monitoring of the CRS 20 by the monitoring unit 62 may be appropriately determined according to a method of logging in to the CRS 20 or an agreement between the CRS 20 and an online agency. preferable.

When the monitoring unit 62 detects that the new charge has been determined, the notification unit 64 notifies the user of this. For this reason, it is desirable that the user be able to specify a notification method at the time of, for example, provisional reservation. For example, it is desirable that a user who frequently goes out selects mail to a mobile phone, and a user who uses an information device such as a PC (personal computer) can request mail to such a device. In any case, the new charge is notified to the user by the cooperation of the monitoring unit 62 and the notification unit 64, so that the final settlement can be performed.

The timing confirmation section 66 refers to, for example, a calendar IC (not shown) or the like, and determines whether or not the airfare is approaching the revision timing. If the time is completely unrelated to the revision time, the temporary reservation receiving unit 56 may receive a normal reservation instead of a temporary reservation. On the other hand, if the revision time has come, the provisional reservation receiving unit 56 notifies the user of the fact and receives the provisional reservation from the user. That is, according to this configuration, the provisional reservation receiving unit 5
6 can function as a normal reservation receiving unit, and can function as a temporary reservation receiving unit only when necessary. Of course, formal reservations and provisional reservations may be received in different configurations.

An air ticket reservation procedure with the above configuration will be described. FIG. 3 is a screen for inputting items necessary for a user to know a vacant seat and a fee of a desired flight. As shown in the figure, the user searches for a departure date 102, a local departure date 104, a departure place 106, and the number of travel participants 10
8. Input or select items such as destination 110. Thereafter, the user presses the search GO button 112.

FIG. 4 shows a screen provided to the user. The information column 120 at the top indicates that the official fare of this flight has not yet been confirmed, and that if the application is made with this content, it will be registered as a tentative reservation, while the search result 122 of the air ticket will be displayed at the bottom. It is shown. In this case, the search result is “XXX Airline Plan”, and the charge for the previous term is displayed as 235,000 yen as the “estimated amount”. Air flights corresponding to the user's search result are displayed in detail as “ZT007 flight” and “ZT006 flight”. At the bottom of the screen, an application button 124 for the user to make a temporary reservation is provided.

Thereafter, it is assumed that the user has made a tentative reservation and has paid the application fee therefor. FIG. 5 is a screen that is notified to the user when the formal fee of the flight provisionally reserved by the user is determined. As shown in FIG.
As 0, merchandise information relating to a flight provisionally reserved by the user is presented. That is, here, the user has already made a 100,000 yen bank transfer as a provisional deposit,
The fact that the travel plan provisionally reserved by the user is “XXX Airline Plan” is displayed together with the fee of 241,000 yen.

On the other hand, the payment total 132
Is displayed. That is, the official fare for this air ticket is displayed as 241,000 yen as the “total product price”, of which 100
000 yen is displayed. Therefore, the user specifies 141,000 yen as the balance required for the main settlement, and a “Proceed to payment (payment)” button 134 is provided for proceeding to the main settlement when the user agrees to this.
Also, here, a “Proceed to delete reservation” button 136 is displayed.
If the official fee is higher than expected by the user, consideration is given to canceling the reservation for other personal reasons of the user. In the example of FIG.
Although it was 37000 yen, the official fee is actually 24100
Price has risen to 0 yen.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by introducing the temporary reservation system into the online reservation system, the efficiency of the reservation operation by the online agency and the enhancement of the user acquisition power are realized. In addition, although the reference fee presented at the time of the provisional reservation is provisional, the record of the reservation made in the CRS 20 is valid even after the fee revision, so it is necessary to secure a seat even if the regular fee is unconfirmed. Can be.
Furthermore, at the time when the regular fee is posted on the CRS 20, the data relating to the provisional reservation is extracted from the order DB 16 and the user can be automatically requested to settle the balance, thereby reducing the labor cost required for operating the system. can do.

The present invention has been described based on the preferred embodiments. Regarding this embodiment, various deformation techniques are conceivable, and these are also effective as aspects of the present invention. The following are some of such modified examples.

In the present embodiment, the monitoring unit 62
Posted on a regular basis. However,
Generally, the timing posted on the CRS 20 differs from airline to airline.
Alternatively, the CRS 20 may be monitored at time intervals.

When the formal fee is determined, the fee may be higher than expected by the user. For this reason, an upper limit setting unit for presetting an upper limit value acceptable to the user at the time of provisional reservation may be provided. Furthermore, a condition registration unit for pre-registering conditions for the user to reserve another flight in preparation for a case where the confirmed official fee exceeds the upper limit value, and a different flight to the user according to the registered conditions. A candidate presenting unit to be presented may be provided.

The airline ticket reservation support device 50 may include an immediate settlement processing unit for allowing the user to make a settlement on the spot when the official fare is notified. For example, by inputting a user-specific password from a mobile phone or PDA, it is possible to proceed to electronic payment. This password is used, for example, to confirm the validity of the credit card number registered in advance by the user, or is used as a user authentication means in any other existing payment.

The present invention is applicable not only to airline ticket reservations but also to general tickets. For example, in some cases, such as when an artist performs an additional performance, the fare is determined later by the way the ticket is sold, and in such a case, the provisional reservation of the present invention is effective. That is, the provisional reservation receiving unit receives the provisional reservation of the ticket via the network, the monitoring unit detects the confirmation of the fee of the provisionally reserved ticket, and the notification unit cooperates with the monitoring unit to detect the confirmation of the fee. At that time, this is notified to the user who has temporarily reserved the ticket.

[0041]

According to the present invention, airline ticket reservation can be efficiently supported online.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a procedure from temporary reservation to settlement according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an airline ticket reservation support device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a screen on which a user inputs information so that a user can know a desired airline fare and availability.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen on which a fee and details of an airline meeting a condition are displayed in response to a user's search request.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a screen for posting information necessary for settlement of a balance to a user after a formal fee is determined.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 user terminal, 50 airline ticket reservation support device, 5
2 First communication unit, 54 Second communication unit, 56 Temporary reservation receiving unit, 58 Reservation registration unit, 60 Situation presentation unit,
62 monitoring unit, 64 notification unit, 66 timing confirmation unit.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Taro Yoshii 4-7-35 Kita Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Skygate

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A provisional reservation receiving unit that receives a provisional reservation of a flight via a network, a monitoring unit that detects the confirmation of a charge of the provisionally reserved flight, and the confirmation of the charge is detected in cooperation with the monitoring unit. And a notifying unit for notifying the user who has made a tentative reservation of the flight at that time. 2. The monitoring unit according to claim 1, wherein the confirmation of the charge is detected by appropriately referring to a table on the center side where information on flights of a plurality of airlines is constantly updated and held via a network. The device according to claim 1. 3. A provisional reservation reception unit for receiving a provisional reservation by the provisional reservation reception unit when it is determined that the airline charge is approaching the revision time. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the following is performed. 4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising an immediate settlement unit for authenticating the user and transferring to a settlement process when the user who has received the notice of the settlement of the fee by the notice unit requests the immediate settlement. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. 5. A first communication unit for communicating with a user terminal, and a second communication unit for accessing a service system including airline ticket reservation.
A communication unit, and obtains a flight reservation status from the service system;
A situation presenting section for presenting this to the user, a tentative reservation receiving section for receiving a reservation for the flight in the form of a tentative reservation when the airline charge is approaching the time of revision, A reservation registration unit for registering the service system as a reservation, a monitoring unit for detecting the confirmation of the fee of the provisionally reserved flight by accessing the service system at a predetermined interval, and when the confirmation of the fee is detected. And a notifying unit for notifying the user who has made a temporary reservation of the flight, to that effect. 6. A step of presenting a flight flight reservation status to a user, a step of receiving a provisional flight flight reservation from a user via a network, a step of detecting the confirmation of a fee for the provisionally reserved flight, And a step of notifying the user who has temporarily reserved the flight when the confirmation is detected. 7. A provisional reservation receiving unit that receives a provisional reservation of a ticket via a network, a monitoring unit that detects the confirmation of the fee of the provisionally reserved ticket, and when the confirmation of the fee is detected in cooperation with the monitoring unit. And a notifying unit for notifying the user who has temporarily reserved the ticket that the ticket is reserved.