Please find the circular from China Southern Airlines regarding the booking policy and O&D sales guidelines required to strictly follow in order to avoid ADM.
As always, we thank you for your support!
1.
Definition and System Setup Parameters
1.1
Definition of O&D
1.2
System Setup Parameters of O&D
1.3
Definition of Married Segment
2
Operation Rules
2.1
Booking and Ticketing
2.2
Ticket Change
2.2.1
Voluntary Change
2.2.2
Involuntary Change
Business Circular
Date: 1st
MAY 2019
To : All CZ sales office and agents
Subject: China
Southern Airlines GDS Booking Policy
Dear
Travel Agents,
In an effort to reduce distribution costs without compromising the many
services we offer to our customers, China Southern Airlines (CZ) has
implemented a formal GDS booking policy. The policy is intended to reduce the
costs associated with inactive segments and other booking-related practices
which cause negative inventory consequences.
This policy applies to all GDS subscribers including travel agents
(Accredited and Non Accredited) . ( IATA and NON IATA agents both )
1.
Booking and ticketing policy terms
When the agent uses GDS to make reservations on CZ’s flights, the flight
seat reservations and sales shall be carried out in accordance with the
regulations of CZ. The following behaviors shall not occur:
a) False ticket number
b) False passenger information
c) One ticket or one passenger
name for multiple seats
d) One passenger’s multiple flight
trips that are not possible at the same time
e) One passenger repeatedly
booking and cancellation on same travel dates and OD
f) Refund whilst holding
inventory
g) Invalid ticket whilst
holding inventory
h) Other irregularities ticket
handling operations
1.2. Removal of non-productive
status codes
(1) During booking, agents should leave passengers’ contact or agents’
mailbox information in PNR. When agent receive Q message concerning schedule
change or flight cancellation, agent has the responsibility to inform passenger
as soon as possible through effective ways, such as email, phone call or
messages on APP.
(2) GDS agents should promptly remove all non-productive segments with
status codes of HX, NO, UC, UN, HL, SC, TL, TN, UU, US, PN ,WL, WN ,DL, DS, IX,
MM, RM, GL from the PNR.
2.
Punishment on violation
2.1. Accredited agents ( IATA )
For violation on ITEM 3 and cost unnecessary booking fee of GDS, the agent
should compensate for the loss as below:
b) Duplicate booking - Multiple seats for a
passenger, including but not limited to multiple seats with the same origin and
destination, or multiple flight trips that are not possible
at the same time, and duplicated booking in different GDS. The agent
should compensate for $8 per flight segment for duplicate booking.
c) Churning - More than 3 times of
cancellation and booking on the same passenger name, flight date and itinerary.
5
US dollars compensation for each segment since the fourth time.
d) Inactive Segments - It is agent’s
responsibility to monitor the queues and release inactive segments with HX, UN,
UC, NO, SC, TK, TL, TN, UU, US, PN, WL, WN, DL, DS, IX, MM, RM, GL or WK status
codes from the booking. Fail to remove these segments in 24 hours before departure
would result in a 5 US dollars compensation for each segment.
e) Fictitious Name - pay 8 US dollars per
flight segment for compensation.
f) Any other violations - 5 US
dollars compensation for each segment.
2.2. Non accredited agents ( NON IATA )
If more than 3 times violations are found, the agent will be blocked
according to the BIDT billing audit data. If the agent applies for unblocking,
it must compensate for the loss according to the violation standard of the
accredited agents beforehand.
China Southern Airlines will monitor all transactions to identify booking
abuses and practices which are not in line with this policy.
CHINA
SOUTHERN AIRLINES COMPANY LIMITED
Passenger
Marketing & Sales Division
O&D SALES GUIDELINES
1.
Definition and System Setup Parameters
1.1
Definition of O&D
O&D is the abbreviation of Origin &
Destination (hereinafter abbreviated as OD), which refers to the travel demand
of passengers from the place of origin to the destination. The system splices
the flight segments into an end to end itinerary according to certain rules,
and judges the passenger value. Generally, continuity, connecting time, round
trip, and deviation rate are the key factors to determine whether an itinerary
should be considered as a single OD.
1.2
System Setup Parameters of O&D
1.2.1 OD is not the concept of segment. OD needs
to meet continuity requirements, which means the destination of
the former segment and the origin of the latter segment shall be the same city.
At present, when the transit points are the different airports in the same
city, the system will consider the itinerary as a single OD.
1.2.2 OD needs to meet connecting time
requirements, which means connecting time between domestic flights shall not
more than 8 hours; connecting time between domestic and international flight
shall not more than 24 hours; connecting time between international flights
shall not more than 24 hours.
1.2.3 3. The destination of the latter segment
shall not be the same as the origin of the former segment, which means round
trip and open jaw itinerary will not be considered as a single OD but combined
by multiple ODs.
1.2.3.4 At present, the deviation rate set by
the system is no more than 3. When the deviation rate of an itinerary exceeds
the set parameters, the system will consider the itinerary is combined by
multiple ODs.
1.3
Definition of Married Segment
If two or more segments are spliced into an OD
and evaluated according to the OD revenue management, all segments will be
identified as married segment.
Segments with class indicators followed by the
same numbers in PNR means they belong to the same married segment group, and
multiple married segment group can be existing in one PNR. For example,
segments with class indicators followed by number 1 means they belong to the
first married segment group, and segments with class indicators followed by
number 2 means they belong to the second married segment group, and so on.
Different number means different married segment group.
Screenshot example from Travelsky is as below:
2
Operation Rules
OD revenue management is a process of dynamic
evaluation of value. The system inputs all the final optimization results into
the process, and then performs the evaluation of value to complete the
effective allocation of seat resources.
2.1
Booking and Ticketing
2.1.1 In OD mode, the
display result of availability is a dynamic display process. The system will
recalculate in each query according to the current inventory. Queries and
reservations can get more accurate results in OD mode.
2.1.2 When enquiry, the system will provide with
the latest availability results according to the PNR that has not yet been
transacted/signed. If need to create a new query, please make sure that the PNR
has been transacted/signed or ignored, otherwise availability results may be
affected.
2.1.3 When booking and ticketing, please process
according to the real travel intention of passengers. After booking according
to OD rules, the corresponding segments will be bound as married segment. The
booking of a connecting OD through separate local ODs (availability requested
per segment) shall be considered as a married segment abuse.
2.1.4 If the married segment group is partially
cancelled, the system will give feedback on acceptance or rejection based on
the system evaluation. If cancellation is accepted, the corresponding segments
will be deleted; if cancellation is refused, the reservation system will prompt CAN
NOT BE CANCELLED, and reservations will only be accepted if the whole
married segment group is cancelled at the same time.
2.1.5 When the passenger requests to issue
tickets separately in multi-segment transport, the sales staff should take the
initiative to inform the passenger of the change and refund regulations,
baggage rules, requirements of flight documents for different types of tickets,
and that separate tickets cannot enjoy the through check-in service. The
tickets can only be issued after passenger’s approval.
2.2
Ticket Change
2.2.1
Voluntary Change
In the case of voluntary change, whether the
married segment can be cancelled depends on the real-time evaluation results of
the system. If the married segment group can be partial cancelled, the
subsequent steps can be taken. If the married segment cannot be cancelled (the
system prompts CAN NOT BE CANCELLED),
then the married segment group should be cancelled at the same time before
applying for the new itinerary.
For example, the system prompts CAN NOT BE CANCELLED after
partial cancellation of the PNR, then it is necessary to cancel the whole
married segment group.
Screenshot example from Travelsky is as below:
Since the new reservation may result in large
fare difference, the sales staff must inform passenger of the fare arising from
such changes in advance, and the passenger shall accept the fare difference
before the sales staff processes the ticket change.
2.2.2
Involuntary Change
Due to the flight disruptions, the corresponding
married segment will be automatically unbound according to the flight change
information in PNR. If the married segment group can be partial cancelled, the
subsequent steps can be taken. If the married segment cannot be cancelled (the
system prompts CAN NOT BE CANCELLED), after verifying the involuntary situation,
the instruction can be executed through the corresponding married segment
group: MSC BSR/segment number/segment number…. After that, segment
cancellation, reservation and ticket exchange can be operated. If it is
necessary to re-bind the married segments due to human errors, after verifying
the situation, the instruction can be executed: MSC BPS / section number/section
number/… to re-bind the
married segment.
For example, the first flight is disrupted and
needs to process involuntary change, and the system displays that the segment 2
cannot be cancelled. Screenshot example from Travelsky is as below:
As segment 1 and 2 are belong to the same
married segment group which are applied to involuntary handle procedure, the
sales staff can unbind the married segment by using instruction MSC:BSR/2/3,
then cancel the segments and process as usual.
Screenshot example
from Travelsky is as below:
The manual unbinding of the married segments of
tickets under involuntary situation can only be operated by prior authorization
(11/12 level) in ICS system. The agent shall contact its authorized CSN sales
office (including customer service center) in the situation of involuntary
change unbinding.
The CSN sales office (including customer service
center) must strictly follow the rules of OD system to operate instructions, or
a notice of criticism will be circulated when unbundling against the rules.