Airways

ABSTRACTAirline Reservation Systems (ARS) used to be standalone systems. Each

airline had its own system, disconnected from other airlines or ticket agents, and

usable only by a designated number of airline employees. Travel agents in the

1970s pushed for access to the airlines' systems. Today, air travel information is

linked, stored, and retrieved by a network of Computer Reservations Systems

(CRS), accessible by multiple airlines and travel agents. The global distribution

system (GDS) makes for an even larger web of airline information, not only

merging the buying and selling of tickets for multiple airlines, but also making the

systems accessible to consumers directly. GDS portals and gateways on the Web

allow consumers to purchase tickets directly, select seats, and even book hotels and

rental cars.

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INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY:

It is obvious that everything that is sustainable would have to go through advancement. In

science and technology, the desire for improvement is a constant subject which triggers

advancements. This is visible in every ramification and the airline industry is not an

exemption.

Airline Reservation Systems (ARS) used to be standalone systems. Each airline had its

own system, disconnected from other airlines or ticket agents, and usable only by a designated

number of airline employees. Travel agents in the 1970s pushed for access to the airlines'

systems. Today, air travel information is linked, stored, and retrieved by a network of

Computer Reservations Systems (CRS), accessible by multiple airlines and travel agents. The

global distribution system (GDS) makes for an even larger web of airline information, not

only merging the buying and selling of tickets for multiple airlines, but also making the

systems accessible to consumers directly. GDS portals and gateways on the Web allow

consumers to purchase tickets directly, select seats, and even book hotels and rental

cars.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:

This seminar is aimed at exposing the relevance and importance of Airline Reservation

Systems (ARS). It is projected towards enhancing the relationship between customers and

airline agencies through the use of ARSs, thereby easing the flight ticketing and selling

process and all air traveling operations.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

The outcome of this study will provide a basis for developing the appropriate approach to

the problems associated with air traveling operations in relation toAirline Reservation Systems

SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This seminar is not only restricted to Computer Reservation Systems (ARSes), but also

other systems dedicated to the optimal performance in the airline industry; airline agencies and

their customers inclusive.

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SIGNIFICANCE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This presentation will be beneficial to all those who make use of Airline Reservation

Systems (ARSs), flight operators, air traveling operators, travel agents and airline agencies.

In addition, it will assist all those in computer-related disciplines who may want to appreciate

the system and also those doing research on similar topic.

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LITERATURE REVIEWIn the early days of American commercial aviation, passengers were relatively few, and

each airline's routes and fares were tightly regulated by the Civil Aeronautics Board. These were

published in a volume entitled The Official Airline Guide, from which travel agents or

consumers could construct an itinerary, then call or telex airline staff, who would mark the

reservation on a card and file it. This manual system is still used by relatively few travel

agents who do not use ARS. As demand for air travel increased and schedules grew more

complex, this process became impractical, hence, giving rise to the need of an automated

reservation system called Airline Reservation System (ARS).

HISTORY OF AIRLINE RESERVATION SYSTEM (ARS)

American Airlines was the first to establish an automated booking system in 1946. Using

a system to track information and improve efficiency was a highly appealing aim in the

industry, and drew the attention of other airlines worldwide. The system endured years of

development and alterations. Trans-Canada Airlines developed a computer-based system with

remote terminals that eventually took over operations in 1953. The same year, American

Airlines worked closely with IBM to develop an improved system, and the Airline

Reservation System (ARS) and the Semi-Automatic Business Research System (SABRE)

launched thereafter in 1960. The network completed set-up in 1964, and it was recognized as

the largest data processing system in existence. Later, other airlines invested more in research

and development to launch improved systems, and through the late 1960s and early 1970s,

airlines established their own systems. United Airlines developed the Apollo Reservation

System, and shortly after allowed travel agents access. The Apollo system was the foundation

for many further developments, which spread from just US airlines to European airlines as

well. The research and development of Airline Reservation System became a significant

aspect of the industry and all its air carrier companies, and partnerships between airlines and

technology gurus emerged.

Other airlines soon established their own systems. Delta Air Lines launched the Delta

Automate Travel Account System (DATAS) in 1968. United Airlines and Trans World

Airlines followed in 1971 with the Apollo Reservation System and Programmed Airline

Reservation System (PARS), respectively. Soon, travel agents began pushing for a system

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that could automate their side of the process by accessing the various ARSes directly to make

reservations. Fearful this would place too much power in the hands of agents, American

Airlines executive Robert Crandall proposed creating an industry-wide Computer

Reservation System to be a central clearing house for U.S. travel; other airlines demurred,

citing fear of antitrust prosecution.

Airline deregulation occurred in 1978, magnifying the importance of computerized

airline reservation systems and their accessibility. During the early 1970s, as travel agents

pushed for access to reservation systems, and certain airline executives made investments for the

sake of accessing the systems of other airlines, anti-trust laws came into focus. The purpose of

the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act in the U.S. was to eliminate government control over

commercial aviation, and ensure competitive behavior and fair business practices in the

airline industry. Passengers could gain knowledge of market forces and new market entry in

the industry. Information on specific airlines and the industry as a whole became more widely

and readily accessible, evolving the airline reservation systems from "standalone" operations

toward GDS.

Of the major types of airline reservation systems, most are linked to GDS to provide

information to travel agents, employees of other airlines, and the passengers or potential

customers, directly. The major systems include SABRE, Worldspan, Galileo, Patheo, and

Abacus. American Airlines now uses SABRE, also used by Expedia, Lastminute.com, and

Travelocity. Abacus is used by over 450 individual airlines, over 80,000 hotels, and over 25

countries in Asia. Companies like Expedia share their system accessibility directly with

consumers.Today, about six major airline reservations systems are used by international

airlines.

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WHAT IS ARS?

Airline Reservations System(ARS)

It is a computerized system used to store and retrieve information and conduct

transactions related to air travel. The systems was originally designed and operated by airlines,

but were later extended for the use of travel agencies.

Major ARS operations that book and sell tickets for multiple airlines are known as

Global Distribution Systems (GDS). Airlines have divested most of their direct holdings to

dedicated GDS companies, who make their systems accessible to consumers through Internet

gateways. Modern GDSes typically allow users to book hotel rooms and rental cars as well as

airline tickets.

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS (GDS)

Global Distribution Systems (GDS) are subsystems connected to Airline Reservation

Systems (ARS) which allows users access to information on flight scheduling and reservation

stored in the Airline Reservation System (ARS) database.

TRENDS IN AIRLINE RESERVATION SYSTEMS (ARS)

In 1946, American Airlines installed the first automated booking system, the

experimental electromechanical Reservisor. A newer machine with temporary storage based on a

magnetic drum, the Magnetronic Reservisor, soon followed. This system proved successful, and

was soon being used by several airlines, as well as Sheraton Hotels and Goodyear for inventory

control. It was seriously hampered by the need for local human operators to do the actual

lookups; ticketing agents would have to call a booking office, whose operators would direct a

small team operating the Reservisor and then read the results over the telephone. There was

no way for agents to directly query the system.

In 1953, Trans-Canada Airlines (TCA) started investigating a computer-based system

with remote terminals, testing one design on the University of Toronto's Manchester Mark 1

machine that summer. Though successful, the researchers found that input and output was a

major problem. Ferranti Canada became involved in the project and suggested a new system

using punch cards and a transistorized computer in place of the unreliable tube-based Mark I.

The resulting system, Reser Vec, started operation in 1962, and took over all booking

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operations in January 1963. Terminals were placed in all of TCA's ticketing offices, allowing

all queries and bookings to complete in about one second with no remote operators needed.

In 1953, American Airlines CEO C. R. Smith chanced to sit next to R. Blair Smith, a senior

IBM sales representative. C. R. Smith invited Blair to visit their Reservisor system and look

for ways that IBM could improve the system. Blair alerted Thomas Watson Jr. that American

was interested in a major collaboration, and a series of low-level studies started. Their idea of

an automated Airline Reservation System (ARS) resulted in a 1959 venture known as the

Semi-Automatic Business Research Environment (SABRE), launched the following year. By

the time the network was completed in December 1964, it was the largest civil data

processing system in the world.

Other airlines soon established their own systems. Delta Air Lines launched the Delta

Automated Travel Account System (DATAS) in 1968. United Airlines and Trans World

Airlines followed in 1971 with the Apollo Reservation System and Programmed Airline

Reservation System (PARS), respectively. Soon, travel agents began pushing for a system

that could automate their side of the process by accessing the various ARSes directly to make

reservations. Fearful this would place too much power in the hands of agents, American

Airlines executive Robert Crandall proposed creating an industry-wide Computer

Reservation System to be a central clearinghouse for U.S. travel; other airlines demurred,

citing fear of antitrust prosecution.

In 1976, United began offering its Apollo system to travel agents; while it would allow

the agents to book tickets on United's competitors, the marketing value of the convenient

terminal proved indispensable. SABRE, PARS, and DATAS were soon released to travel

agents as well. Following airline deregulation in 1978, an efficient ARS proved particularly

important; by some counts, Texas Air executive Frank Lorenzo purchased money-losing

Eastern Air Lines specifically to gain control of its SystemOne ARS.

Also in 1976 Videcom international with British Airways, British Caledonian and CCL

launched Travicom, the world's first multi-access reservations system (wholly based on

Videcom technology), forming a network providing distribution for 49 subscribing

international airlines (including British Airways, British Caledonian, TWA , Pan American

World Airways, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Air France, Lufthansa, SAS, Air Canada, KLM,

Alitalia, Cathay Pacific and JAL) to thousands of travel agents in the UK. It allowed agents

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and airlines to communicate via a common distribution language and network, handling 97%

of UK airline business trade bookings by 1987. The system went on to be replicated by

Videcom in other areas of the World including the Middle East (DMARS), New Zealand,

Kuwait (KMARS), Ireland, Caribbean, United Sates and Hong Kong. The Travicom UK

multi access system airlines eventually migrated into the system called Galileo ARS in the

UK today and in 1988 Travicom Ltd was migrated into the distribution company Galileo UK.

European airlines also began to invest in the field in the 1980s, propelled by growth in

demand for travel as well as technological advances which allowed GDSes to offer

everincreasing services and searching power. In 1987, a consortium led by Air France and West

Germany's Lufthansa developed Amadeus, modeled on SystemOne. In 1990, Delta,

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FEASIBILITY STUDY

The initial investigation points to the question whether the project is feasible. A

feasibility is conducted to identify the best system that meets the all the requirements. This

includes an identification description, an evaluation of the proposed systems and selection of the

best system for the job.The requirements of the system are specified with a set of constraints

such as system objectives and the description of the out puts. It is then duty of the analyst to

evaluate the feasibility of the proposed system to generate the above results. Three key factors

are to be considered during the feasibility study.

Operation Feasibility

An estimate should be made to de4termine how much effort and care will go into the developing

of the system including the training to be given to the user. Usually, people are reluctant to

changes that come in their progression. The computer initialization will certainly affected the

turn over, transfer and employee job status. Hence an additional effort is to be made to train and

educate the users on the new way of the system.

Technical Feasibility

The main consideration is to be given to the study of available resources of the organization

where the software is to be implemented. Here the system analyst evaluates the technical merits

of the system giving emphasis on the performance, Reliability, maintainability and

productivity.By taking the consideration before developing the proposed system, the resources

availability of the organization was studied. The organization was immense computer facilities

equipped with sophisticated machines and the software hence this technically feasible.

Economic Feasibility

Economic feasibility is the most important and frequently used method for evaluating the

effectiveness of the proposed system. It is very essential because the main goal of the proposed

system is to have economically better result along with increased efficiency. Cost benefit

analysis is usually performed for this purpose.

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HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

PROCESSOR : PENTIUM II

CLOCK SPEED : 800 MHZ

SYSTEM BUS : 32 BIT

RAM : 128 MB

HDD : 5GB

MONITOR : SVGA COLOR

KEY BOARD : 108 KEYS

MODEM : 56 KBPS

FLOPPY DRIVE : 1.44 MB

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

OPERATING SYSTEM : WINDOWS XPBROWSER : INTERNET EXPLORER 5.5 OR ANY HTTP BROWSERFRONT END : NETBEANSDATABASE LAYER : MS-ACCESSWEB SERVER : GOOGLESERVER SIDE SCRIPT : JSPCLIENT SIDE SCRIPTING : JAVA SCRIPTCONNECTION : TCP / IPPROTOCOL : HTTP, SMTP, POP3,WAP

TECHNOLOGY SPECIFICATION

Client-Server Architecture:

Typical client-server systems are based on the 2-tiered architecture, whereby there is a clear

separation between the data and the presentation business logic. These are generally data driven,

with the application existing entirely on the client machine while the database server is deployed

somewhere in the organization.

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2-Tier Architecture:

In a traditional 2- Tiered application, the processing load is given to the client PC while the

server simply acts as a traffic controller between the application and data. As a result, not only

does the application performance suffer due to the limited resources of the PC, but the network

traffic tends increase as well.

3- Tier Architecture:

In 3- Tier architecture an application is broken into three separate logical layers, each with a well

- defined set of interfaces. The first tier is referred to as the presentation layer and typically

consists of graphical user interface of some kind. The middle tier, or business layer, consists of

application or business layer and the third layer- the data layer contains the data that is needed

for the application. The middle tier is basically the code that the user calls upon to retrieve the

desired data. The presentation layer then receives the data and formats it for display. This

separation of application logic from the user interface adds enormous flexibility to the design of

application.

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MAJOR AIRLINE RESERVATION SYSTEM (ARS)Name Created By Also Used by:

Amadeus

Air France

Iberia

Lufthansa

SAS

Online travel agencies including

o Any fares

o Cheap O air

o e-bookers

o Expedia

o Flights

Over 500 individual airlines

Over 120 individual airline

websites

Over 90,000 travel agencies

Over 76,000 hotels

SABRE

All Nippon Airways

American Airlines

Cathay Pacific

Airways

China Airlines

Singapore Airlines

Expedia

CheapOair

Godard

Lastminute.com

Mobissimo

Travelocity

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Galileo by Travel port

Aer Lingus

Air Canada

Alitalia

British Airways

Swiss

TAP

United Airlines

Airways

China Airlines

Dragonair

EVA Airways

Garuda Indonesia

Malaysia Airlines

Philippine Airlines

Royal Brunei Airlines

SABRE

SilkAir

Singapore Airlines

Over 25 countries in Asia

Pacific

Over 80,000 hotels

KIU

Sol Lineas Aereas

Aerogal

Star Peru

LC Busre

Peruvian Airlines

CielosAndinos

Easyfly

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Laser Airlines

LADE – Lineas Aereas Del Estado

Amaszonas

Maya Air


Over 10 countries in Latin and

North America

Travel agencies and wholesale

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PROBLEM DEFINITION

The definition of our problem lies in manual system and a fully automated system.

Manual system : The system is very time consuming and lazy. This system is more prone to

errors and sometimes the approach to various problems is unstructured.

Technical system : With the advent of latest technology if we do not update our system then

our business result in losses gradually with time. The technical systems contains the tools of

latest trend i.e. computers printers, fax, Internet etc. The systems with this technology are very

fast, accurate, user-friendly and reliable.

.

Need of Airlines system

A few factors that directs us to develop a new system are given below -:

1) Faster System

2) Accuracy

3) Reliability

4) Informative

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Literature Review

In the arena of global competition, organizations in all over the world are competing

through the use of the most comprehensive and advanced technological feature. The most

common example of innovation is in the area of information technology and communication.

Various industries are using the technologies and the advancements of software and internet to

maintain and monitor their business transactions. In the application of the informative systems,

the airline industry is the most common users of the system. The purpose of the application of

system is to easily manage and organize all the reservations and bookings of the clients and gain

the competitive advantage. Some of the popular airlines that use the various reservations systems

are the British Airways, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas,

and many others. All of the airlines are founded in different years, following different routes,

having unique organizational structure and models and yet covers the system that gained them

popularity.

Reservations Systems

Because of the effect of the September 11th attack, each airlines began polishing the

system and holding the importance of the airline reservation system. It has a purpose in

enhancing the risk assessments among the flights from the point of embarkation to the point of

destination. This process is known as the Passenger Name Record (PNR). As traced into the

early reservation systems done by the travel agents, the electronic systems are here emphasized.

The operation of the reservation system might have different requirements from the competing

companies. The earliest versions of the reservation system were not designed to support the

exchange of data between operators, as the concept of interlining (transport involving two or

more carriers under a single ticket) was not yet fully developed. When the exchange of data was

required, it often involved the use of other processes outside of the carrier's own reservation

systems. This promotes in the construction of the PNR that systematically records each of

passenger's travel requirements which contains all information necessary to enable reservations

to be processed and controlled by the booking airline and the airline(s) participating in the

carriage (IATA, 2004). The record includes the following:

1. The passenger's name (or names, as a PNR can be for a single traveler or for a group of many);

2. Itinerary or routing;

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3. Received from (the person making the reservation);

4. A phone contact (which is basically the number of Travel Agent made the booking); and

5. Ticketing information

On-Line Reservations

Because of the rapid spread of the internet, the airlines adopted a reservation system that

is a strong factor to gain new sales. The airlines began to introduce their own on-line reservation

system. These systems allowed airlines to avoid commissions by bypassing travel agents. Thus,

it has a tendency for the users to repeat the business transactions. The airline reservation systems

are frequently liked to the various programs and special offers which adds to their ability to

capture the travel and leisure market. These are some strategies that the online travel

agencies and travel agents cannot achieve because of the limitation in their services. However,

this system also experience drawbacks. Most of the airline sites do not allow for easy price

comparison, some will only book reservations on the airline which owns the site. Itineraries

which require travel to cities not served by that carrier usually cannot be booked (Kearney &

Robinson, 2004).

On-Line Travel Agencies

There are many traditional travel agencies that are operating on-line, but only few are

known by the passengers. The transaction between the travel agents and airlines is through the

commission basis. However, because of the direct booking of other passengers the commission

basis is slow diminishing and they have to charge the customers for the service fee. The usual

offers they give depend on their strategy and advertisement and not part of the airlines (Kearney

& Robinson, 2004).

Differences in Airline Reservation Systems

The reservation systems contain the information concerning the passengers and his

transportation. This information can be exchanged between the carriers through the facilitation of

well-defined method. The differences of the methods are based on the way wherein the various

systems interact with the airport system during the operations. For some instances, the

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passenger’s records in the reservation system can be updated with the information and check-in

operations.

Some carrier includes the additional information or has no formal structured PNR and

sometimes the risks occur. For example the Tour Operator entered the contact of the passenger

that may lead to the security of the clientele. In today, many carriers do not operate in their own

reservation systems, and instead rely on the products and systems developed by the commercial

Computerized Reservation Systems (CRS) or Global Distribution Systems (GDS). In these cases,

a carrier operating from one country may be relying on a CRS for reservations and check-in

services that is based in another country - and accordingly - potentially bound by differing laws .

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ENTITY RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM

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DATA FLOW DIAGRAM

A data-flow diagram (DFD) is a graphical representation of the "flow" of data through an

information system. DFDs can also be used for the visualization of data processing (structured

design).

On a DFD, data items flow from an external data source or an internal data store to an

internal data store or an external data sink, via an internal process.

A DFD provides no information about the timing or ordering of processes, or about

whether processes will operate in sequence or in parallel. It is therefore quite different from a

flowchart, which shows the flow of control through an algorithm, allowing a reader to determine

what operations will be performed, in what order, and under what circumstances, but not what

kinds of data will be input to and output from the system, nor where the data will come from and

go to, nor where the data will be stored (all of which are shown on a DFD).

Data Flow Diagram Level 0

“DFD level 0‟ is the highest level view of the system, contains only one process which

represents whole function of the system. It doesn‟t contain any data stores and the data is stored

with in the process.

For constructing DFD level 0 diagram for the proposed approach we need two sources one is for

“source‟ and another is for “destination‟ and a “process‟.

Dfd level 0

DFD level 0 is the basic data flow process, the main objective is to transfer the data from sender

to receiver after encryption.

Data Flow Diagram Level 1

For constructing “DFD level 1‟, we need to identify and draw the process that make the

level 0 process. In the project for transferring the personal data from source to destination, the

personal data is first encrypted and processed and latter decrypted.

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DATA FLOW DIAGRAM:

LEVEL 0

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Data Description

• A List of Airports including:

o Airport Name

o Abbreviation

o Location

-City

-State

-zip code (If possible)

-Time zone

• The information about several Flights, more specifically:

o Flight id

o Airline

o Flight number

o Departure/Arrival Date/Time

o Departure/Destination Airport

o Seats

o Total / Vacant

o Seat Number

o First Seats

o Coach Seats

o Type plane

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o Fare

• Information of Reservations made:

o Flights id

o Email

o Passenger names

o Credit card type/number

o Address

o Total Price

• User Information, most importantly containing:

o Email

o Password

o Reservations

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OPERATIONS OF AIRLINE RESERVATION SYSTEM (ARS)

The following are some of the operations regulated by Airline Reservation System:

Operation of Vendors to Air Carriers:

A system vendor shall:

a) Permit participation in its ARS by any carrier prepared to pay the requisite fees and to accept

the system vendor's standard conditions;

b) Not require carriers to participate in its ARS exclusively or for a certain proportion of their

activities;

c) Not impose any conditions on participation in its ARS that are not directly related to the

process of distributing a carrier's air transport products through the ARS;

d) Not discriminate among participating carriers in the ARS services it offers, including timely

and non- discriminatory access to service enhancements, subject to technical or other constraints

outside the control of the system vendor;

e) Ensure that any fees it charges are:

i) non-discriminatory;

ii) not structured in such a way that carriers are unfairly precluded from participation; and

iii) reasonably structured and reasonably related to the cost of the service provided and used and

shall, in particular, be the same for the same level of service;

f) Provide information on billing for the services of a system in a form (including, if requested,

via or on electronic media) and in sufficient detail to allow participating carriers to verify

promptly the accuracy of the bills;

g) Include in contracts a provision permitting an air carrier to terminate a contract by giving

notice:

i) which need not exceed six months, to expire not before the end of the first year; or

ii) as prescribed by national law;

h) Load information provided by participating carriers with consistent and non discriminatory

standards of care, accuracy and timeliness, subject to any constraints imposed by the loading

method selected by the participating carrier;

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i) Not manipulate the information provided by carriers in any way that would lead to information

being displayed in an inaccurate or discriminatory manner;

j) Make any information in its ARS that directly concerns a single reservation available on an

equal basis to the subscriber concerned and to all the carriers involved in the service covered by

the reservation but to no other parties without the written consent of such carriers and the air

transport user; and

k) Not discriminate among participating carriers in making available any information, other than

financial information relating to the ARS itself, generated by its ARS in an aggregated or

anonymous form. (CODE OF CONDUCT for the Regulation and Operation of Computer

Reservation Systems.

Operations of Vendors to Subscribers Regarding Commercial Arrangements

A system vendor shall not:

a) Discriminate among subscribers in the ARS services it offers;

b) Restrict access by subscribers to other ARSs by requiring them to use its ARS exclusively or

by any other means;

c) Charge prices conditioned in whole or in part on the identity of carriers whose air transport

services are sold by the subscriber;

d) Require subscribers to use its ARS for sales of air transport services provided by any

particular carrier;

e) Tie any commercial arrangements regarding the sale of air transport services provided by any

particular carrier to the subscriber's selection or use of the system vendor's ARS;

f) Require subscribers to use its terminal equipment or prevent them from using computer

hardware or software that enables them to switch from the use of one ARS to another, although it

may require technical compatibility with its ARS; and

g) Require subscribers to enter into contracts which:

i) exceed five years; or

ii) cannot be cancelled by the subscriber at any time after one year, with

notice and without prejudice to recovery of actual cost; and

iii) contain provisions that undermine contract termination. (CODE OF CONDUCT for the

Regulation and Operation of Computer Reservation Systems)

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Operations of Vendors Regarding Displays

A system vendor shall:

a) Make available a principal display or displays of schedules, space availability and tariffs of air

carriers which are fair, non-discriminatory, comprehensive, and neutral in terms of:

i) not being influenced, directly or indirectly, either by the identity of participating carriers or by

airport identity; and

ii) the information being ordered in a manner which is consistently applied to all participating

carriers and to all city-pair markets;

b) Ensure that any principal display made available is as fully functional and at least as easy to

use as any other display it offers;

c) Always provide a principal display except where there is a specific request from an air

transport user which requires the use of another display;

d) Base the ordering of services in a principal display and the selection and construction of

connecting services on objective criteria (such as departure/ arrival times, total elapsed time

between initial flight departure at origin and final flight arrival at destination, routing, number of

stops, number of connections and fares);

e) Provide to subscribers:

i) a principal display of flight options ranked in the order of all non-stop flights by departure

time, other direct flights not involving a change of aircraft and all connecting flights by elapsed

journey time; or

ii) a principal display of flight options ranked in any other order based on objective criteria; or

iii) principal displays based on i) and ii)

f) In the ordering of services in a principal display, take care that no carrier obtains an unfair

advantage;

g) In any principal display of schedule information:

i) clearly identify non-scheduled flights, scheduled en-route changes of equipment, use of the

designator code of one air carrier by another air carrier, the name of the operator of each flight,

the number of scheduled en-route stops, and any surface sectors or changes of airport

required; and

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ii) clearly indicate that the information displayed regarding direct services is not comprehensive

if information on participating carriers' direct services is incomplete for technical reasons or if

any direct services operated by non-participating carriers are known to exist and are

omitted;

h) In the selection and construction of connecting services in a principal display,select as many

alternative (single or multiple) connecting points on a nondiscriminatory basis as is necessary to

ensure a wide range of options;

i) Not intentionally or negligently display inaccurate or misleading information;

j) In cases where States do not find it practicable to ensure that subscribers comply with Article

10, include appropriate provisions regarding compliance in its contract with each subscriber; and

k) Where participating carriers have joint venture or other contractual arrangements requiring

two or more of them to assume separate responsibility for the offer and sale of air transport

products on a flight or combination of flights, permit each carrier concerned—up to a maximum

of three—to have a separate display using its individual designator code. (CODE OF

CONDUCTfor the Regulation and Operation of Computer Reservation Systems)

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SYSTEM TESTING

System testing is a critical aspect of Software Quality Assurance and represents the ultimate

review of specification, design and coding. Testing is a process of executing a program with the

intent of finding an error. A good test is one that has a probability of finding an as yet

undiscovered error. The purpose of testing is to identify and correct bugs in the developed

system. Nothing is complete without testing. Testing is the vital to the success of the system.

In the code testing the logic of the developed system is tested. For this every module of the

program is executed to find an error. To perform specification test, the examination of the

specifications stating what the program should do and how it should perform under various

conditions.

Unit testing focuses first on the modules in the proposed system to locate errors. This enables to

detect errors in the coding and logic that are contained within that module alone. Those resulting

from the interaction between modules are initially avoided. In unit testing step each module has

to be checked separately.

System testing does not test the software as a whole, but rather than integration of each module

in the system. The primary concern is the compatibility of individual modules. One has to find

areas where modules have been designed with different specifications of data lengths, type and

data element name.

Testing and validation are the most important steps after the implementation of the developed

system. The system testing is performed to ensure that there are no errors in the implemented

system. The software must be executed several times in order to find out the errors in the

different modules of the system.

Testing may be done at 4 levels:

Unit Level Module Level Integration & System Regression

UNIT TESTING

A Unit corresponds to a screen form in the package. Unit testing focuses on verification of

the corresponding class or Screen. This testing includes testing of control paths, interfaces, local

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data structures, logical decisions, boundary conditions, and error handling. Unit testing may use

Test Drivers, which are control programs to co-ordinate test case inputs and outputs, and Test

stubs, which replace low-level modules. A stub is a dummy subprogram.

MODULE LEVEL TESTING

Module Testing is done using the test cases prepared earlier. Module is defined during the

time of design.

INTEGRATION & SYSTEM TESTING

Integration testing is used to verify the combining of the software modules. Integration testing

addresses the issues associated with the dual problems of verification and program construction.

System testing is used to verify, whether the developed system meets the requirements.

REGRESSION TESTING

Each modification in software impacts unmodified areas, which results serious injuries to that

software. So the process of re-testing for rectification of errors due to modification is known as

regression testing. Installation and Delivery

Installation and Delivery is the process of delivering the developed and tested software to the

customer. Refer the support procedures Acceptance and Project Closure Acceptance is the part of

the project by which the customer accepts the product. This will be done as per the Project

Closure, once the customer accepts the product, closure of the project is started. This includes

metrics collection, PCD, etc

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MAINTENANCE

Maintenance is making adaptation of the software for external changes (requirements

changes or enhancements) and internal changes (fixing bugs). When changes are made during

the maintenance phase all preceding steps of the model must be revisited.

There are three types of maintenance:

1. Corrective (Fixing bugs/errors)

2. Adaptive (Updates due to environment changes)

3. Perfective (Enhancements, requirements changes

Airline Reservation System is one the modifications that were carried out in the Passenger

Service System so that the working and availability of Service area can be broadened.

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Scope of airways reservation

This is basically an interface of Global distribution System to carry out reservations on the

desired airline from any place. Airline Reservation System make the life of passengers very easy

as they don’t need to stand in queues for getting their seats reserved and they can easily make

reservations on any airline just from a single system. On the other hand, it also removed an extra

burden from the Airline Department as most of the passengers and travel agencies use this

service instead of making reservations from the counters.

With the help of this system, customers can view all the different flight’s availability with

different timings for a particular date and it also allows them to reserve a seat, cancel a

reservation or modify it. The only problem with the system is that it doesn’t allow the passengers

to change the particular part of his or her reservation. Apart from the fight details, it also displays

information that how many passengers are going to board a particular flight. The users follow the

same steps no matter what is their mode of system access is, namely, phone, internet or the

information desk at any part of the world, keeping consistency in the system.

ARS software is developed by many custom software development companies and then

integrated into the website. The client puts forth their requisites and the development team

produces software catering to their needs.

On one hand, it helps the customers and on the other, it also makes the life of the airline service

companies easier by keeping all the records of the passengers and if there is any change in the

fight due to some reason, the passengers are promptly informed. This system is also used by

companies to keep track of user preferences of regular travelers so that they can provide better

service and give offers to customers.

It also helps in maximizing the revenue generation of the airline companies in various ways.

The regular passengers can use this system to get the information regarding the special offers and

discounts provided to them. For some travelers who travel in parts or have to travel to various

destinations one after another, this system also guides them to select the best possible

combination for them. Users can create their permanent accounts in the system and need not fill

the required information every time they book, saving a lot of time of the customers.

From the user’s point of view the interface of the system is very easy and no technical

knowledge is required to use the system. But to use this reservation system, customers need to

create an account first and have to fill all the information required. If a client had already booked

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a ticket, he can also reschedule his booking for any other desired flight. From a survey carried

out by the airline companies, it is confirmed that airline reservation system has removed a lot of

burden from the authorities and made the life of the customers very easy.

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CONCLUSIONAirline Reservation System (ARS) has led to ease of airline ticketing, flight scheduling and

also provided a means for customers to access and book flights from their homes. It has also

increased the speed with which information about customers are retrieved and handled and

flight scheduling is tasked.

RECOMMENDATION

Owing to the ease and comfort of Airline Reservation Systems, local flights which are not on

the system should be encouraged to compensate the system. Secondly, the system should be

made affordable so as to encourage consumers and travel agents on patronizing the system.

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REFERENCE1. “Airline”. Retrieved on January 11, 2010 fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airline.htm.2. “Aviation and Space”. Retrieved on December 18, 2009 from Microsoft Encarta Premium2009 Encyclopedia.3. C. Winston, S. Morrison(1995): "The Evolution of the Airline Industry", BrookingsInstitution Press, South Dakota, Cf. p. 61-62, Computer Reservation Systems.4. “Computerized Reservation System”. Retrieved on January 14, 2010 fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_reservations_system.htm.5. European Parliament: “More Competition in Airline Reservation System – WithProtection for Consumers,” Sept. 4, 2008. Retrieved on November 26, 2009from http://www.ehow.com/about_5122697_airline-reservation-systems.html

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Airways

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