Masters in Travel Management 1st sem Unit 3

8/8/2019 Masters in Travel Management 1st sem Unit 3

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Information Technology for Travel and Tourism Amit Kundu

Unit 3

Computer Networking Concepts, Information Systems, CRS for Airlines, Study of

different packages viz. Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre etc. (anyone package available).

COMPUTER NETWORK

The concept of network is not new, in simple terms it means an interconnected set

of some objects and by computer network we mean an interconnected set of

autonomous computers. The term autonomous implies that the computers can

function independent from others.

A network is simply collection of computers or other hardware devices that are

connected together, either physically or logically, using special hardware and

software, to allow them to exchange information and cooperate. Networking is the

term that describes the processes involved in designing, implementing, upgrading

and managing a computer network.

History

The history of electronic computers is not very old. It came into existence in the

early

1950 and during the first two decades of its existence it remained as a centralized

system housed in a single large room. In those days the computers were large in

size and

were operated by trained personnel.After the invention of microprocessors in the early 1970s, the computers became

smaller in size and less expensive. With significant increase in processing power,

new breed of low-cost computers known as mini and personal computers were

introduced. Instead of having a single central computer, an organization could now

afford to own a number of computers located in different departments and sections.

The bandwidth was clearly a problem and in the late 1970s and early 80s another

new communication technique known as Local Area Networks (LANs) evolved, which

helped computers to communicate at high speed over a small geographical area. In

later years use of optical fiber and satellite communication allowed high-speed datacommunications over long distances.

Classification Based on Size

1) Local Area Network (LAN)

A network is said to be Local Area Network (LAN) if it is confined relatively to a small

area. It is generally limited to a building or a geographical area, expanding not more

than a mile apart to other computers.

LAN configuration consists of:A file server: Stores all of the software that controls the network, as well as

the software that can be shared by the computers attached to the network.


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A workstation: Computers connected to the tile server (Mac or PCs). These

are less powerful than the file server.

2) Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) covers larger geographic areas, such as cities(often used by local libraries and government agencies often to connect to citizensand private industries.

3) Wide Area Network (WAN)Wide Area Network (WANs) connect larger geographic areas such as London, the UK,or the world. In this type of network dedicated transoceanic cabling or satelliteuplinks may he used.

4) Personal Area Network (PAN)Personal Area Network generally means a very small LAN with range of only a fewfeet. Intended mostly to connect together devices used by a single person or very

small group. The term is most commonly used in reference to Bluetooth or IEEE802.15 wireless technology.


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Terminology

Administrator: The person responsible for a network's operations. Including

installing network components, providing access to users and troubleshooting.

Account: A username and password given to each user of a network. Networks

grant access to files and services based on the rights given to the users account.

Client: A computer that connects to a network and accesses files, printers, or

other services offered by a server.

Server: A computer that offers one or more services to the network and runs a

NOS.

Network Operating System (NOS): A piece of software, such as Windows NT

server or Norell Netware, that enables a computer to act as a network server.

Workstation: A non-server computer attached to a network.

Node: Any computer or other device connected to a network. Nodes include

workstation, servers and devices such as printers.

Internet: A global network that evolved from the US department of Defense's

ARPANET project.

Internetwork: A large network consisting of various small networks connectedtogether by WAN links or faster local links. This type of network is also referred to as

an internet (not to be confused with Internet).

Protocol: A set of rules for communication between network components. A

functioning network requires that all nodes understand the same set of protocols.

Network Types

Server-Based Networks: Also called client-server networks, files and printers on

this computer are made available to network workstations, called clients.

A server-based network's main benefit is in centralization. The server provides acentral control point for network access, security and management. The

disadvantages of a server-based network are the higher cost of dedicated servers

and network OS, and the greater administrative effort required.

Peer-to-Peer Networks: A peer-to-peer network consists solely of workstations

called peers. Each workstation can be used by a user and can also make shared files

or printers available to the users at other workstations. This system is better suited

to smaller networks. The advantages of peer networks include their ease of

installation and use. They are also less expensive than server-based networks

because a dedicated server is not required. The main disadvantage of peer networksis the lack of central control.

COMMUNICATION METHODS

Connection-oriented

Connection-oriented protocols establish a connection, or virtual circuit, before

communicating and disconnect it when finished. Connection-oriented protocols

generally have a lower speed due to the bandwidth used for session maintenance.

1) Twisted pair Cable

Unshielded Twisted Pair - UTP is the most common type of Network cable

in use today. UTP consists of one or more pair of insulated copper wires.


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The wires are twisted together to reduce crosstalk and enclosed in a

plastic insulator. UTP cables are generally Wired using RJ-45 jacks and

plugs. These are 8-conductor connectors similar to RJ-11 connectors

used in telephone cables. UTP is inexpensive and easy to install

compared With other types of cable. UTP is the type of cable used in

telephone system.

Shielded Twisted Pair - STP cable is similar to UTP but includes a foil or

wire mesh shield between the wire pairs and the outer insulation. The

shield is electrically grounded, and reduce emissions and susceptibility

to EMI. STP cable is used in some Token ring and Apple Talk Networks.

STP is more expensive than UTP, and its thickness and rigidity make it

more difficult to install. It also uses special grounded connectors, adding

to the expense.

2) Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cable consists of a single thick copper wire surrounded by an insulator. A

shield surrounding the insulator is used as the second conductor, and is encased in

an outer insulation. The shielding makes coaxial less susceptible to EMI and

emissions than UTP. Thin coaxial cable is less expensive than the highest quality (cat

5) UTP, but is more difficult to install due to its thickness, its lack of flexibility andthe connectors used.

3) Fiber Optic

A fiber optic cable consists of thin glass or clear plastic fiber encased in a protective

jacket signals are sent through the cable in the form of light. There are two types of

fiber optic cable: Single mode, which uses a single wavelength, and multimode,

which uses multiple wavelengths in the same cable. The advantages of fiber are high

bandwidth (up to 2Gbps) and extremely low attenuation.


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Connection-less

Connection less protocols does not establish a virtual circuit. Data is sent without

establishing a connection and may be sent at any time. These protocols have low

overhead, and are generally used where speed is a high priority.

1) Infrared: Wireless infrared networking systems use modulated beams of infrared

light to transmit data. These types of networks require a line-of-sight, and are

generally used for short distances.

There are two types of infrared networks

- Point-to-point networks use a focused beam, usually generated by a laser.

Bandwidth can be as high as 16 Mbps.

- Broadcast networks use a less focused beam that disperses rapidly. Bandwidth is

usually no more than 1 Mbps.

2) Radio: The most common type of wireless networks use radio waves. Radio-

based networks have a reasonably high bandwidth, but are very sensitive to EMI and

eavesdropping. Many radio frequencies are regulated by the FCC, and are

unavailable for use without a license.

There are three basic types of radio links:

Low power single frequency

High power single frequency

Spread-spectrum

3) Microwave: Another type of wireless communication uses microwaves, which are

similar to radio waves but at a higher frequency. Two common types of microwave

networks are:

Terrestrial: This method provides for line-of-sight communications, usually across a

short distance. Bandwidth can be as high as 10 Mbps.

Satellite: This method relays microwave transmissions via a satellite, allowing for a

nearby global range. Bandwidth can, be as high as 10 Mbps.


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Network Topologies

A network topology is the configuration, or shape, of the wiring used in the network.

Each type of network has physical topology (the actual wiring) and a logical topology

(the path data follows).

1. Bus: In a bus topology, a single cable supports an entire network segment. This

cable is the bus, sometimes called a backbone. Nodes are attached at various points

along the cable. Depending on the network architecture, nodes may be connected

directly to the bus with T-connectors, or a cable called a drop cable can be

connected between the bus and each node.

The bus topology is usually inexpensive for smaller networks. The chief

disadvantage of a bus topology is that a break at any point in the bus will bring the

network down.

2. Star: In a star topology, each node is connected with its own cable to a central

device called a hub. The hub internally connects each node to the other nodes.

It is more reliable than bus because each node has its own cable. They are also

easier to expand, since a new node can be wired to the hub without disconnecting

other nodes.


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3. Ring: In a ring topology, the nodes are connected to each other to form a circle.

Each node receives signals from its upstream neighbor, and passes them onto its

downstream neighbor.

The main disadvantage of a ring topology is the same as a bus: a single node's

failure can disrupt the entire network. Ring networks can also be difficult to

troubleshoot and expand.4. Mesh: A mesh topology provides fault tolerance through redundant links. In this

system, each node is connected to every other node with separate cables.

The main advantage of this system is a high degree of reliability. The obvious

disadvantage is that mesh topologies require large amounts of cable, making them

very expensive to install and expand.

5. Hybrid: A hybrid topology is any combination of the above topologies. One

common hybrid topology is a star bus, in which several star-wired network segments

are interconnected with a bus.

Another hybrid topology is a star ring, in which the wiring forms a star topology, butthe hub is intentionally connected as a ring.

Project Iridium

In 1990 Motorola broke new ground by filing an application with the FCC asking for

permission to launch 77 low-orbit satellites for the Iridium project (element 77 is

Iridium). The plan was later revised to use only 66 satellites,

The idea was that as soon as one satellite went out of view. Another would replace

it. This proposal set off a feeding frenzy among other communication companies. All

of a sudden, everyone wanted to launch a chain of low-orbiting satellites.After seven years of cobbling together partners and financing, the partners launched

the Iridium satellites in 1997. Communication service began in December 1998.

Unfortunately, the commercial demand for large, heavy satellite telephones was

negligible because the mobile phone network had grown spectacularly since 1990.

As a consequence, Iridium was not profitable and was forced into bankruptcy in

August 1999 in one of the most spectacular corporate fiasco in history.

The satellites and other assets (worth $5 billion) were subsequently purchased by an

investor for $25 million at a kind of extraterrestrial garage sale. The Iridium service

was restarted in March 2001.

Iridium's business was (and is) providing worldwide telecommunication services

using hand-held devices that communicate directly with the Iridium satellites. It

provides voice, data, paging, fax, and navigation service everywhere on land, sea


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and air. Customers include the maritime, aviation, and oil exploration industries, as

well as people traveling in parts of the world lacking a telecommunications

infrastructure (e.g., deserts, mountains, jungles, and some Third World countries).

The Iridium satellites are positioned at an altitude of 750 km, in circular orbits. They

are arranged in north-south necklaces; with one satellite every degrees of latitude.

With six satellite necklaces, the entire earth is covered, as suggested by the figure


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INFORMATION SYSTEMS

An information system (IS) is any combination of information technology and

people's activities using that technology to support operations, management, and

decision-making. In a very broad sense, the term information system is frequently

used to refer to the interaction between people, algorithmic processes, data and

technology. In this sense, the term is used to refer not only to the information and

communication technology (ICT) an organization uses, but also to the way in which

people interact with this technology in support of business processes.

A work system is a system in which humans and/or machines perform work using

resources (including ICT) to produce specific products and/or services for customers.

An information system is a work system whose activities are devoted to processing

(capturing, transmitting, storing, retrieving, manipulating and displaying)

information.

Information system as an example of a system concerned with the manipulation

of signs. An information system is a type of socio-technical system. An information

system is a mediating construct between actions and technology. As such,

information systems inter-relate with data systems on the one hand and activitysystems on the other. An information system is a form of communication system in

which data represent and are processed as a form of social memory. An

information system can also be considered a semi-formal language which

supports human decision making and action.

Use of Information System

Information system is an integrated set of components for collecting, storing,

processing, and communicating information. Business firms, other organizations,

and individuals in contemporary society rely on information systems to manage theiroperations, compete in the marketplace, supply services, and augment personal

lives. For instance, modern corporations rely on computerized information systems

to process financial accounts and manage human resources; municipal

governments rely on information systems to provide basic services to its citizens;

and individuals use information systems to study, shop, bank, and invest.

Importance of Information System

The emergence of a global economy, transformation of industrial economies,transformation of the business enterprise, and the emergence of digital firm makeinformation systems essential in business today. Information system is a foundation

for conducting business today. In many businesses, survival and the ability to

achieve strategic business goals is difficult without extensive use of information

technology. There are six reasons or objectives why businesses use information

system:

1. Operational excellence. Business improves the efficiency of their operations in

order to achieve higher profitability. Information systems are important tools

available to managers for achieving higher levels of efficiency and productivity in

business operations. A good example is Wal-Mart that uses a Retail Link system,

which digitally links its suppliers to every one of Wal-Mart's stores. As soon as a

customer purchase an item, the supplier is monitoring the item , knows to ship a

replacement to the shelf.


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2. New products, services, and business models. Information system is a major

tool for firms to create new products and services, and also an entirely new business

models. A business model describes how a company produces, delivers, and sells a

product or service to create wealth.

Example: Apple Inc transformed an old business model based on its iPod technology

platform that included iPod, the iTunes music service, and the iPhone.

3. Customer/supplier intimacy. When a business serves its customers well, the

customers generally respond by returning and purchasing more. This raises revenue

and profits. The more a business engages its suppliers, the better the suppliers can

provide vital inputs, this lowers costs. Example: The Mandarin Oriental in Manhattan

and other high-end hotels exemplify the use of information systems and technology

to achieve customer intimacy. They use computers to keep track of guests'

preferences, such as their preferred room temperature, check-in time, and television

programs.

4. Improved decision making. Many managers operate in an information bank,

never having the right information at the right time to make an informed decision.

These poor outcomes raise costs and lose customers. Information system made itpossible for the managers to use real time data from the marketplace when making

decision. Example: Verizon Corporation uses a Web-based digital dashboard to

provide managers with precise real -time information on customer complaints and

network performance. Using this information managers can immediately allocate

repair resources to affected areas, inform customers of repair efforts and restore

service fast.

5. Competitive advantage. When firms achieve one or more of these business

objectives (operational excellence, new products, services, and business models,

customer/supplier intimacy, and improved decision making) chances are they havealready achieved a competitive advantage. Doing things better than your

competitors, charging less for superior products, and responding to customers and

suppliers in real time all add up to higher sales, and higher profits. Example: Toyota

Production System focuses on organizing work to eliminate waste, making continues

improvements, TPS is based on what customers have actually ordered.

6. Day to day survival. Business firms invest in information system and technology

because they are necessities of doing business. These necessities are driven by

industry level changes. Example: Citibank introduced the first automatic teller

machine to attract customers through higher service levels, and its competitorsrushed to provide ATM's to their customers to keep up with Citibank. Providing ATMs

services to retail banking customers is simply a requirement of being in and

surviving in the retail banking business. Firms turn to information system and

technology to provide the capability to respond to these.

Information systems are the foundation for conducting business today. In many

industries, survival and even existence without extensive use of IT is inconceivable,

and IT plays a critical role in increasing productivity. Although information

technology has become more of a commodity, when coupled with complementary

changes in organization and management, it can provide the foundation for new

products, services, and ways of conducting business that provide firms with a

strategic advantage.


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Components

It consists of computers, instructions, stored facts, people and procedures.

CRS FOR AIRLINES

Computer Reservations System (CRS) is a computerized system used to store and

retrieve information and conduct transactions related to air travel. Originally

designed and operated by airlines, CRSes were later extended for the use of travel

agencies. Major CRS 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.

History

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. The resulting system, ReserVec, started operation in 1962, and

took over all booking 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, on a flight from Los Angeles to New York. C.R.invited Blair to visit their Reservisor system and look for ways that IBM could

improve the system. 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 ProgrammedAirline 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.

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 initially 2 and

subsequently 49 subscribing international to thousands of travel agents in the UK. It

allowed agents 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 Travicom was a

trading name for Travel Automation Services Ltd. When BA (who by then owned

100% of Travel Automation Services Ltd) chose to participate in the development of


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the Galileo system launched in 1993. Travicom changed its' trading name to

Galileo UK and a migration process was put in place to move agencies from

Travicom to Galileo.

European airlines also began to invest in the field in the 1980s initially by deploying

their own reservations systems in their homeland, propelled by growth in demand

for travel as well as technological advances which allowed GDSes to offer ever-

increasing services and searching power. In 1987, a consortium led by Air

France and West Germany's Lufthansa developed Amadeus, modeled on System

One. Amadeus Global Travel Distribution was launched in 1992.

Name Created by Also used by

Amadeus Air France

Iberia

Lufthansa

SAS

Online travel agencies including

Anyfares

CheapOair

ebookersr

CheapTickets Expedia

Flights

Opodor

Jetabroad

Tripsetc

Air-Savings

Over 500 individual airlines

Over 120 individual airline websites

Over 99,000 travel agencies in more than195 countries

Over 34,000 airline sales offices

Over 86,000 hotels

Over 24 Rental Car brands serving 36.000

locations

Sabre Aeroflot

American

Airlines

JetBlueAirways

Midwest

Airlines

Frontier

US Airways

Westjet

Volarisr

Kingfisher

Airlines

Travelocity

Zuji

Lastminute.com

Travel Guru Priceline

Schedules for 800 airlines

ability to shop and book for over 380

airlines

88,000 hotels

50 rail carriers

180 tour operators

13 cruise lines

24 car rental brands serving 30,000

locations

9 limousine vendors providing access to

more than 33,500 ground service


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providers

55,000 travel agencies in over 100

countries

Galileo by T

ravelport (a

s Apollo

ReservationSystem 1970

-early 1990s)

Aer Lingus

Sabena

Alitalia

BritishAirways - >

Moved to

Amadeus

Swissair

TAP

United

Airlines (using

their

subsidiaryCovia)

KLM (Subsequ

ently migrated

to Amadeus as

part of Air

France-KLM)

Olympic

Airlines

AustrianAirlines

Following a merger

with the Apollo

System in the USA

*Air Canada and *US

Air joined the

ownership group

CheapOair

ebookers

Flight Centre

Orbitz

Worldspan

by Travelport

Delta

Northwest (Northwest Airlines

merged with

Delta Airlines

and is now

using Delta

Matic. Both are

still based on

the Worldspan

Reservation

System)

TWA (Merged

with American

Expedia

Hotwire Hotels

Priceline

Orbitz

BookIt.com


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Airlines and

now is using

Sabre)

TravelSky Air China

China

Southern

China Eastern Hainan Airlines


Ctrip

eLong

mangocity

Patheo Finnair

KLM

Lufthansa - >

Moved to

Amadeus


Airgorrila

American Express

Anyfares

Flights

Abacus All Nippon

Airways

Cathay Pacific

Airways

China Airlines

Dragonair

EVA Airways

Garuda

Indonesia

Malaysia

Airlines

Philippine

Airlines

Royal Brunei

Airlines

SABRE

SilkAirr

Singapore

Airlines

Online travel agencies


Over 25 countries in Asia Pacific

Over 80,000 hotels

KIU Sol Lneas

Areas

Aerogalr

Star Peru

LC Busre

Peruvian

Airlines

Cielos Andinos

EasyFly

LASER Airlines

Aeropostal LADE - Lneas

Areas Del


Over 10 countries in Latin and North

America

Travel agencies and wholesale tour

operators worldwide


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Estado

Amaszonas

Maya Air

Computer Reservation Systems (CRS) - Airlines have found computer

reservation systems to be extremely helpful in influencing travel agents'

recommendations. By monitoring the behavior of individual agents, airlines candesign commissions that will have the optimum impact on their flight

recommendations. Developing and operating these systems is quite expensive,

however, and only the largest carriers have been able to market them. At present,

the seven largest carriers all own at least a share of a CRS. In the 1970s, airlines

began modifying and enhancing their internal reservation systems to make the sale

of airline tickets through travel agents more efficient. The CRS gave travel agents

access to information about flight schedules, fares, and seat availability. It also

enabled them to make reservations and issue tickets automatically. Although the

computer reservation systems are owned and operated by particular airlines, an

agent can use one to get information and make reservations on virtually any

scheduled carrier.

Since the systems make both airlines and travel agents more productive, CRS

owners charge both of them for the use of their systems. Travel agents rent the

equipment, while airlines pay a booking fee for each flight reservation.

The influence of computer reservation systems on bookings can be seen in the fact

that a relatively large proportion of the travel agents in a city where a carrier

operates a hub use that carrier's CRS. If the systems did not influence the behavior

of travel agents, there would be little reason for carriers to market them most

aggressively in cities where they center their operations. Moreover, at present all

the computer reservation systems are owned and operated by airlines. While the

airlines have found the systems to be profitable, the systems that were not owned

by an airline have ceased operating.


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------------- SABRE

Sabre is a computer reservations system / global distribution system (GDS) used

by airlines, railways, hotels, travel agents and other travel companies. Sabre GDS is

a unit of Sabre Holdings' Sabre Travel Network division. Current North American

hosted carriers include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, WestJet, Cape Air, Frontier

Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Mesa Airlines, and Midwest Airlines. Itscurrent IATA code is 1S. However some internal areas are still under 1W.

The Sabre datacenter is in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was subject to the Computer

Assisted Passenger Prescreening System II and is intended to be part of the

predecor Secure Flight program for the selection of passengers with a risk profile,

sometime in 2008-10.

Sabre was developed in order to help American Airlines improve the way in which

the airline booked reservations. By the 1950s, American Airlines was facing a serious

challenge in its ability to quickly handle airline reservations in an era that witnessed

high growth in passenger volumes in the airline industry. Before the introduction ofSabre, the airline's system for booking flights was entirely manual, having developed

from the techniques originally developed at its Little Rock, Arkansas reservations

center in the 1920s. In this manual system, a team of eight operators would sort

through a rotating file with cards for every flight. When a seat was booked, the

operators would place a mark on the side of the card, and knew visually whether it

was full. This part of the process was not all that slow, at least when there were not

that many planes, but the entire end-to-end task of looking for a flight, reserving a

seat and then writing up the ticket could take up to three hours in some cases, and

90 minutes on average. The system also had limited room to scale. It was limited toabout eight operators because that was the maximum that could fit around the file,

so in order to handle more queries the only solution was to add more layers of

hierarchy to filter down requests into batches.

American Airlines had already attacked the problem to some degree, and was in the

process of introducing their new Magnetronic Reservisor, an electromechanical

computer, in 1952 to replace the card files. This computer consisted of a

single magnetic drum, each memory location holding the number of seats left on a

particular flight. Using this system, a large number of operators could look up

information simultaneously, so the ticket agents could be told over the phone

whether a seat was available. On the downside, a staff member was still needed at

each end of the phone line, and actually handling the ticket still took considerable

effort and filing. Something much more highly automated was needed if AA was

going to enter the jet age, booking many times more seats.

In a few years IBM sent a research proposal to AA, suggesting that they really study

the problem and see if an "electronic brain" could actually help. They set up a team

consisting of IBM engineers led by John Siegfried and a large number of AA's staff led

by Malcolm Perry, taken from booking, reservations and ticket sales, calling the

effort the Semi-Automated Business Research Environment, or SABRE.

A formal development arrangement was signed in 1957, and the first experimentalsystem went online in 1960, based on two IBM 7090 mainframes in a new data

center located in Briarcliff. The system was a success. Up until this point it had cost


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the astonishing sum of $40 million to develop and install (about $350 million in 2000

dollars). The SABRE system by IBM in the 1960s was specified to process a very

large number of transactions, such as handling 83,000 daily phone calls. The system

took over all booking functions in 1964, at which point the name had changed to the

more familiar SABRE.

By the 1980s, SABRE offered airline reservations through the CompuServe

Information Service and GEnier under the Eaasy SABRE brand. This service was

extended to Amerrica Online in the 1990s. Today the system connects more than

30,000 travel agents and 3 million consumers with more than 400 airlines, 50 car-

rental companies, 35,000 hotels and dozens of railways, tour companies, ferries and

cruise lines.

One shortcoming of the Sabre reservations system that frustrates some travelers is

that it only facilitates booking flights within 330 days of the booking date. Therefore,

travelers who intend to stay in their destination for longer 330 days are unable to

purchase their return ticket at the same time they buy their departure ticket and are

forced to buy more expensive one-way tickets for each leg of their travel. Likewise, if

the return date is to be 330 days after the departure date, round-trip tickets canonly be purchased (at exorbitant rates) on the day of departure, if they are even

available at such a late date. Most airlines, though, have a program where you can

book your return within 330 days and change it for a later date free of charge.

AMEDEUS

Amadeus is a computer reservations system (or global distribution system, since it

sells tickets for multiple airlines) owned by the Amadeus IT Group with headquarters

in Madrid, Spain. The central database is located at Erding, Germany. The

development center is located at Sophia Antipolis, France. In addition to airlines, theCRS is also used to book train travel, cruises, car rental, ferry reservations,

and hotel rooms. Amadeus also provides New Generation departure control systems

to airlines. Amadeus is a member of IATA, OTA and SITA, and its IATA airline

designator code is 1A.

Amadeus was formed in 1987 by an alliance between Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia

Airlines and Scandinavian Airlines System. Today, it is the leader in terms of number

of bookings worldwide.

GALILEOGalileo is a computer reservations system (CRS) owned by Travelport. As of 2002, it

had a 26.4% share of worldwide CRS airline bookings.

In addition to airline reservations, the Galileo CRS is also used to

book train travel, cruises, car rental, and hotel rooms. The Galileo system was

moved from Denver, Colorado to the Worldspan datacenter in Atlanta, Georgia on

September 28, 2008, following the 2007 merger of Travelport and Worldspan

(although they now share the same datacenter, they continue to be run as separate

systems). Galileo is subject to the Capps II and its successor Secure Flight program

for the selection of passengers with a risk profile. Galileo is a member

of IATA, OTA and SITA.

Galileo was founded in 1971 by United Airlines under the name Apollo Reservation

System. During the 1980s and early 1990s, a significant proportion of airline tickets


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were sold by travel agents. Flights by the airline owning the reservation system had

preferential display on the computer screen. Due to the high market penetration of

the Sabre and Apollo systems, owned by American Airlines and United Airlines,

respectively, Worldspan and Galileo were created in an attempt to gain market

share in the computer reservation system market and, by inference, the commercial

airline market. In response and to prevent possible government intervention, United

Airlines started computer reservation systems and sought minority partners. Galileo

International was the product of this reaction.

The Apollo reservation system is still used by United Airlines and Galileo

International (now part of Travelport GDS) travel agency customers in the United

States, Canada, Mexico, and Japan.

Galileo UK was originally created from Travicom which was worlds first multi-access

reservations system using the technology developed by Videcom. Travicom was a

company launched by Videcom, British Airways, British Caledonian and CCL in 1976

which in 1988 became Galileo UK.

Documents

Masters in Travel Management 1st sem Unit 3