Introduction. After completing this unit, you should be able to do the following:

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1 Objectives After completing this unit, you should be able to do the following: 1. Identify the basic components of a computer reservation system. 2. Sign on to Galileo and sign off. 3. Encode and decode airlines, cities, aircraft equipment, and countries. The computer is one of the most influential inventions of all history. Almost every human endeavour has benefited in one way or another from the rapid spread of computers. The impact of inexpensive computing technology is especially profound in the travel and tourism industry. Computer Reservation Systems A computer reservation system, or CRS, is based upon a large central computer, or mainframe, providing service to many sites, such as travel agencies and airport offices. A small travel office may have as few as two terminals, whereas a busy airline reservation center may have more than 100 terminals. A CRS that serves travel agencies and airlines in both hemispheres may be referred to as a global distribution system, or GDS. The central computer of the Galileo system is located in Denver, Colorado in the United States. The part of the mainframe that processes data is called the central processing unit, or CPU. Flight information, airfares, and reservation data are stored in the mainframe. A terminal is often referred to as a CRT (cathode ray tube), the type of television tube that is used for the display of information. Another abbreviation for a computer terminal is VDT (video display terminal). PCs are commonly used in travel agencies to communicate with computer reservation systems. Computers and The Tourism Industry The Galileo system enables travel agencies to gain access to airline flight schedules, fare information, hotel rates, car rentals, and other essential travel information. When a reservation is booked by a travel agency, the information is stored by Galileo and sent to the vendor. Galileo provides direct access to the reservation systems of most airlines. More than 530 airlines, 41 car rental companies, and all major hotel chains and cruise lines participate in the Galileo system. Copyright 2006, Dennis L Foster, Inc. 1-1

2 Sign On/Sign Off The sign-on procedure identifies the agent and the work area in which he or she will be working. In the work area, the agent assembles information such as the client's name, contact telephone numbers, and the desired ticketing date. In general, the information may be entered in any order. Together, this collection of data is referred to as a booking file. When the data is complete, the agent inputs the entry to end the transaction. This action sends the record to the central computer for permanent storage. The work area is then cleared so that another booking file can be assembled. Sign-On The sign-on entry is used to identify the agent and gain access to the computer. To sign on to Galileo, the agent inputs the following entry: SON/<Sign-on Code> Example: SON/ZDF Sign Off Before leaving the terminal for an extended time, and at the end of each business day, the agent is instructed to sign off, as follows: SOF (If the terminal is not used for two consecutive hours, the agent is signed off automatically.) Entering Commands Each Galileo entry begins with a specific code and has a predefined format. The format determines the precise information and the order in which the information must be typed. When an entry is input, the appropriate format must be followed. After typing the information, the agent presses the Enter key to complete the entry. Encoding and Decoding In availability, fare, and other types of informational displays, codes are used to indicate airlines, cities, airports, and aircraft equipment. The encoding function is used to convert a name to a code, whereas the decoding function is used to convert a code to a name. City and Airport Codes In Galileo displays, cities and airports are indicated by three-letter codes. For example, the city code Paris is PAR, and the code for Copenhagen is CPH. If a city has multiple airports, each airport has a different code. For example, CDG is the code for Paris Charles de Gaulle, and ORY is the code for Paris Orly. The city code LON refers to all London airports, whereas LHR refers specifically to London Heathrow and LGW refers to London Gatwick. City and airport codes are designated by the International Standards Organization (ISO) based in Geneva, Switzerland. Copyright 2006, Dennis L Foster, Inc. 1-2

3 Encoding a City or Airport The entry code.ce is used to encode a city or airport, as follows:.celuxor This example will display the city code for Luxor. If multiple cities exist with the same name, the code for each such city is displayed. For example, if London is encoded, Galileo responds as follows: ENCODING CITIES /LONDON YXU LONDON CA OT LON M LONDON GB LOZ LONDON US KY LCY-LON LONDON CITY AIRPORT GB LDY LONDONDERRY GB Decoding a City or Airport The entry code.cd is used to decode a city or airport, as follows:.cdfco This example would be used to determine the name of that city or airport which has the code FCO. If the city is a multi-airport city, the name and code for each airport is displayed with the city name. For example, if LON is decoded, Galileo responds as follows: LON LONDON UNITED KINGDOM LCY A LONDON CITY AIRPORT LGW A GATWICK LHR A HEATHROW LTN A LUTON STN A STANSTED ZLS A LIVERPOOL STREET STN. O ZEP VICTORIA STATION The "A" after the three-letter code indicates that the code is used in flight availability displays. In this example, ZLS is not an airport, but the "A" indicates it is used in availability displays. The "O" on the far right indicates that it is an off-line location (not situated on airport premises). ZEP is a London location code, but is not used as such in availability displays. Copyright 2006, Dennis L Foster, Inc. 1-3

4 Carrier Codes Airlines that provide regularly scheduled passenger service are referred to as passenger carriers. Each carrier has a code, consisting of two or three characters. For example, the carrier code for Air France is AF, and the code for Lufthansa is LH. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents more than 200 of the world's principal airlines, assigns carrier codes. IATA has also assigned a three-digit code to each carrier. For example, the three-digit code for American Airlines is 001, and the airline code for United Airlines is 016. Eventually, three-letter IATA codes may replace the two-letter carrier codes presently used. For example, the three-letter code FIN may replace the two-letter carrier code AY, now used for Finnair. The following are examples of carrier and airline codes for various international carriers. AA AAL 001 American Airlines AF AFR 057 Air France AY FIN 105 Finnair AZ AZA 055 Alitalia BA BAW 125 British Airways BD BMA 236 British Midland DL DAL 006 Delta Air Lines EI EIN 053 Aer Lingus IB IBE 075 Iberia JL JAL 131 Japan Airlines KL KLM 074 KLM Royal Dutch Airlines LH DLH 220 Lufthansa NZ ANZ 086 Air New Zealand OS AUA 257 Austrian Airlines QF QFA 081 Qantas Airways SK SAS 117 Scandinavian(SAS) SU AFL 555 Aeroflot TP TAP 047 TAP Air Portugal UA UAL 016 United Airlines VS VIR 932 Virgin Atlantic Encoding an Airline The entry code.ae is used to encode an airline, as follows:.aeaer LINGUS This example would be used to determine the carrier code for Aer Lingus. When this entry is input, Galileo responds as follows: EI EIN Ø53 AER LINGUS A GS The response includes the two-letter and three-letter carrier codes, the three-digit IATA numeric code, and the airline name. The "A" on the far right indicates that Galileo can send messages directly to the airline. The code "GS" indicates that the airline is a scheduled passenger carrier. Copyright 2006, Dennis L Foster, Inc. 1-4

5 Decoding an Airline The entry code.ad is used to decode an airline code, as follows:.adas This example would be used to determine the name of the airline that has the carrier code AS. A three-letter carrier code can be decoded as follows:.ad**fin This example would be used to decode the three-letter carrier code FIN. Equipment Codes Each type of passenger aircraft is indicated by a three-letter equipment code. For example, 747 is the equipment code for Boeing 747 aircraft, and D10 is the code for McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft. Some passenger aircraft, such as the 727, DC-10, or L-1011, have more than one model. For example, three basic models of the 727 are used for passenger transportation, including the 727, , and Equipment codes are used in flight availability displays to indicate the type of aircraft used on each flight. The following are examples of equipment codes for common passenger aircraft. A3B Airbus Industrie A-300B DC9 McDonnell-Douglas DC-9 D10 McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 D9S McDonnell-Douglas DC-9 Super Jet L10 Lockheed 1011 Tristar M80 McDonnell-Douglas MD Airbus Industrie A Airbus Industrie A Boeing Boeing Boeing S Boeing Boeing Boeing 757 The equipment codes 72S and 73S represent special configurations of the 727 and 737 aircraft. The S indicates that the airplanes have been configured for additional passenger seating. These specially configured aircraft are commonly referred to as "stretch jets." Similarly, the codes 72M and 73M indicate a "multiple" configuration, designed to transport cargo as well as passengers. Encoding Aircraft Equipment The entry code.ee is used to encode aircraft equipment, as follows:.eefokker F27 This example would be used to determine the equipment code for the Fokker F27 aircraft. Copyright 2006, Dennis L Foster, Inc. 1-5

6 Decoding Aircraft Equipment The entry code.ed is used to decode an equipment code, as follows:.edm80 This example would be used to determine the aircraft equipment for the code M80. Galileo responds as follows: MD8Ø J MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS MD-8Ø The "J" after the equipment code indicates a jet aircraft. Other possible codes include P (propellor), H (helicopter), T (turbofan), A (amphibian), and surface (S). Country Codes Each country has 2-letter, 3-letter, and digital codes designated by the International Standards Organization (ISO). The following are examples of ISO country codes: Australia AU AUS 036 Austria AT AUT 040 Belgium BE BEL 056 Brazil BR BRA 076 Canada CA CAN 124 China CH CHN 156 Denmark DK DNK 208 Egypt EG EGY 818 Finland FI FIN 246 France FR FRA 250 Germany DE DEU 276 Greece GR GRC 300 Hong Kong HK HKG 344 India IN IND 356 Ireland EI IRL 372 Italy IT ITA 380 Japan JP JPN 392 Malaysia MY MYS 458 Netherlands NL NLD 528 New Zealand NZ NZL 554 Norway NO NOR 578 Philippines PH PHL 608 Portugal PT PRT 620 Russia RU RUS 643 Singapore SG SGP 702 South Africa ZA ZAF 710 Spain ES ESP 724 Sweden SE SWE 752 United Kingdom GB GBR 826 United States US USA 840 Yugoslavia YU YUG 891 Copyright 2006, Dennis L Foster, Inc. 1-6

7 Encoding a Country The entry code.le ("land encode") is used to encode a country, as follows:.lezimbabwe This example would be used to determine the country code for Zimbabwe. Decoding a Country Code The entry code.ld ("land decode") is used to decode a two-letter ISO country code, as follows:.ld<country code> Example.LDFJ This example would be used to determine the name of the country that has the ISO code FJ. Decoding a Region The entry code.rd ("region decode") is used to display regional codes for a country with multiple divisions, such as Australia, Canada, or the United States..RD<Country code> Example.RDAU This example would be used to display regional codes for Australia. When this entry is input, Galileo responds as follows: AU *** AC NS NT QL SA TS AUSTRALIA CAPITAL TERRITORY NEW SOUTH WALES NORTHERN TERRITORY QUEENSLAND SOUTH AUSTRALIA TASMANIA Copyright 2006, Dennis L Foster, Inc. 1-7

8 Review Write the correct entry for each of the following: 1. Determine the airline code for Aeroperu. 2. Display the city name for MCT. 3. Determine the aircraft for the equipment code B Display the city code for Bologna. 5. Encode Egyptair. 6. Decode the country code JP. 7. Determine the country code for Austria. 8. Encode the aircraft equipment Mitsubishi. 9. Decode the city LCA. 10. Display regional codes for Canada. Computer-Based Training 1. Encoding and Decoding Copyright 2006, Dennis L Foster, Inc. 1-8