Method and device for acquiring flight space state and computer program product

Abstract

The invention discloses a flight space state obtaining method and device and a computer program product. The method comprises the following steps: determining a target flight meeting a freight rate search request; if an airline company corresponding to the target flight does not support a first protocol but supports a second protocol, a cache updating module is called, the first protocol supports a request for a flight space state according to a flight number and a date in a short connection mode, and the second protocol supports a request for the flight space state according to city pairs or airport combinations in a session mode; the cache updating module is used for requesting a flight space state from an airline company by adopting a page turning request mode through a second protocol, and updating cache data of the flight space state; and acquiring a flight space state matched with the flight number of the target flight from the updated cache data. Through the method and the device, the problem that the freight rate search system is difficult to acquire the shipping space state through the flight number for an airline company which does not have a first protocol and only has a second protocol is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of fare search, and in particular to a method, device and computer program product for obtaining flight space status. Background Art

[0002] The fare search system is a query portal currently provided by airlines or agents for users when selling air tickets. The fare search system integrates flight combinations and available fare information based on the itinerary and preference information entered by the passenger and returns the search results to the requesting user.

[0003] After calculating the flight combination, the fare search system needs to query the capacity status for all flights. A fare search request may involve flights of multiple airlines. For flights of airlines with the SEAMLESS protocol (a high-level flight capacity acquisition protocol), the fare search system can seamlessly request real-time capacity status from the airline by specifying the flight number and date.

[0004] For airlines that do not have a high-level flight space acquisition agreement, when flight space changes, the airline can push the AVS (AVAILABILITY STATUS) message of the flight space status to the global distribution system or partners. However, there may be a certain space that is open for sale in the AVS message, but in reality it restricts the sales of certain agents or airlines, resulting in a situation where it can be checked but not booked. For these airlines that do not have a SEAMLESS agreement, many actually have a relatively low-level direct connection agreement - DA (DIRECT ACCESS, direct access) agreement, that is, a direct connection agreement. The fare search system can send a message to the other airline to request flights and space for a certain city pair on a certain day.

[0005] However, this protocol has the following limitations: because the connection with the other system is established through a session, each session will occupy a channel and it is easy to trigger traffic restrictions at the same time; only city pairs can be specified in the request, not specific flights; the number of flights responded to each request is limited, which is difficult to meet the query needs. These limitations make it difficult to directly request the airline to obtain the corresponding cabin status by flight number in the fare search system.

[0006] With regard to the problem in related technologies that for airlines that do not have a SEAMLESS agreement but only have a DA agreement, it is difficult for the fare search system to obtain the cabin status through the flight number, and no effective solution has been proposed yet. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present application provides a method, device and computer program product for obtaining flight space status, so as to solve the problem in the related art that for airlines that do not use the SEAMLESS protocol (hereinafter referred to as the first protocol) to obtain flight space and can only obtain space status through the DA protocol (hereinafter referred to as the second protocol), it is difficult for the fare search system to obtain space status through the flight number.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present application, a method for obtaining flight capacity status is provided. The method includes: in the case of receiving a fare search request, determining a target flight that meets the fare search request, wherein the fare search request at least includes a departure time and a target city pair or a target airport combination, and the target city pair or the target airport combination includes a departure place and an arrival place; in the case where the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, calling a cache update module to update the cache data of the flight capacity status of the target flight, wherein the first protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by flight number and date through a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination through a session, and the cache update module is used to request the flight capacity status from the airline through the second protocol by using a page turning request, and update the cache data of the flight capacity status based on the obtained flight capacity status; and obtaining the flight capacity status matching the flight number of the target flight from the updated cache data of the flight capacity status.

[0009] Optionally, the cache update module requests the flight space status of the target city pair or target airport combination in the following manner: constructing a second protocol request message according to the departure time, the target city pair or target airport combination and the airline two-letter code, and sending the request message to the airline passenger service system airline corresponding to the target flight; when the target flight does not exist in the airline's reply message to the request message, sending a page turning message to the airline until the page turning end condition is met, wherein the page turning end condition includes at least one of the following: the target flight exists in the reply message to the page turning message, the number of page turnings reaches a preset upper limit, and no reply message is received after the page turning message is sent.

[0010] Optionally, in the case where the received fare search requests include multiple ones, the cache update module establishes links with the airlines corresponding to the multiple flights through sessions, and controls the number of links established with the same airline at the same time to be less than a first quantity threshold, and controls the total number of links established with multiple airlines under the same host at the same time to be less than a second quantity threshold, wherein the second number is greater than or equal to the first number.

[0011] Optionally, the cache update module establishes a link with the airline through a session, and the cache update module releases the session link after completing the step of requesting the flight space status of the target city pair or target airport combination from the airline through the second protocol.

[0012] Optionally, before calling the cache update module to update the cached data of the flight class status of the target flight, the method also includes: determining whether there is a cached flight class status of the target flight; if there is no cached flight class status, executing the step of calling the cache update module to update the cached data of the flight class status of the target flight; if there is a cached flight class status and the cached flight class status is invalid, executing the step of calling the cache update module to update the cached data of the flight class status of the target flight.

[0013] Optionally, after calling the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight class status of the target flight, the method also includes: judging whether the cache update module updates the cache data of the flight class status within a preset time period; if the cache update module does not update the cache data of the flight class status within the preset time period, obtaining the flight class status matching the flight number of the target flight from the flight class status AVS message pushed by the airline; if the cache update module has updated the cache data of the flight class status within the preset time period, executing the step of obtaining the flight class status matching the flight number of the target flight from the cache data of the updated flight class status.

[0014] Optionally, when a fare search request is received and after a target flight that satisfies the fare search request is determined, when the corresponding cached data is invalid or there is no data, the method further includes: when the airline corresponding to the target flight supports the first protocol, obtaining the flight class status that matches the flight number from the airline based on the flight number and departure time of the target flight; when the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol and does not support the second protocol, obtaining the flight class status that matches the flight number of the target flight from the flight class status AVS message pushed by the airline.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present application, a device for acquiring flight capacity status is provided. The device includes: a determination unit, which is used to determine a target flight that meets the fare search request when a fare search request is received, wherein the fare search request at least includes a departure time and a target city pair or a target airport combination, and the target city or target airport combination pair includes a departure place and an arrival place; a calling unit, which is used to call a cache update module to update the cache data of the flight capacity status of the target flight when the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, wherein the first protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by flight number and date through a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination through a session, and the cache update module is used to request the flight capacity status from the airline through the second protocol by a page turning request, and update the cache data of the flight capacity status based on the acquired flight capacity status; an acquisition unit, which is used to acquire the flight capacity status matching the flight number of the target flight from the cache data of the updated flight capacity status.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer program product is provided, including a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-volatile computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, a method for obtaining flight space status is implemented.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present application, an electronic device is also provided, comprising a processor and a memory; the memory stores computer-readable instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer-readable instructions, wherein a method for obtaining flight space status is executed when the computer-readable instructions are executed.

[0018] The present application adopts the following steps: upon receiving a fare search request, determining a target flight that satisfies the fare search request, wherein the fare search request at least includes a departure time and a target city pair or a target airport combination, and the target city pair or the target airport combination includes a departure place and an arrival place; in a case where the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, calling a cache update module to update the cache data of the flight capacity status of the target flight, wherein the first protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by flight number and date through a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination through a session, and the cache update module is used to request the flight capacity status from the airline through the second protocol by a page turning request, and update the cache data of the flight capacity status based on the obtained flight capacity status; obtaining the flight capacity status matching the flight number of the target flight from the updated cache data of the flight capacity status, solving the problem in the related art that the fare search system is difficult to obtain the available capacity status through the flight number for the airline that does not use the SEAMLESS protocol (i.e., the first protocol) to obtain the flight capacity and only uses the DA protocol (i.e., the second protocol) to obtain the capacity status. By calling the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight seat status through the second protocol when the airline does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, the effect of obtaining the available seat status can be achieved without the first protocol. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The drawings constituting a part of the present application are used to provide a further understanding of the present application. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions of the present application are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a method for obtaining flight space status according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a freight rate search system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 3 is a flowchart of an optional method for obtaining flight space status according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 4 is a workflow diagram of a cache update module according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a device for acquiring flight space status according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0027] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present application, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0028] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequential order. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described here. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0029] It should be noted that the relevant information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data for display, data for analysis, etc.) involved in this disclosure are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties.

[0030] It should be noted that the collected information used in this application is information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision, disclosure and application of the relevant data comply with the relevant laws, regulations and standards of the relevant regions, take necessary confidentiality measures, do not violate public order and good customs, and provide corresponding operation entrances for users to choose to authorize or refuse to use it.

[0031] For the convenience of description, some nouns or terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are explained below:

[0032] AV:AVAILABILITY Flight space availability status.

[0033] AVS message: AVAILABILITY STATUS message, which is a space status message sent by an airline to GDS (Global Distribution System) or a partner.

[0034] SEAMLESS protocol: A high-level flight space acquisition protocol that can seamlessly request the PSS (Passenger Service System) of the airline to which the flight belongs by specifying the flight and date to obtain accurate space status.

[0035] Agent: refers to an intermediary agency or individual specializing in ticket sales and reservation services. They can provide customers with ticket options from a variety of different airlines and related travel consulting and services.

[0036] Direct connection agreement: An agreement whereby you can make inquiries directly to the airline and get a response in real time.

[0037] DA protocol: DIRECT ACCESS protocol is a direct connection protocol that can send messages to the airline's PSS or AV system to request flights and seats for a certain city pair on a certain day.

[0038] According to an embodiment of the present application, a method for obtaining flight space status is provided.

[0039] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a method for obtaining flight space status according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the method comprises the following steps:

[0040] Step S102, upon receiving a fare search request, determining a target flight that satisfies the fare search request, wherein the fare search request at least includes a departure time and a target city pair or a target airport combination, and the target city pair or the target airport combination includes a departure point and an arrival point.

[0041] The execution subject of this application may be a fare search system. The user sends a fare search request to the fare search system. The fare search request may include itinerary information. The itinerary information may include information such as departure time, origin and destination. The origin and destination constitute a target city pair or a target airport combination. The target city pair or target airport combination may be a target city pair. The fare search system first selects a path based on the itinerary information, and then determines the target flight that meets the fare search request based on the selected path, and then queries the cabin status corresponding to the target flight that meets the fare search request, laying the foundation for calculating the fare of the available flight cabin.

[0042] It should be noted that after calculating the target flight that meets the fare search request, the fare search system needs to query the cabin status for the target flight and calculate the fare information. Due to the huge amount of calculation, the flight cabin status can be cached first, and then the fare is calculated based on the cached flight cabin status. The caching of flight cabin status needs to be implemented through the flight cabin acquisition protocol.

[0043] Step S104, when the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, the cache update module is called to update the cache data of the flight capacity status of the target flight, wherein the first protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by flight number and date through a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination through a session, and the cache update module is used to request the flight capacity status from the airline by a page turning request through the second protocol, and update the cache data of the flight capacity status based on the acquired flight capacity status.

[0044] The first protocol and the second protocol are both flight space acquisition protocols. The first protocol is a high-level flight space acquisition protocol, the SEAMLESS protocol. Based on the SEAMLESS protocol, you can request real-time space status from the airline by specifying the flight number and date. The second protocol is a low-level flight space acquisition protocol, the DA (DIRECT ACCESS) protocol. The DA protocol can request real-time space status from the airline through a city pair or airport combination consisting of the departure and arrival points.

[0045] The cache update module is embedded in the fare search system. It is a module that requests flight capacity status from the airline through the second protocol by using a page turning request. If the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol, it is difficult to request the real-time capacity status from the airline by specifying the flight number and date and cache it. If the airline supports the second protocol, the cache update module can be called by asynchronous call. The cache update module requests the capacity status in real time and updates the cached capacity status by triggering page turning in the background, so as to avoid the situation where the capacity status directly fed back by the AVS (AVAILABILITYSTATUS) message is inaccurate.

[0046] Step S106, obtaining the flight capacity status that matches the flight number of the target flight from the cached data of the updated flight capacity status.

[0047] It should be noted that when the cache update module requests and caches the flight class status through the second protocol, it can only obtain the flight class status of the specified city pair or airport combination, and cannot specify a specific flight. After updating the cache data of the flight class status through the cache update module, the flight class status that matches the flight number of the target flight is obtained therefrom, thereby helping the fare search system to effectively improve the accuracy of obtaining the flight class status of low-level agreement airlines.

[0048] Furthermore, the fare search system calculates the fare based on the flight space status corresponding to the flight number, obtains available fare information, integrates the target flight and the available fare information, and returns the search result to the requesting user.

[0049] The method for obtaining the flight capacity status provided in the embodiment of the present application determines the target flight that meets the fare search request when a fare search request is received, wherein the fare search request at least includes the departure time and the target city pair or the target airport combination, and the target city pair or the target airport combination includes the departure place and the arrival place; when the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, the cache update module is called to update the cache data of the flight capacity status of the target flight, wherein the first protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by flight number and date through a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by session The method requests the flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination, the cache update module is used to request the flight capacity status from the airline by page turning request through the second protocol, and update the cache data of the flight capacity status based on the obtained flight capacity status; the flight capacity status matching the flight number of the target flight is obtained from the cache data of the updated flight capacity status, which solves the problem in the related technology that it is difficult for the fare search system to obtain the available capacity status by flight number for airlines that do not have the SEAMLESS protocol (that is, the first protocol) to obtain flight capacity and only have the DA protocol (that is, the second protocol) to obtain capacity status. When the airline does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, the cache update module is called to update the cache data of the flight capacity status through the second protocol, thereby achieving the effect of obtaining the available capacity status even without the first protocol.

[0050] In order to find the flight capacity status of the flight in the fare search request as much as possible, optionally, in the flight capacity status acquisition method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the cache update module requests the flight capacity status of the target city pair or the target airport combination in the following manner: constructing a request message under the second protocol according to the departure time, the target city pair or the target airport combination and the airline two-letter code, and sending the request message to the airline passenger service system airline corresponding to the target flight; when the target flight does not exist in the airline's reply message to the request message, sending a page turning message to the airline until the page turning end condition is met, wherein the page turning end condition includes at least one of the following: the target flight exists in the reply message to the page turning message, the number of page turnings reaches a preset upper limit, and no reply message is received after sending the page turning message.

[0051] It should be noted that the cache update module is used to process real-time direct query of flights of airlines that only support the second protocol, and the cache update module exchanges messages with the airline to which the target flight in the fare search request belongs. Specifically, after receiving the target flight, the cache update module constructs a request message based on the starting point, arrival point and date of the target flight, and sends it to the PSS system or GDS system of the corresponding airline. If there is no corresponding target flight in the report, it continues to send page turning messages until the corresponding target flight or target flight combination is found and updated to the cache. In addition, if the number of page turning reaches the preset upper limit, or the other system no longer returns more flights or flight combinations, the page turning ends.

[0052] Through this embodiment, the cache update module directly queries the flight capacity status in real time by automatically sending a page turning request message. On the one hand, it avoids the problem that the number of flights replied to each request is limited and it is difficult to view the flight capacity status of more flights. On the other hand, because the page turning request message carries the information of the departure and arrival places, the flight capacity obtained is the bookable flight capacity, which is more real-time and accurate than the capacity status fed back by the AVS message.

[0053] In order to enable more users to request the required flight capacity status by calling the cache update module, optionally, in the flight capacity status acquisition method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the cache update module establishes a link with the airline through a session, and the cache update module releases the session link after executing the step of requesting the flight capacity status of the target city pair or target airport combination from the airline through the second protocol.

[0054] It should be noted that when the cache update module establishes a link with the airline through a session, each session will occupy a channel, and the number of simultaneous sessions is strictly limited. In this implementation, the cache update module actively releases the session after turning the page to prevent the session from being occupied and affecting subsequent user requests.

[0055] There is a limit on the number of concurrent sessions of an airline. Optionally, in the method for obtaining the flight space status provided in an embodiment of the present application, when the received fare search request includes multiple requests, the cache update module establishes links with the airlines corresponding to multiple flights through sessions, and controls the number of links established with the same airline at the same time to be less than a first quantity threshold, and controls the total number of links established with multiple airlines under the same host at the same time to be less than a second quantity threshold, wherein the second number is greater than or equal to the first number.

[0056] It should be noted that, since the space status is requested by directly connecting through the second protocol, there is a limit on the number of concurrent sessions of the same airline, and there is also a limit on the number of concurrent sessions of airlines under the same host. The host refers to the PSS (Product Support Services) provider, and the same host is the same PSS provider. The cache update module of this embodiment controls the number of concurrent sessions of the same airline so that the number of requests for the airline at the same time cannot exceed the first quantity threshold, and also controls the number of concurrent sessions of airlines under the same host so that the number of requests for the airlines under the host at the same time cannot exceed the second quantity threshold.

[0057] Through this embodiment, the number of links established with the same airline and the number of links established with airlines under the same host are controlled not to exceed the corresponding thresholds, thereby avoiding the problem of unavailability of flight space request services due to triggering flow limiting.

[0058] Whether it is necessary to call the cache update module depends on the cache status of the flight class status corresponding to the flight. Optionally, in the method for obtaining the flight class status provided in the embodiment of the present application, before calling the cache update module to update the cached data of the flight class status of the target flight, the method also includes: determining whether there is a cached flight class status of the target flight; if there is no cached flight class status, executing the step of calling the cache update module to update the cached data of the flight class status of the target flight; if there is a cached flight class status and the cached flight class status is invalid, executing the step of calling the cache update module to update the cached data of the flight class status of the target flight.

[0059] Specifically, when obtaining the flight capacity status that matches the flight number of the target flight, if there is data in the cache and the cache data is valid, the flight capacity status that matches the flight number is obtained from the cache data. For target flights of airlines that only support the second protocol, if there is no data in the cache, after the cache is called to form a request message, a request message is sent to the airline, and the cache is updated when the flight capacity is requested; if the cache is invalid (for example, the interval between the timestamp of the cache data and the current time is greater than the valid duration), it is also necessary to send a request message to the airline, and update the cache when the flight capacity is requested.

[0060] Through this embodiment, when there is data in the cache and the cache data is valid, the flight class status that matches the flight number of the target flight is directly obtained therefrom; when there is no data in the cache or the cache is invalid, the cache is updated by calling the cache update module, and then the flight class status that matches the flight number is obtained from the updated cache, thereby ensuring that the flight class status that matches the flight number can be accurately obtained based on the cache.

[0061] The update result of the cache update module determines the method for obtaining the flight class status corresponding to the flight number. Optionally, in the method for obtaining the flight class status provided in the embodiment of the present application, after calling the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight class status of the target flight, the method also includes: judging whether the cache update module updates the cache data of the flight class status within a preset time period; if the cache update module does not update the cache data of the flight class status within the preset time period, obtaining the flight class status matching the flight number of the target flight from the flight class status AVS message pushed by the airline; if the cache update module has updated the cache data of the flight class status within the preset time period, executing the step of obtaining the flight class status matching the flight number of the target flight from the cache data of the updated flight class status.

[0062] It should be noted that after the cache update module sends a request message to the airline, the flight class status of the corresponding flight may be reported, or the flight class status of the corresponding flight may not be obtained after the page is turned. That is, the cache update module may update successfully or fail. Therefore, after calling the cache update module, wait for the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight class status. If the cache data is not updated within the specified preset time period, the pushed flight class status AVS message is used to search for the flight class status that matches the flight number. If the cache data has been updated within the preset time period, the updated cache result is used to search for the flight class status that matches the flight number.

[0063] Through this embodiment, when the cache update module is updated successfully, the purpose of accurately obtaining the flight class status matching the flight number is achieved through accurate flight class cache data. When the cache update module is not updated successfully, the pushed flight class status AVS message ensures that the flight class status matching the flight number can be obtained.

[0064] Different airlines support different protocols and have different ways of obtaining flight capacity status. Optionally, in the method for obtaining flight capacity status provided in the embodiment of the present application, when a fare search request is received and the target flight that meets the fare search request is determined, when the corresponding cached data is invalid or there is no data, the method also includes: when the airline corresponding to the target flight supports the first protocol, obtaining the flight capacity status that matches the flight number from the airline based on the flight number and departure time of the target flight; when the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol and does not support the second protocol, obtaining the flight capacity status that matches the flight number of the target flight from the flight capacity status AVS message pushed by the airline.

[0065] It should be noted that since the first protocol supports requesting flight capacity status by flight number and date through short connections, if the airline corresponding to the target flight supports the first protocol, the flight capacity status matching the flight number can be obtained from the airline through the first protocol first, thereby achieving the purpose of accurately and efficiently obtaining the flight capacity status.

[0066] When the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol or the second protocol, it means that the flight class status cannot be accurately and efficiently obtained through the first protocol, and the cache update module cannot be called to more accurately obtain the flight class status. In this case, the flight class status matching the flight number is obtained based on the flight class status AVS message pushed by the airline, so as to ensure that the flight class status matching the flight number can be obtained.

[0067] Through this embodiment, when different airlines support different protocols, different methods are used to obtain the flight capacity status, thereby achieving the effect of improving the accuracy of obtaining the flight capacity status while ensuring that the flight capacity status can be obtained.

[0068] The present application embodiment provides a freight rate search system. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a fare search system according to an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 As shown, the fare search system of this embodiment includes: a fare search query module (referred to as SHOPPING query module), a flight space status cache (referred to as AV cache) and a direct query processing module (referred to as DA processing module).

[0069] Among them, the fare search query module (referred to as the SHOPPING query module, the SHOPPING query module is used to execute the process of querying fares, and the module adds a processing method for airlines that only support the DA protocol. Specifically, in the process of querying fares, for the scenario where the flight space status of airlines that only support the DA protocol needs to be updated, the DA processing module is asynchronously called to update the AV cache of the corresponding flight, and the updated AV cache is obtained and used.

[0070] The DA processing module is used to process direct query of flights or flight combinations that only support the DA protocol. Specifically, a request message is constructed according to the flight or flight combination requested for query, and a message interaction is performed with the PSS system or GDS system of the airline to which it belongs to obtain the flight capacity status of the airline, and session control is performed to avoid triggering the flow control mechanism for querying the flight capacity status.

[0071] The present application embodiment provides an optional method for obtaining flight space status. Figure 3 is a flow chart of an optional method for obtaining flight space status according to an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3 As shown, the method includes:

[0072] In the fare query process, after constructing flights and flight combinations, query the AV cache of each flight to determine whether the airline corresponding to the flight has only a DA protocol and needs to update the cache (needing to update the cache means that the cache has expired or there is no data in the cache). If not, return to the AV cache. If yes, call the DA processing module and wait for the cache to be updated. The DA processing module is used to form a DA message, send a request to the airline's PSS or GDS, and update the AV cache when the flight cabin status is obtained. Determine whether the AV cache has timed out and has not been updated. If not, that is, the cache has been updated within the limited time, use the updated cache result; if not, that is, the cache has not been updated within the limited time, use the AVS status to return the flight cabin status.

[0073] Figure 4 is a workflow diagram of a cache update module according to an embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 As shown, after receiving a flight or flight combination, the DA processing module constructs a DA request message according to the departure point, arrival point and date of the flight or flight combination, sends it to the PSS or GDS system of the corresponding airline system, receives and processes the DA report, and determines whether there is a corresponding flight or flight combination in the report. If yes, the result is updated to the AV cache. If not, the page turning message continues to be sent until the corresponding flight or flight combination is obtained, and the corresponding result is updated to the AV cache. If the number of page turning reaches the preset upper limit, or the other party system no longer returns more flights or flight combinations, the page turning ends.

[0074] In addition, it should be noted that since the DA direct connection method establishes a link with the airline through a session, there is a limit on the number of concurrent sessions. The DA processing module controls the number of concurrent sessions of the same airline so that the number of DA requests for the airline at the same time cannot exceed this value, and after the page is turned, the session is actively released to prevent the session from being occupied and affecting subsequent user requests.

[0075] Through this embodiment, for flights of airlines that only have DA protocol but not SEAMLESS protocol, the request result of the DA processing module is used to update the AV cache to avoid the situation where the cabin status is inaccurate due to direct use of AVS, thereby effectively improving the accuracy of obtaining cabin space for flights of airlines with low-level protocols.

[0076] It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowcharts of the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer executable instructions, and that, although a logical order is shown in the flowcharts, in some cases, the steps shown or described can be executed in an order different from that shown here.

[0077] The present application also provides a device for obtaining flight space status. It should be noted that the device for obtaining flight space status in the present application can be used to execute the method for obtaining flight space status provided in the present application. The following is an introduction to the device for obtaining flight space status provided in the present application.

[0078] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a device for obtaining flight space status according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5 As shown, the device includes: a determining unit 502 , a calling unit 504 and an acquiring unit 506 .

[0079] A determination unit 502 is configured to determine a target flight that satisfies the fare search request upon receiving the fare search request, wherein the fare search request at least includes a departure time and a target city pair or a target airport combination, and the target city pair or the target airport combination includes a departure place and an arrival place;

[0080] The calling unit 504 is used to call the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight capacity status of the target flight when the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, wherein the first protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by flight number and date through a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination through a session, and the cache update module is used to request the flight capacity status from the airline through the second protocol by a page turning request, and update the cache data of the flight capacity status based on the acquired flight capacity status;

[0081] The acquisition unit 506 is used to acquire the flight capacity status that matches the flight number of the target flight from the cached data of the updated flight capacity status.

[0082] The device for acquiring flight capacity status provided in the embodiment of the present application determines, through a determination unit 502, a target flight that satisfies the fare search request when a fare search request is received, wherein the fare search request at least includes a departure time and a target city pair or a target airport combination, and the target city pair or the target airport combination includes a departure place and an arrival place; the calling unit 504 calls a cache update module to update the cache data of the flight capacity status of the target flight when the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, wherein the first protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by flight number and date through a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination through a session, and the cache update module is used to use a page-turning request through the second protocol The method further comprises: requesting the flight capacity status from the airline in a manner, and updating the cached data of the flight capacity status based on the obtained flight capacity status; the obtaining unit 506 obtains the flight capacity status matching the flight number of the target flight from the cached data of the updated flight capacity status, thereby solving the problem in the related art that it is difficult for the fare search system to obtain the available capacity status through the flight number for an airline that does not use the SEAMLESS protocol (i.e., the first protocol) to obtain flight capacity and only uses the DA protocol (i.e., the second protocol) to obtain capacity status. When the airline does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, the cache update module is called to update the cached data of the flight capacity status through the second protocol, thereby achieving the effect of obtaining the available capacity status even without the second protocol.

[0083] The flight space status acquisition device includes a processor and a memory. The determination unit 502, the calling unit 504 and the acquisition unit 506 are all stored in the memory as program units. The processor executes the program units stored in the memory to implement corresponding functions.

[0084] The processor includes a kernel, and the kernel retrieves the corresponding program unit from the memory. One or more kernels may be set, and the kernel parameters are adjusted to solve the problem in the related art that for airlines that do not have an agreement to obtain flight seats by flight number and date, but only have an agreement to obtain seat status by city pair and date, it is difficult for the fare search system to obtain available seat status by flight number.

[0085] The memory may include non-permanent memory in a computer-readable medium, random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM, and the memory includes at least one memory chip.

[0086] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer storage medium, which is used to store a program, wherein when the program is run, the device where the non-volatile storage medium is located is controlled to execute a method for obtaining flight space status.

[0087] The embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device, Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the electronic device 50 comprises a processor and a memory; the memory stores computer-readable instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer-readable instructions, wherein when the computer-readable instructions are executed, a method for obtaining flight space status is executed. The electronic device in this article may be a server, a PC, a PAD, a mobile phone, etc.

[0088] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, including a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, the non-volatile computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, a method for obtaining flight space status is implemented.

[0089] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application may adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application may adopt the form of a computer program product implemented in one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that include computer-usable program code.

[0090] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that each process and / or box in the flowchart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the processes and / or boxes in the flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to generate a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the processes in the flowchart and / or block diagram. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in a block or multiple blocks.

[0091] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory capable of directing a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture comprising an instruction device, which implements the process Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A function specified in one or more boxes.

[0092] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0093] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPU), input / output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory.

[0094] The memory may include non-permanent memory in a computer-readable medium, random access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory in the form of read-only memory (ROM) or flash RAM. The memory is an example of a computer-readable medium.

[0095] Computer readable media include permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can be implemented by any method or technology to store information. Information can be computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any other non-transmission media that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device. As defined herein, computer readable media does not include temporary computer readable media (transitory media), such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0096] It should also be noted that the terms "include", "comprises" or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, commodity or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity or device. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprises a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity or device including the elements.

[0097] The above are only embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining flight space status, characterized in that: include: Upon receiving a fare search request, determining a target flight that satisfies the fare search request, wherein the fare search request at least includes a departure time and a target city pair or a target airport combination, wherein the target city pair or the target airport combination includes a departure point and an arrival point; In the case that the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, calling the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight capacity status of the target flight, wherein the first protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by flight number and date through a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting the flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination through a session, and the cache update module is used to request the flight capacity status from the airline through the second protocol, and update the cache data of the flight capacity status based on the acquired flight capacity status; The flight capacity status that matches the flight number of the target flight is obtained from the cached data of the updated flight capacity status.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The cache update module requests the flight space status of the target city pair or target airport combination in the following manner: constructing a request message under the second protocol according to the departure time, the target city pair or target airport combination, and the airline two-letter code, and sending the request message to the airline passenger service system corresponding to the target flight; In the event that the target flight does not exist in the reply message from the airline to the request message, a page turning message is sent to the airline until a page turning end condition is reached, wherein the page turning end condition includes at least one of the following: the target flight exists in the reply message to the page turning message, the number of page turning times reaches a preset upper limit, and no reply message is received after the page turning message is sent.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that In the case where the received fare search requests include multiple ones, the cache update module establishes links with the airlines corresponding to the multiple flights through sessions, and controls the number of links established with the same airline at the same time to be less than a first quantity threshold, and controls the total number of links established with multiple airlines under the same host at the same time to be less than a second quantity threshold, wherein the second number is greater than or equal to the first number.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cache update module establishes a link with the airline through a session, and after executing the step of requesting the flight space status of the target city pair or target airport combination from the airline through the second protocol, the cache update module releases the session link.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before calling the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight space status of the target flight, the method further includes: Determine whether there is a cached flight space status for the target flight; In the case where the cached flight capacity status does not exist, executing the step of calling the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight capacity status of the target flight; In the case that the cached flight capacity status exists and the cached flight capacity status is invalid, the step of calling the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight capacity status of the target flight is performed.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After calling the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight space status of the target flight, the method further includes: Determine whether the cache update module updates the cache data of the flight space status within a preset time period; If the cache update module does not update the cache data of the flight capacity status within the preset time period, the flight capacity status matching the flight number of the target flight is obtained from the flight capacity status AVS message pushed by the airline; If the cache update module has updated the cache data of the flight capacity status within the preset time period, the step of acquiring the flight capacity status matching the flight number of the target flight from the updated cache data of the flight capacity status is performed.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that In the case of receiving a fare search request, after determining a target flight that satisfies the fare search request, when the corresponding cached data is invalid or has no data, the method further includes: If the airline corresponding to the target flight supports the first protocol, obtaining the flight capacity status of the flight matching the flight number from the airline based on the flight number and departure time of the target flight; When the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol and does not support the second protocol, the flight capacity status matching the flight number of the target flight is obtained from the flight capacity status AVS message pushed by the airline.

8. A device for obtaining flight space status, characterized in that: include: a determination unit, configured to determine a target flight satisfying the fare search request upon receiving the fare search request, wherein the fare search request at least includes a departure time and a target city pair or a target airport combination, wherein the target city pair or the target airport combination includes a departure place and an arrival place; a calling unit, configured to call a cache update module to update cache data of flight capacity status of the target flight when the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, wherein the first protocol supports requesting flight capacity status by flight number and date through a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination through a session, and the cache update module is configured to request flight capacity status from the airline through the second protocol, and update cache data of flight capacity status based on the acquired flight capacity status; The acquisition unit is used to acquire the flight capacity status matching the flight number of the target flight from the cached data of the updated flight capacity status.

9. A computer program product, characterized in that It comprises a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-volatile computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method for obtaining the flight space status according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

10. An electronic device comprising a memory and a processor, characterized in that: The memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the method for obtaining the flight space status according to any one of claims 1 to 7 through the computer program.

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