Method, device and computer program product for obtaining flight seat status

Abstract

The application discloses a flight cabin state acquisition method and device and a computer program product. It relates to the technical field of fare search, and the method comprises the following steps: determining a target flight meeting a fare search request; if the airline company corresponding to the target flight does not support a first protocol but supports a second protocol, calling a cache updating module, the first protocol supports requesting a flight cabin state by a flight number and a date in a short connection mode, the second protocol supports requesting a flight cabin state by a city pair or an airport combination in a session mode, the cache updating module is used for requesting a flight cabin state from the airline company in a page turning request mode by the second protocol, and updating cache data of the flight cabin state; and acquiring a flight cabin state matched with a flight number of the target flight from the updated cache data. Through the application, the problem that the fare search system is difficult to acquire a cabin state by a flight number for an airline company without a first protocol and only with 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] A fare search system is a portal currently provided by airlines or agents for users to search for tickets. Based on the passenger's itinerary and preferences, the fare search system integrates flight combinations and available fares, and then returns the search results to the requesting user.

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

[0004] Airlines without high-level flight space acquisition agreements can push AVS (AVAILABILITY STATUS) messages to global distribution systems or partners when flight space changes. However, there are cases where a certain space may appear available for sale in an AVS message, but in reality, it is restricted for certain agents or airlines, resulting in a situation where it can be viewed but not booked. Many of these airlines without SEAMLESS agreements actually have a lower-level direct access agreement—the DA (DIRECT ACCESS) protocol. This allows the fare search system to send messages to the other airline, requesting flights and space for a specific city pair on a specific day.

[0005] However, this protocol has the following limitations: Because the connection with the other system is established through a session, each session occupies a channel and can easily trigger traffic limits; requests can only specify city pairs, not specific flights; and the number of flights returned per request is limited, making it difficult to meet query requirements. These limitations make it difficult to directly request the corresponding cabin status by flight number in the fare search system.

[0006] Regarding 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 so far. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present application provides a method, apparatus, and computer program product for obtaining flight seat status to address 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 seat status and only use the DA protocol (hereinafter referred to as the second protocol) to obtain seat status, it is difficult for the fare search system to obtain seat status by flight number.

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

[0009] Optionally, the cache update module requests the flight class status of the target city pair or target airport combination in the following manner: constructing a second protocol request message based on 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; if 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.

[0010] Optionally, 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.

[0011] Optionally, the cache update module establishes a link with the airline through a session. 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, the cache update module releases the session link.

[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 that matches 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 that matches the flight number of the target flight from the updated cache data of the flight class status.

[0014] Optionally, 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 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 obtaining flight capacity status is provided. The device includes: a determining unit for determining a target flight that meets the fare search request upon receiving the fare search request, wherein the fare search request includes at least a departure time and a target city pair or a target airport combination, wherein the target city or target airport combination pair includes a departure point and an arrival point; a calling unit for calling a cache updating module to update cached data of the flight capacity status of the target flight if the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support a first protocol but supports a second protocol, wherein the first protocol supports requesting flight capacity status by flight number and date via a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination via a session, the cache updating module for requesting flight capacity status from the airline via the second protocol using a page-turning request, and updating the cached data of the flight capacity status based on the obtained flight capacity status; and an obtaining unit for obtaining, from the updated cached data of the flight capacity status, the flight capacity status that matches the flight number of the target flight.

[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 cabin status is implemented.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present application, an electronic device is 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 the computer-readable instructions execute a method for obtaining flight cabin status when executed.

[0018] The present application adopts the following steps: upon receiving a fare search request, determining a target flight that meets the fare search request, wherein the fare search request includes at least a departure time and a target city pair or target airport combination, wherein the target city pair or target airport combination includes a departure point and an arrival point; if 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 cached data of flight capacity status of the target flight, wherein the first protocol supports requesting flight capacity status by flight number and date via a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination via a session; the cache update module is configured to request flight capacity status from the airline via the second protocol using a page-turning request, and update the cached data of flight capacity status based on the obtained flight capacity status; and obtaining a flight capacity status that matches the flight number of the target flight from the updated cached data of flight capacity status. This solves the problem in the related art that for airlines that do not use the SEAMLESS protocol (i.e., the first protocol) to obtain flight capacity and only use the DA protocol (i.e., the second protocol) to obtain capacity status, it is difficult for the fare search system to obtain available capacity status by flight number. By calling the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight class 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 class status can be achieved even without the first protocol. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The accompanying drawings, which constitute part of this application, are intended to provide a further understanding of this application. The exemplary embodiments and descriptions of this application are intended to explain this application and do not constitute an improper limitation on this application. In the accompanying drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 is a flowchart 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 fare 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 2 is a schematic diagram of a device for obtaining 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 of the embodiments in this 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 present invention, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of this 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 that includes 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 use.

[0031] For ease 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 the GDS (Global Distribution System) or its partners.

[0034] SEAMLESS protocol: A high-level flight space acquisition protocol that allows seamlessly requesting the flight's Passenger Service System (PSS) by specifying the flight and date to obtain accurate space status.

[0035] Agents: Refers to intermediaries or individuals who specialize in air ticket sales and reservation services. They can provide customers with ticket options from various airlines and related travel consulting services.

[0036] Direct connection agreement: An agreement whereby you can directly inquire with 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 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 includes the following steps:

[0040] Step S102: upon 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 target airport combination includes a departure point and an arrival point.

[0041] The execution entity of this application may be a fare search system. A 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 arrival. The origin and arrival constitute a target city pair or a target airport combination. The target city pair or target airport combination can be a target city pair. The fare search system first selects a route based on the itinerary information, then determines a target flight that meets the fare search request based on the selected route, and then queries the cabin status corresponding to the target flight that meets the fare search request, laying the foundation for calculating the fare for the available flight cabin.

[0042] It should be noted that after the fare search system calculates the target flight that meets the fare search request, it needs to query the cabin status for the target flight and calculate the fare information. Due to the large amount of calculation required, it can first cache the flight cabin status and then calculate the fare based on the cached flight cabin status. Caching the flight cabin status requires the flight cabin acquisition protocol to achieve this.

[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 cached data of the flight class status of the target flight. The first protocol supports requesting the flight class status by flight number and date through a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting the flight class status by city pair or airport combination through a session. The cache update module is used to request the flight class status from the airline through the second protocol using a page flip request, and update the cached data of the flight class status based on the obtained flight class status.

[0044] Both the first and second protocols are flight capacity acquisition protocols. The first protocol is a high-level flight capacity acquisition protocol, the SEAMLESS protocol. Based on the SEAMLESS protocol, you can request real-time capacity status from an airline by specifying a flight number and date. The second protocol is a low-level flight capacity acquisition protocol, the DA (Direct Access) protocol. The DA protocol allows you to request real-time capacity status from an airline by specifying a city pair or airport combination consisting of the origin and destination.

[0045] The cache update module, embedded in the fare search system, requests flight availability status from airlines via the second protocol using page-turning requests. If the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol, it is difficult to request real-time availability status from the airline by specifying the flight number and date and caching it. If the airline supports the second protocol, the cache update module can be invoked asynchronously. The cache update module triggers page-turning in the background to request availability status in real time and update the cached availability status, avoiding the situation where the availability status directly fed back by the AVS (AVAILABILITYSTATUS) message may be inaccurate.

[0046] Step S106: Acquire the flight capacity status that matches the flight number of the target flight from the updated cached data of the 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 from it, 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 cabin 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 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 target airport combination, and the target city pair or target airport combination includes the departure point and the arrival point; 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 flight class status by city pair or airport combination, the cache update module is used to request flight class status from the airline through the second protocol by using the page turning request method, and updates the cache data of the flight class status based on the obtained flight class status; the flight class status that matches the flight number of the target flight is obtained from the cache data of the updated flight class status, which solves the problem in the related art that for airlines that do not have the SEAMLESS protocol (that is, the first protocol) to obtain flight class and only have the DA protocol (that is, the second protocol) to obtain class status, it is difficult for the fare search system to obtain available class status by flight number. By calling the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight class status through the second protocol when the airline does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, the effect of obtaining available class status even without the first protocol is achieved.

[0050] In order to find the flight class status of the flight in the fare search request as much as possible, optionally, in the flight class status acquisition method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the cache update module requests the flight class 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 airline corresponding to the target flight; if 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 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 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 connection queries for flights of airlines that only support the second protocol. 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, the page turning message will continue to be sent 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 party's system no longer returns more flights or flight combinations, the page turning will end.

[0052] Through this embodiment, the cache update module directly queries the flight class 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 class 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 class obtained is the bookable flight class, which is more real-time and accurate than the class status feedback from the AVS message.

[0053] In order to enable more users to request the required flight class status by calling the cache update module, optionally, in the flight class status acquisition method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the cache update module establishes a link with the airline through a session. After executing the step of requesting the flight class 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.

[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 flight seat 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 number 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 number threshold, wherein the second number is greater than or equal to the first number.

[0056] It should be noted that, since the cabin status is requested through a direct connection via the second protocol, there is a limit on the number of concurrent sessions for the same airline, and there is also a limit on the number of concurrent sessions for 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 for the same airline so that the number of requests to the airline at the same time cannot exceed the first number threshold, and also controls the number of concurrent sessions for airlines under the same host so that the number of requests to the airlines under the host at the same time cannot exceed the second number 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 triggering flow control and causing the flight space request service to be unavailable.

[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 flight class status acquisition method 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 class status that matches the flight number of the target flight, if there is data in the cache and the cached data is valid, the flight class status that matches the flight number is obtained from the cached data. For target flights of airlines that only support the second protocol, if there is no data in the cache, after calling the cache update module to form a request message, a request message is sent to the airline, and the cache is updated if the flight class is requested. If the cache is invalid (for example, the interval between the timestamp of the cached data and the current time is greater than the valid period), it is also necessary to send a request message to the airline and update the cache if the flight class is requested.

[0060] Through this embodiment, when there is data in the cache and the cached data is valid, the flight class status that matches the flight number of the target flight is directly obtained from it. 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 of obtaining the flight class status corresponding to the flight number. Optionally, in the flight class status acquisition method 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 the 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 response may contain the flight class status of the corresponding flight, or the flight class status of the corresponding flight may not be obtained after turning the page. In other words, the cache update module may successfully update or fail to update. 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 flight class status AVS message pushed is used to ensure 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 class status. Optionally, in the method for obtaining flight class status provided in an 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 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.

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

[0066] When the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol and 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 obtain the flight class status more accurately. In this case, the flight class status that matches 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 that matches the flight number can be obtained.

[0067] Through this embodiment, when different airlines support different protocols, different methods are used to obtain the flight cabin status, thereby achieving the effect of improving the accuracy of obtaining the flight cabin status while ensuring that the flight cabin 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), an flight class status cache (referred to as AV cache) and a direct connection query processing module (referred to as DA processing module).

[0069] The fare search and query module (abbreviated as the SHOPPING query module) is used to execute the fare query process. This module adds a processing method for airlines that only support the DA protocol. Specifically, in the fare query process, if the flight cabin 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 handles direct queries for flights or flight combinations that only support the DA protocol. Specifically, it constructs a request message based on the requested flight or flight combination, interacts with the airline's PSS or GDS system to obtain the airline's flight availability status, and performs session control to avoid triggering the flight availability throttling mechanism.

[0071] The embodiment of the present application provides an optional method for obtaining flight space status. Figure 3 Flowchart of a method for obtaining optional 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 the flights and flight combinations, query the AV cache of each flight to determine whether the airline corresponding to the flight only has 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 construct a DA message, send a request to the airline's PSS or GDS, and update the AV cache when the flight class 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 time limit, use the updated cache result; if not, that is, the cache has not been updated within the time limit, use the AVS status to return the flight class status.

[0073] Figure 4 is a flowchart of the 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 based on the flight or flight combination's origin, destination, and date, and sends it to the corresponding airline's PSS or GDS system. The module then receives and processes the DA response, determining whether the response contains a corresponding flight or flight combination. If so, the response is updated to the AV cache. Otherwise, the module continues to send page-turning messages until the corresponding flight or flight combination is retrieved and the corresponding response is updated to the AV cache. If the page-turning limit is reached, or if the other system no longer returns additional flights or flight combinations, the page-turning process 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. 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 the DA protocol but not the 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 the direct use of AVS, thereby effectively improving the accuracy of obtaining cabin status 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 seat status. It should be noted that the device for obtaining flight seat status in the present application can be used to execute the method for obtaining flight seat status provided in the present application. The following describes the device for obtaining flight seat 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 determining unit 502 is configured to, upon receiving a fare search request, determine a target flight that meets the fare search request, wherein the fare search request includes at least a departure time and a target city pair or target airport combination, wherein the target city pair or target airport combination includes a departure point and an arrival point;

[0080] The calling unit 504 is configured to call the cache update module to update cached data of the flight class status of the target flight if the airline corresponding to the target flight does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol. The first protocol supports requesting flight class status by flight number and date via a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting flight class status by city pair or airport combination via a session. The cache update module is configured to request the flight class status from the airline via the second protocol using a page-turning request, and update the cached data of the flight class status based on the obtained flight class status.

[0081] The acquisition unit 506 is configured 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 obtaining flight capacity status provided by the embodiment of the present application determines, through a determination unit 502, 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 pair or the target airport combination includes a departure point and an arrival point; the calling unit 504 calls a cache update module to update the cached 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 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 used to use a page request through the second protocol The method further comprises the following steps: requesting 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; an obtaining unit 506 obtains the flight capacity status that matches 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 for an airline that does not use the SEAMLESS protocol (i.e., the first protocol) to obtain flight capacity but only uses the DA protocol (i.e., the second protocol) to obtain capacity status, it is difficult for the fare search system to obtain available capacity status by flight number. By calling the cache update module to update the cached data of the flight capacity status by using the second protocol when the airline does not support the first protocol but supports the second protocol, the effect of obtaining available capacity status even without the second protocol is achieved.

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

[0084] The processor includes a core that retrieves corresponding program units from memory. One or more cores may be provided, and kernel parameters are adjusted to address a related art issue where a fare search system has difficulty obtaining available space status based on a flight number for airlines that do not have agreements to obtain flight space by flight number and date, but only have agreements to obtain space status based on a city pair and date.

[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 for storing a program, wherein when the program is running, the device where the non-volatile storage medium is located is controlled to execute a method for obtaining flight cabin status.

[0087] The embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device, Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. The electronic device 50 includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores computer-readable instructions, and the processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are executed, a method for obtaining flight cabin status is implemented. The electronic device herein may be a server, a PC, a PAD, a mobile phone, or the like.

[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 cabin status is implemented.

[0089] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can 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 can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain 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 produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate instructions for implementing the steps in the process. 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 that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to work 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 The 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 operational steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device for implementing the process. Figure 1 a process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A step that specifies a function in one or more boxes.

[0093] In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPUs), 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 includes permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can be implemented by any method or technology to store information. The 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 disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic 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 transitory computer-readable media (transitory media), such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0096] It should also be noted that the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, commodity, or apparatus that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0097] The above are merely 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 modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should all 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 meets the fare search request, wherein the fare search request includes at least a departure time and a target city pair or target airport combination, wherein the target city pair or target airport combination includes a departure point and an arrival point; If 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 cached 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 second protocol is a direct connection protocol, and the cache update module is configured to request the flight capacity status from the airline through the second protocol and update the cached data of the flight capacity status based on the obtained flight capacity status; The flight class status that matches the flight number of the target flight is obtained from the updated cached data of the flight class status.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The cache update module requests the flight class 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 a case where 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 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.

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 connections with the airlines corresponding to the multiple flights through sessions, and controls the number of connections established with the same airline at the same time to be less than a first quantity threshold, and controls the total number of connections 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, wherein The cache update module establishes a connection with the airline through a session. 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, the cache update module releases the session connection.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein Before calling the cache update module to update the cache data of the flight class status of the target flight, the method further includes: Determine whether there is a cached flight cabin status for the target flight; In the case that the cached flight class status does not exist, executing the step of calling the cache update module to update the cached data of the flight class 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 cached 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 class status of the target flight, the method further includes: Determining 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 class status within the preset time period, the flight class status matching the flight number of the target flight is obtained 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, the step of obtaining the flight class status that matches the flight number of the target flight from the updated cache data of the flight class 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 meets 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 cabin status of the flight 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, the flight class status that matches the flight number of the target flight is obtained from the flight class status AVS message pushed by the airline.

8. A device for obtaining flight cabin status, characterized in that: include: a determining unit configured to, upon receiving a fare search request, determine a target flight that meets the fare search request, wherein the fare search request includes at least 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; a calling unit, configured to call a cache update module to update cached data of flight capacity status of the target flight if 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 via a short connection, and the second protocol supports requesting flight capacity status by city pair or airport combination via a session, and the second protocol is a direct connection protocol, and the cache update module is configured to request flight capacity status from the airline via the second protocol and update the cached data of flight capacity status based on the obtained flight capacity status; The acquiring unit is configured 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.

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

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 flight space status according to any one of claims 1 to 7 through the computer program.

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