Disruption Handling System for Airline Itinerary Rebooking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional systems fail to efficiently coordinate and synchronize multiple systems involved in handling passenger itinerary disruptions, leading to inefficiencies, discrepancies, and delays in rebooking passengers on alternative flights, especially when flights are cancelled or delayed.

Innovation Solution

A disruption handling system that integrates an inventory system, reservation system, ticketing system, and departure control system via a computer network, allowing for automated updates, rebooking, and ticketing processes to efficiently transfer passengers to new itineraries, including generating backup records for schedule changes and handling baggage information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple independent systems (inventory, reservation, ticketing, DCS) are used to handle itinerary disruptions, then each system can perform its specialized function, but coordination between systems becomes complex and slow, leading to delays and discrepancies

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverebooking speedVSAvoidsystem coordination complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a central disruption handling system that acts as an intermediary between the inventory system, reservation system, ticketing system, and DCS. This mediator coordinates all rebooking operations, ensuring that when a passenger needs to be rebooked due to disruption, the system automatically updates all four systems in a coordinated manner, eliminating the complexity of direct inter-system communication while maintaining high rebooking speed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The disruption handling system performs multiple functions: it manages inventory updates, reservation modifications, ticketing operations, and DCS synchronization. By consolidating these coordination tasks into a single multi-functional system, the patent reduces overall system complexity while maintaining the specialized capabilities of each individual system

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If manual coordination is used between systems to handle disruptions, then system integrity can be maintained, but response time increases and efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem integrityVSAvoidresponse time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The disruption handling system implements automated self-service mechanisms where the system automatically detects disruptions, determines alternative itineraries, and executes rebooking across all four systems without manual intervention. The system independently manages the coordination process, updating inventory counters, modifying reservations, reissuing tickets, and synchronizing DCS data automatically, thereby maintaining system integrity while dramatically reducing response time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system employs feedback mechanisms where each system (inventory, reservation, ticketing, DCS) reports its status and changes back to the disruption handling system. This continuous feedback loop ensures that all systems remain synchronized and consistent, maintaining system integrity while enabling rapid automated coordination without manual verification

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If rapid automated rebooking is implemented, then response time is reduced, but the risk of errors and discrepancies between systems increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverebooking efficiencyVSAvoiddata consistency accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The central disruption handling system acts as a controlled intermediary that manages all automated updates across the four systems. It sequences the operations carefully, ensuring that inventory is updated before reservations, reservations before ticketing, and ticketing before DCS synchronization. This mediated approach maintains data consistency accuracy while enabling rapid automated rebooking

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual mechanical coordination processes with automated electronic coordination through the disruption handling system. The automated system uses electronic signals and data exchanges to coordinate updates across all systems, eliminating human error while maintaining precise data consistency. The automated coordination mechanism ensures that all systems are updated with identical information simultaneously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS10510024B2Coordinated disruption handling

Publication Date: 2019.12.17 AMADEUS SAS

AI summary

Systems, methods, and computer program products for coordinating operation of relevant systems after a passenger itinerary disruption. Responsive to a transfer request being received that includes at least a portion of a new travel itinerary to replace a disrupted travel itinerary of each of multiple passengers, an inventory system automatically updates counters based on the disrupted travel itinerary of each passenger and the new travel itinerary, and a reservation system automatically updates one or more reservation records to reflect an association between each passenger and the new travel itinerary. Thereafter, a ticketing system automatically performs a ticketing process for each passenger relative to the new travel itinerary, and a departure control system automatically transfers passenger data stored for each passenger in association with the disrupted travel itinerary of the passenger to a record associated with the new travel itinerary.