Roundtrip Fare Display Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Travel reservation systems face challenges in providing customers with flexible flight selection options due to complex airline fare structures, where business travelers are charged more for flexibility, and roundtrip fares are not easily combinable, limiting user choice and increasing costs.
Innovation Solution
A user interface and method that displays outbound and inbound fare amounts in a one-way like format, using a fare-driven availability engine to combine roundtrip fare recommendations, allowing for dynamic panel interactions and upselling options, enabling customers to choose combinable fare combinations and take advantage of attractive roundtrip fares while maintaining flexibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If roundtrip fares are displayed in traditional format, then airlines can maintain profitable fare structures, but customers lose freedom of choice and cannot easily combine outbound and inbound flights
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the roundtrip fare display into separate outbound and inbound panels, allowing customers to independently select and combine flights from each direction while maintaining the underlying complex fare structure. This segmentation enables freedom of choice without exposing the complexity of fare rules to the customer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that automatically calculates and matches compatible outbound-inbound combinations based on fare rules. This intermediary handles the complexity of fare structure in the background while presenting simplified options to customers, resolving the contradiction between choice freedom and structure complexity.
2Ease of operation
If traditional roundtrip display is used, then fare rules compliance is maintained, but customer flexibility and ease of operation are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically handling fare rules compliance checking and combination validation. The interface allows customers to freely select flights while the system autonomously ensures fare rules are met, eliminating the need for customers to manually verify compliance and greatly simplifying operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates real-time feedback mechanisms that automatically inform customers when their selected outbound and inbound flights form a valid roundtrip combination according to fare rules. This feedback loop maintains reliability by ensuring compliance while keeping the interface simple and easy to use.
3Adaptability or versatility
If one-way fares are used for international routes, then customer flexibility is improved, but fare attractiveness and airline profitability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advantages of one-way fare flexibility with roundtrip fare profitability by allowing customers to combine outbound and inbound flights independently while automatically applying roundtrip fare rules. This combining approach enables both fare combinability and attractive roundtrip pricing, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and profitability.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of evaluating outbound and inbound fare amounts out of a plurality of roundtrip fare recommendations is disclosed. Intended to be displayed in a one-way like display, roundtrip fares are first obtained from a fare-driven availability engine receiving inputs from an online user of a travel website. Further recommendations are deduced by combining the above roundtrip fare recommendations in order to obtain a first improved list of recommendations which comprises more outbound and inbound fare combinations. Then, one-way fare amounts are determined for each combination from the first improved list of recommendations. A second improved list of recommendations, comprising outbound and inbound fare amounts evaluated on the basis of the initial roundtrip fare recommendations, is generated. Outbound and inbound fare amounts can thus be shown in a one-way like display of roundtrip fares to the online user of the travel website.