Automated Travel Fee Calculator System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Travel agencies face challenges in efficiently processing and communicating service fees due to the elimination of commission-based income from airlines, leading to manual, time-consuming, and error-prone fee calculations, which complicates the demonstration of value to customers and affects profit margins.
Innovation Solution
A computer-based system that assesses travel service fees through a fee calculator interfacing with a price scheme database, allowing travel agents to automatically calculate fees at the point of sale and enabling seamless integration with mid and back office systems, breaking down fees into booking process, ticketing, and contextual elements, and allowing administrators to modify and simulate fee structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual fee calculations are used, then flexibility in handling complex fee rules is maintained, but booking time increases and error risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical fee calculation processes with an automated computer-based system. The fee calculator automatically computes service fees by interfacing with the price scheme database, eliminating the need for manual calculations while maintaining accuracy in handling complex fee rules.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service fee calculation where the fee calculator automatically determines service fees based on predefined price schemes and rules stored in the database. The system serves itself by automatically retrieving, processing, and calculating fees without requiring manual intervention.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual fee calculations are used, then customization for different customer types is possible, but error risk increases and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual calculation processes with an automated computer system that retrieves and applies fee rules from the price scheme database. This substitution eliminates human errors in calculation while maintaining the ability to customize fees for different customer types through programmable rules.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the fee calculator automatically verifies calculated fees against the price scheme database rules. This feedback loop ensures accuracy and reliability by continuously checking that calculated fees match the predefined schemes, reducing errors while maintaining customization capabilities.
3Productivity
If automated fee assessment is implemented, then booking time is reduced and errors are minimized, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fee calculator is designed as a multi-functional component that integrates multiple capabilities: retrieving price schemes, applying fee rules, calculating service fees, and interfacing with both front office and back office systems. This universal design consolidates complexity into a single integrated component rather than multiple separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a fee calculator as an intermediary component between the front office (travel agents) and back office (administration) systems. This intermediary simplifies the overall system architecture by providing a dedicated layer that handles fee calculations, shielding the complexity from both sides while enabling seamless integration.
4Loss of information
If service fees are charged manually, then detailed tracking of fee components is possible, but communication and justification to customers becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments service fees into distinct components (booking process fees, ticketing fees, contextual fees) that are individually tracked and calculated. This segmentation allows detailed tracking of each fee component while enabling clear communication with customers about what each fee represents, improving both tracking accuracy and customer communication.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer travel system and methods for assessing travel service fees are described. System of the invention communicates, on one end, with a travel agent from a travel front office and, on the other end, with a system administrator who manages a price scheme database containing unitary fees and rules. Travel agent creates and modifies PNRs (passenger name records) from which service fees are assessed by a fee calculator. Fee calculator interfaces with the price scheme database to obtain unitary fees and rules to apply to get PNR service fees.System administrator can modify unitary fees and rules and use a fee simulator over a travel business history of PNRs to estimate what would have been revenue with the modified unitary fees and rule.System and methods of the invention enable an automatic assessment of travel service fees that can be recognized by the customer.