Travel Preference Profile for Dynamic Flight Itinerary Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing airline reservation systems face challenges in efficiently helping customers select optimal flight itineraries from hundreds of options, often requiring trade-offs between cost and comfort.
Innovation Solution
The system employs methods to form and update a travel preference profile based on customer actions, using a flight matrix to associate customer preferences with flight characteristics, and allows for filtering and prioritization of flight itineraries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the system displays all available flight itineraries to customers, then the customer has complete information to make a decision, but the customer faces difficulty in selecting from hundreds of options and requires trade-offs between cost and comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the flight itinerary information into multiple dimensions using a flight matrix structure. The matrix organizes flights by categories (airline, price range, departure time, arrival time, travel time, layover time) and subcategories, allowing customers to navigate through structured information groups rather than facing a disorganized list of hundreds of options.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimensional approach by organizing flight information in a matrix format with multiple axes (categories and subcategories). This transforms the one-dimensional list of flights into a multi-dimensional structure that enables systematic filtering and prioritization across multiple criteria simultaneously.
2Measurement precision
If the system provides detailed flight information including all categories and subcategories, then the customer can make informed decisions, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the complex flight information into hierarchical segments: main categories (airline, price, time, duration, layover, amenities) and subcategories within each. This segmentation allows detailed information to be organized in manageable groups, reducing perceived complexity while maintaining comprehensiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The flight matrix structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it organizes information, enables filtering, facilitates comparison, and guides customer selection. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate system components, thereby managing complexity while providing detailed information.
3Ease of operation
If the system allows customers to filter and prioritize flight itineraries, then the selection process is simplified, but the system requires dynamic updating of travel preference profiles
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically updates the travel preference profile based on customer actions (selections, views, filters applied). This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for manual profile configuration, simplifying the user experience while enabling dynamic adaptation to customer preferences without requiring significant automated processing infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from customer interactions with the flight matrix (selections, filtering actions, viewing patterns) to dynamically update the travel preference profile. This feedback loop enables the system to adapt to customer needs in real-time, simplifying the selection process through personalized results.
Data Source
AI summary
A matrix format with one dimension showing categories of the flights and one dimension showing ranges of the categories can be used by a customer looking for a travel flight. The selection of the customer on the flight matrix can be converted to travel preferences, which can be stored in a travel preference profile of the customer. The travel preference profile can be updated when the customer searches and books travel flights. Ultimately, the travel preference profile can reflect the customer desires and subsequent travel searches can results in a small number of, preferable only one, flight itineraries most suitable to the customer.