Travel Product Bundling via NDC Data Normalization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Airlines face limitations in cross-selling and bundling travel products beyond flight segments, such as baggage and premium seating, due to operational and technical inefficiencies in current Internet-based multi-sourced travel product data alignment and search mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A system and process utilizing a configurable logic instruction system to align and package travel products from disparate data sources, enabling airlines to market a variety of travel products through a common interface by normalizing data with the New Distribution Capability (NDC) standard and transforming different schemas using a smart broker element.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If airlines use traditional interlining agreements to sell seats from other airlines, then they can offer multi-airline flight segments, but they cannot sell ancillary travel products like baggage or premium seating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a configurable logic instruction system as an intermediary layer between disparate data sources and the user interface. This mediator aligns and transforms data from multiple airlines and data sources into a unified structure, enabling ancillary product bundling without requiring direct complex integrations between each data source. The system acts as a bridge that simplifies the complexity of multi-source data alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The common database template structure serves as a universal framework that can accommodate various travel products (tickets, seats, baggage, premium services) from different airlines and data sources. This multi-functional database structure allows the system to handle diverse product types through a single unified interface, enabling airlines to bundle ancillary products with flight segments without requiring separate handling mechanisms for each product type.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system aligns travel product data from multiple disparate sources, then it can offer comprehensive bundled products, but the data alignment process becomes complex and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary alignment actions by pre-configuring logic instructions and establishing a common database template structure before actual data retrieval. The configurable logic instructions are set up in advance to define how data from different sources should be transformed and aligned, so that when data is actually retrieved and processed, the alignment process is accelerated by following pre-established rules rather than performing complex real-time alignment calculations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter structure of travel product data by transforming it into a standardized format defined by the common database template. By altering the data representation to match the configured schema, the system simplifies the alignment process and enables efficient retrieval and presentation of bundled products from multiple sources without requiring complex real-time normalization operations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If airlines implement comprehensive cross-selling of ancillary products, then customer options and revenue increase, but system performance and efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cross-selling functionality by separating the alignment and transformation logic into configurable logic instructions that operate independently from the core data retrieval and presentation mechanisms. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high efficiency in data processing while still offering comprehensive cross-selling capabilities, as the configurable logic layer can be optimized without affecting the performance-critical paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements dynamic cross-selling by allowing configurable logic instructions to be adjusted and updated without requiring system reconfiguration. The logic instructions can be dynamically modified to change product bundling strategies, pricing rules, and availability criteria, enabling the system to adapt to changing business requirements while maintaining consistent performance through the use of pre-compiled alignment rules.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method for cross-selling passenger-oriented travel products from a sponsor company and other travel product providers to users, by normalizing the products and dynamically filtering the products in real-time according to rules defined by the travel product sponsor company. In one of the embodiments, ancillary products from any combination of an airline sponsor company, affiliated airline companies and other travel product providers may be presented to customers in accordance with the sponsor company's preferred product bundling nor package scheme and in coordination with affiliated airlines and other travel product providers as they may be available for a combined product. Other embodiments cross-sell travel products for rail, sea and other ground transportation, accommodation services and providers as well as passenger-oriented ancillary travel product providers such as Wi-Fi and duty-free shopping services.