Internet Market Fare Robot

Transcription

1 Internet Market Fare Robot The Internet Market Fares Robot is designed to access a set of user-defined Internet airline travel sites on a regular basis, and obtain from them the fares being offered for specific O&Ds on a set of future dates. For individual consumer or travel agent usage, the robot can be used to identify the lowest fares on offer for a specific future date. For airline analysis usage it is intended to provide, by sampling the sites for a set of future dates, the level of market fares currently on offer. This data can then be used as a basis for their own Net or Negotiated fares. The system has been designed to allow the user to easily teach the Robot the specific interface of each site. As the interface for such sites can change over time, the system identifies to the user when a change has occurred so that the user can review and re-teach the Robot the new interface. Both summarized and detailed fare information is presented to the user by travel site/airline/o&d/travel date etc. so that the user can readily identify changes and those sites/airlines that consistently offer the lowest fares. To automate the updating of frequently-changing competitors fares To allow an airline to capture published & unpublished private fares To automate this tedious collection process Ease by which the Robot can be directed to visit different sites Can be easily taught to visit disparate internet travel & airline sites Design for integration with FACTS AFM/EDSM Enhanced fare product range for analysis Enhanced revenues through quicker/better decisions marketing@smgtec.com Website: ???@smgtec.com

2 Internet Pricing Engine The Internet Pricing Engine enables airlines and other related travel organizations to upgrade their noncore reservation functions, while enjoying substantial revenue enhancement. The system is a derivative of SMG s Automated Fares Module (AFM) and can be used independently or combined to produce significant functionality. The Internet Pricing Engine provides non-core reservation functionality, essentially fare display at a fraction of the cost normally associated with traditional reservation systems. At the heart of the system is an interface to populate and keep current a locally-maintained database of airline fares along with the respective terms and conditions. The Pricing Engine is able to provide extensive fare and related information for display or use in various calculations. Ability to run completely in-house by passing CRS hosted systems Provide full interface to receive and update ATPCO provided fares and rules Implement a more fully-functioned, economical, and expeditious reservations system Quicker response Provides a full and up-to-date local pricing database Significantly reduces reservations system costs by substituting reservations system calls with calls to pricing engine Fully supports terms and conditions associated with fares Supports international fares as well as domestic USA/Canada Reduced CRS costs Direct to consumer sales functionality Substantial revenue enhancement

3 Market Fare Module The Market Fare module provides an alternative to the ATPCO based Private Fare facilities in the AFM International version, providing more widespread and direct distribution and application. The Market Fare Module can accept fare change requests from field personnel. The Pricing Department can approve or reject such requests and appropriate notification is sent back to the field. Market fares, whether based on requests from the field or based on Pricing Department initiatives can be distributed via multiple channels (ATPCO, , Fax) to the CRS, travel agents or even direct corporate clients. The Market Fares are stored in the AFM fares database and can be queried and reported on as a standard fare albeit with different data elements. To automate the updating of frequently changing market fares To allow an airline to capture published & unpublished private fares To automate this tedious collection process Designed for integration with FACTS AFM/EDSM Ability to analyze more widespread fare products Provides full interface to receive and update ATPCO provided fares Fully supports terms and conditions associated with fares Enhanced fare product range for analysis and response Enhanced revenues through quicker/better decisions Improved distribution of fare products

4 Automated Fares Module The Automated Fares Module provides pricing analysts with a set of automation tools to help them be more efficient and productive in their daily tasks. The system s graphical screens display a wealth of information in an easy-to-understand format. The intuitive layout and workflow makes FACTS-AFM not only easy to use, but simple to learn as well. The pricing analyst s complete daily repertoire, from fare change detection to fare mapping and matching, to fare creation and filing, is automated through the extensive functions available with the FACTS-AFM. Additionally, the system provides a comprehensive fares database, containing current and historical data for both own and competitor fares, to support online enquiries. FACTS AFM is also available through our Hosting Service. This is a fast, low-risk route to take advantage of the revenue enhancement and productivity benefits of the module, without the expense and technical resources needed to implement the full system. Ability to quickly focus on and understand the impacts of significant competitor actions Tools to respond quickly and effectively Customized views of market fare actions with extensive filtering & sorting capabilities Detailed display and editing of fares complete with footnote and rules information Comprehensive database of own and OAL fare information & history Automatic fare mapping and fare matching functions Simplified creation of new fares with automatic fare batching and filing to ATPCO Revenue protection through improved response capabilities from pricing analysts.

5 Extended Decision Support Module The FACTS-EDSM enables airlines to make better-informed pricing decisions by allowing them to simulate the impacts resulting from proposed pricing initiatives. The forecasts are based on mathematical models using data from a variety of sources such as Scheduling, Revenue Management, Revenue Accounting, MIDT, PNR records, and others. It permits the user to run a what-if analysis and store the results with the implemented pricing initiatives. Analysts can track and review the performance of the pricing initiative against the forecasted results so that they may determine the reasons behind the actual results obtained. This provides a feedback mechanism for analysts to improve their understanding of the marketplace and enables them to make better pricing decisions. Simulate effects of own and OAL fare initiatives on consumer demand, market share, and revenues Establish in-depth decision support for good fare structures, better responses to competitors, fare initiatives, route opportunities, and other analyses Support target setting, tracking, & feedback to build progressive improvement of market knowledge and decision-making Practical, proven mathematical models are used to derive the required forecasts Integration of data from sources such as Scheduling, Revenue Accounting, Revenue Management, MIDT, CRS, Sales, and other areas Capturing expert knowledge in system forecasts through analyst input or override of forecast variables Storing and tracking of initiative performance, providing a feedback loop to analysts Creation of a structured approach to pricing analysis and decision-making Feedback loop fostering a quality improvement cycle in the pricing process Improved, more tuned fare responses and fare structures Economic returns which are equal to or greater than those achieved through Revenue Management systems