Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for associating a traveler with an electronic ticket reserving a travel related service. During a booking process, the traveler may be asked to provide an identification image. The identification image provided by the traveler may be associated with the electronic ticket in an electronic ticket database. At a point-of-service, the traveler may present an image that is captured by a control system. The control system may compare the captured image to the identification image and determine if the images match. In response to the images matching, the control system may provide an indication that the traveler should receive the travel service reserved by the electronic ticket.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for maintaining up-to-date pre-computed search results, such as travel recommendations, stored in a data cache maintained, for example, by a global distribution system. Pre-computed search results are re-computed to provide long-term accuracy. A re-computation controller assigns a re-computation indicator to any of the pre-computed search results. The re-computation indicator for a pre-computed search result is based on at least on a probability that the pre-computed search result is still valid, and on a re-computation frequency of the search result. Within a given time interval, a computation platform re-computes these pre-computed search results having a re-computation indicator indicating the highest need for re-computation. The number of pre-computed search results re-computed by the computation platform is limited by the computation resources of the computation platform that are available for the re-computation within the given time interval.

Abstract: Methods, search platforms, systems, and storage media for handling queries in a database system. The database system includes at least one client and at least one search platform. The search platform maintains pre-collected search results which are associated which confidence factors. A confidence factor indicates a probability of the associated pre-collected search result being valid. The search platform receives a query indicating at least one search criterion to the search platform. The confidence factors associated with the identified pre-collected search results are utilized to increase the mean probability of pre-collected search results returned to the client. For example, pre-collected search results complying with the at least one search criterion and being associated with confidence factors having values exceeding a given threshold are returned to the client.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and program products for assigning scheduled vehicles to stands. First and second vehicles each have a scheduled arrival time and a scheduled departure time. A minimum buffer time between a departure of the first vehicle and an arrival of the second vehicle is calculated based on a distribution of a deviation from the scheduled departure time of the first vehicle and/or on a distribution of a deviation from the scheduled arrival time of the second vehicle. The first vehicle and the second vehicle are assigned to different ones of the stands in response to the time interval between the scheduled departure time of the first vehicle and the scheduled arrival time of the second vehicle being less than the minimum buffer time.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for handling a payment strategy for a payment platform of an airline merchant. One or more alternatives are determined for each category. Each alternative includes at least one of the one or more payment items. Transactions are received for different combinations of the alternatives. Financial impacts are determined for each simulated transaction based on the financial parameters. Based on the financial impacts, one of the combinations of the alternatives is determined to be the payment strategy for the payment platform.

Abstract: A method and a system for managing the introduction of a new non-backward compatible version of an application server into a client/server networking, the method includes first distributing to a client system to be served by the new non-backward compatible version of the application server a client application operable in a mode compatible with the current version of the application server and in a mode compatible with the new non-backward compatible version. Upon installation in the client system the client application is set into a downgraded mode compatible with the current version of the application server. While the current version of the application server is still in production, the client application is kept operated in the downgraded mode. Upon introduction of the new non-backward compatible version of the application server, the client application is set into a valid mode compatible with the new version of the application server.

Abstract: A delay of a scheduled transport which runs along a route according to a timetable is determined The route comprises at least one leg. Determining the delay is based on a detailed reference schedule indicating arbitrary time-stamped reference positions of a transport that is on time. A request is received for the transport's delay by a user device located on the transport. The request indicates at least the current position of the transport. The transport's delay is calculated on the basis of the current position indicated in the request, a time-stamp and the corresponding time-stamped reference position of the detailed reference schedule. The calculated delay is returned to the user device. The calculated delay is stored into a logbook. In response to a request not indicating the current position of the transport, the delay is returned on the basis of the logbook.

Abstract: An automatic live publisher event system and method interact with multiple travel reservation systems and social network applications, and instantaneously publishes a user's travel-related information in real-time upon the occurrence of an event regardless of whether the user is connected to the system. The system may parse information from reservations so that users do not have to manually enter information in the system to send to members of their social networks. The system may include an event journal repository, an event parser module, a media manager module, a publisher module and a GPS manager module, which are integrated with each other, and which may interface with a reservation system. The system facilitates the customization of content and communications media of a user's travel-related information associated with an event that is published and shared with multiple users via multiple communications media concurrently.

Abstract: The method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a pre-shopping reservation tool which allows storing entire catalogs of air travels from many providers, while ensuring a high cache accuracy at limited operational costs. The system makes use of the fares knowledge to merge identical travel recommendations coming from different travel providers (airline, travel agencies) when possible, i.e. when fares are public and not negotiated for a specific travel provider. This prevents redundant prices to be stored in the system and improves its cost effectiveness. The system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention relies on several dedicated data analysis engines to optimize the cost of data pre-computations while at the same time maintaining good data accuracy.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for interconnecting content requesting clients with a content provider platforms offering content. A client interface may be configured for transaction-oriented message exchange with the content requesting clients. A runtime module may be configured to map content-provider-specific data formats and content-provider-specific message flows to data formats and message flows utilized by the client interface. Content-provider-protocol-specific plug-ins may be provided. Each content-provider-protocol-specific plug-in defines rules for a mapping between the content-provider-specific data formats and the content-provider-specific message flows of at least one of the content provider platforms and the data formats and the message flows utilized by the client interface.

Abstract: A method and system for processing data for database modification, include receiving a set of data, performing a processing chain including a plurality of consecutive jobs to transform the set of data into transformed data, modifying a production database with respect to the transformed data and further include the steps of setting a target processing time for the performance of the consecutive jobs, before a launch of a first job, applying an original configuration as current configuration defining a parallelization level for each of the consecutive jobs, before a launch of at least one further job after the first job, upon an actual remaining processing time being out of a range of acceptable remaining processing times, applying an adapted configuration as new current configuration defining an adapted parallelization level for each of the jobs remaining in the processing chain, the adapted configuration differing from the current configuration.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and program product enable ticket holders, e.g., travelers scheduled to travel on a travel vehicle, or attendees at an entertainment venue, to change seat assignments. Seat assignment changes may be initiated in response to a request communicated between a mobile device of a ticket holder and another device over a short range wireless network, and in some instances may result in updating ancillary services such as special meals of one or more ticket holders based upon the updated seat assignments.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for redirecting a user from a metasearch website to a service provider website. A first uniform resource locator (URL) may be received from a client device at a redirection system. The first URL may have a first format including a plurality of fields containing information related to a product distributed at the website of the service provider. A second uniform resource locator (URL) may be generated from the fields of the first URL. The second URL may have a second format that is predetermined by the service provider. The client device may be provided access to the website of the service provider using the second URL.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for determining at least one travel solution for a travel request. The travel request that indicates an origin, at least one destination, and at least one time constraint is received. Based on the travel request, travel paths that comprise the origin and the at least one destination are built based at least in part on the at least one time constraint. At least one candidate travel solution is determined for each travel path based at least in part on the at least one time constraint. At least one travel solution for the travel request is determined based at least in part on pricing and availability for the at least one candidate travel solution.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program product generate a set of guaranteed offers that are guaranteed to a traveler in terms of both availability and price for a limited period of time. The guaranteed offers may be grouped together into a set such that booking probabilities may be assigned to travel services associated with the guaranteed offers and an overbooking factor for at least one travel service may be determined based upon the assigned booking probabilities. By doing so, travelers may be provided with a guarantee of price and availability prior to booking, while inventory and/or revenue management for a travel provider may be managed in a more accurate manner that accounts for the provisional status of the guaranteed offers, and the likelihood that only one, or potentially, none of the guaranteed offers will ultimately be accepted by the traveler.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program product automatically perform a refund operation for an involuntary exchange document. The refund operation utilizes monetary information from an original document from which the involuntary exchange document was generated in determining the refund amount. By doing so, the refund operation may be automated, thereby reducing the required expertise and/or training for an end user such as an agent, and further reducing the amount of time required to complete the refund operation.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program product automatically propose alternate travel services to a traveler in response to detection of a travel incident that impacts one or more travel services in the traveler's itinerary. By doing so, the impact of a travel incident on the traveler, and in many cases, the resulting stress of the traveler and the burden of rearranging the traveler's schedule to accommodate the travel incident, may be reduced.

Abstract: A method, apparatus and program product automatically perform a refund operation for an Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD). Both a pricing engine and a Form of Payment (FOP) service may be accessed when performing a refund operation to determine both the amount of the refund and the manner in which the refund should be applied to one or more FOP's, and optionally based upon one or more refund policy rules specified by a travel provider. In addition, a status of an EMD may be accessed and used to automatically determine the refundability of the service or services associated with an EMD. By doing so, the required expertise, training and/or effort of the end user, as well as the likelihood of miscalculations when performing an EMD refund operation often may be reduced.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for watching availability-based data maintained in an external cache. Events that change a parameter for a first plurality of travel segment-dates are compared with a standard establishing a parameter value threshold. The events are filtered to produce a filtered set of events meeting the standard. An index correlating a second plurality of travel segment-dates in a travel domain with a plurality of travel solutions in the availability-based data is referenced to determine one or more of the second plurality of travel segment-dates in the index to which the events in the filtered set are applicable. The index is referenced to determine each travel solution correlated with the one or more of the second plurality of travel segment-dates. A notification is sent to the external cache to refresh the availability-based data to reflect each travel solution correlated with the one or more of the second plurality of travel segment-dates.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for ranking and selecting travel-related search results for display to a traveler. The system may receive data identifying a preferred travel proposal from each of a plurality of travelers, and analyze the data to determine a value utility function. The value utility function may then be used to assign a relative utility to travel proposals identified in response to a search query from a traveler. Additional data relating to a pricing sensitivity of a payer may be received from an entity paying for travel, such as a corporation or other business entity. The system may analyze the pricing sensitivity data to define a price utility function that quantifies the price of each travel proposal. A composite utility function that is a weighted sum of the value and price utility functions may be used to select search results for display to the traveler.