Travel Itineraries
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      1. Solace Secure
      2. Travel Itineraries

      Travel data integrations

      How do we connect with travel management companies (TMCs) or Global Distribution Systems (GDS)

      Summary: TMC Collaboration

      Solace Global will work with Travel Management Companies (TMCs) and various platforms to ensure we capture all customer travel data correctly. This includes building the system to read their ticket types and if required, capture booked tickets from various TMCs sources to start populating the system, including ticket cancellations and/or updates. The ultimate goal is to ensure we are able to capture as much booked travel as possible and as accurately as possible. This can often also include identifying areas of exception which may fall outside the norm of the usual travel booking process, and accommodating these where possible. In some cases, there are costs to receiving the travel data directly from the TMC or GDS (Global Distribution System) depending on the method of how the travel data is sent through; please note any GDS fees, PNR pick rates, aggregator fees and fees imposed by the TMC themselves are not included and will be charged back to the client if applicable.

      The Solace Secure platform can receive travel data from TMCs in a variety of ways. The decision on how the travel data will be sent to the Solace Secure platform from the TMC will be determined in collaboration with the client, once the capabilities and requirements of the TMC are understood. Travel data can be imported into the system through the following means:

      • Emailed itineraries – each travel booking that is confirmed, amended, or cancelled, is sent directly to a client specific ticketing inbox, where a bespoke ticket reader will automatically import the travel data
      • CSV spreadsheet – some TMCs are able to automate reports in this format, which push the travel bookings to a client specific ticketing inbox, whereby the travel data is then imported
      • Data Feed Connections – in some cases it is more suitable to receive travel bookings through a data feed transfer protocol specific to the TMC

      Where some clients or organisations use a number of TMCs to book and manage their travel, a combination of various methods in receiving travel data may be appropriate in order to ensure all employee travel is captured into the Solace Secure platform.

      Please note that any bespoke requirements beyond the standard system setup detailed below may incur additional development time and potential costs. Development project delivery timelines rely on co-operation from all stakeholders such as Travel Management Companies (TMCs) and client involvement. Testing of the data connection will be undertaken in coordination with the TMC and client prior to the “go-live” of the connection to ensure all is working and in order.

       

      E-mailed Itineraries:

      If e-mailed itineraries is the only means in which a TMC is able to share travel data with us, the following requirements are important:

      • The ticket booking should be generated as a standard Adobe Acrobat PDF document.
      • Key travel and traveller data should exist as text not images within a PDF document.
      • Avoid non-standard compression of PDFs which could impair system readability.
      • We require the travellers email address be included in the ticket, as this is the unique identifier which will tether the traveller to the booking.
      • Travel bookings should also include full name and mobile phone number.

      Please see attached the HTML example of an emailed itinerary, ideally using ID or CLASS attributes for navigation when processing the email automatically. Cancellations are handled by sending a new email with the booking reference value but cancelled segments removed from the email. If it is a full cancellation, then update subject line to include CANCELLED or send an email with no segments.

      TMCs are advised to send through example emailed itineraries of bookings, itinerary modifications and cancellations, for our development team to review and confirm suitability.

       

      CSV spreadsheet:

      Where CSV spreadsheets of travel bookings are provided by the TMC, the existing template format is currently in place for processing automatically in Solace Secure. For an import to be successfully completed, one row per itinerary segment is required. For example, if there is a multiple stage journey for a traveller from Heathrow to Miami via New York, the CSV should include:

      • First row of booking details: LHR to JFK travel segment
      • Second row of booking details: JFK to MIA travel segment

      Please see the attached example of a CSV import. A couple points to clarify regarding this method:

      • Rec Loc column should be populated with the Booking reference
      • The company used to identify the client in Solace Secure, e.g. Formula1
      • Date format should be yyyymmdd (e.g. 20220101 for 1st Jan 2022)
      • Time format should be hhmm (e.g. 0130 for 1:20am, 1430 for 2:30pm)
      • Air, car and rail segment locations should use IATA codes to determine the departure and arrival points
      • Hotel segments use additional columns as per attached example
      • The latitude and longitude columns are optional

      Travel booking cancellations are handled by excluding the segment from the next email update, or if a full cancellation then send a CSV with a single row containing the "Company" and "Rec Loc" columns only populated. Only one booking reference per attachment, but multiple travellers with a row per traveller for each segment.

      It is helpful to understand the frequency at which these files will be shared through, although there are no limitations within the system on this. For example, files can be sent through daily, weekly, etc. It is also recommended these CSV files are automatically generated and not manually populated to be imported; this will ensure no data entry errors which may prevent a successful import.

      Where client organisations may have restrictions or certain requirements in place regarding the safe sharing of CSV travel data files, please inform of these within the project scoping phase.

      If required, TMCs can send through example CSVs of bookings, itinerary modifications and cancellations, for our development team to review and confirm suitability.

       

      Data Feed Connections

      Solace Secure can receive PNR data through a number of integration methods. We don't have restrictions on data formats, although a structured data format is preferred and one that is in common use e.g. XML or JSON. We would require sample data of all possible data elements, e.g. all types of travel segments (Air, Rail, Hotel, etc..) that we can expect within the data received. The data feed connections are supported over the following general methods:

      • Push or Fetch APIs (usually over HTTP, although no restriction if sufficient documentation provided for other protocols)
      • SFTP (either hosted externally or by Solace)

      As a minimum, the data should contain:

      • Booking Reference
      • Company Identifier (allows us to identify the client in Solace Secure)
      • Status Indicator (Confirmed, Amended, Cancelled)
      • Traveller Details, such as:
        • Firstname
        • Lastname
        • Email
        • Phone Number (if phone numbers are required - this is an optional field)
      • Travel Segments
        • g. Air, Car, Rail
        • For Location information: IATA preferred, otherwise address details with enough context e.g. "City, Country" as a minimum
      • Departure Location
      • Arrival Location
      • Departure Date
      • Arrival Date & Time (ISO8607 format preferred)
      • Departure Date & Time (ISO8607 format preferred)
      • Flight number (optional, only if required)
      • Hotels
      • Hotel/Property Name
      • Hotel/Property Address (as much context on the address as possible, minimum e.g. "City, Country")
      • Check-in Date (ISO8607 format preferred)
      • Check-out Date (ISO8607 format preferred)

      In some cases, the travel data connection can be leveraged to help maintain or create the user profiles within the Solace Secure system.

      For example, determining whether users should be automatically created if we receive an itinerary in the system for a user profile which does not yet exist. In this instance, if user profiles within the customer are determined to be set up according to department or location groupings, an additional field within the data may be required which references this specific group within the platform. Any requirements of this kind should be noted in the project scoping phase to assess feasibility on this bespoke requirement. In many cases, users are created automatically within a default group.

       

      GDS

      Solace Secure is able to receive PNRs directly through the major GDS services such as Amadeus, Travelport (Apollo, Galileo, Worldspan) and Sabre. Dependent upon type of connection, a fee per PNR scan might be incurred.

      GDS: Amadeus

      The Amadeus implementation is achieved through a PNR mirroring mechanism, in which the TMC sets up an Extended Security agreement with Solace Global Risk and triggers a PNR mirror action through Amadeus. The Solace Secure system will receive notification of a mirrored PNR and using the Amadeus API it will automatically retrieve and process the travel data. A general remark field, which includes a unique identifier provided by Solace, is required to be added against the client’s profile by the TMC.

      GDS: Sabre & Travelport (Apollo, Galileo, Worldspan)

      The Sabre and Travelport implementations use a more conventional queue drop approach, in which branch access must be opened between Solace’s Psuedo City Code (PCC) and the origin TMC’s PCC. Once this has been established, Solace will assign a unique queue number for the client for which the TMC must setup against the client’s profile. All PNRs for the client should be queued to the allocated queue number against Solace’s PCC for either Sabre or Travelport. In regard to Sabre, the branch access must be opened as a BC connection.

      CWT

      Solace Secure can receive PNR data directly from CWT through a push API. The client is required to request this implementation through their CWT account manager who will be able to setup the connection for the relevant client IDs. Solace will need to be made aware of the ClientGuid and ClientSubGuid values, which are used to identify the PNR against the client.

      TravelPerk

      Solace Secure integration is available through the TravelPerk marketplace. The integration can be enabled by following the “Enable” button from TravelPerk and logging in to Solace Secure as a Customer Admin. Upon successful integration, all current and future valid bookings made through TravelPerk will be available in Solace Secure.

      AMEX

      Solace Secure can receive PNR data directly from AMEX through a push API. The client is required to request this implementation through their AMEX account manager who will be able to setup the connection for the relevant client IDs. Solace will need to be made aware of the Client IDs setup by AMEX, which are used to identify the PNR against the client.

      The typical client ID format is ABCD12, there is usually 1 client ID per country. In most cases, Solace Secure will be mapped to the 4 character prefix only such that any future country (identified by the proceeding 2 digits) will automatically be processed without a mapping update.

      BCD

      Solace Secure can receive PNR data directly from BCD through a push API. The client is required to request this implementation through their BCD account manager who will be able to setup the connection for the relevant account IDs. Solace will need to be made aware of the Account IDs, which will normally be provided by the BCD implementation team directly to Solace. There is typically an account ID per country, although by default all account IDs will be mapped to the default user group.

      Solace will need to be made aware of any custom reporting fields and the format during implementation so these can be mapped correctly. Solace can work directly with BCD for these formats which usually differ per country.

      Egencia

      Solace Secure can receive PNR data directly from Egencia through a retrieval API. The client is required to request this implementation through their Egencia account manager who will be able to setup the connection for the relevant client IDs and expose the reservations to the Solace Secure data feed. Solace will need to be made aware of the Client IDs, which are used to identify the PNR against the client.

      Agentivity

      Solace Secure can receive PNR data directly from Agentivity through an SFTP file drop. The client is required to request this implementation through their Agentivity account manager who will be able to setup the connection for the relevant account IDs. Solace will need to be made aware of the Account ID from Agentivity and the PCCs for the TMC branches/offices, these are used to identify the PNR against the client.

       

      Manual Itinerary Entry

      The automation of importing travel data is advantageous in managing high volumes of travel, especially where travel is booked via multiple sources. This ensures that all travel booked is captured within the platform and travellers are accordingly supported through the duty of care processes which have been implemented.

      It is helpful to be aware of functionality within the platform which enables manual entry of booked travel. These functions are useful in unique instances where travel has had to be booked outside of the standard TMC processes, i.e., in an emergency or for VIP travel. Customer administrators of the client platform can be trained and have access to enter itineraries on behalf of their travellers; however, travellers also have access to enter their own itineraries as well. Itineraries can be manually entered via the web application or mobile application.

      Individual/group travel entry of an itinerary:

      • This can be done from the web application. The “Add Itinerary” button is located in Map View on the Itinerary Travel Tracking tab or can also be located in Admin view under the “Itineraries” section. Complete the necessary required fields and once confirmed, the itinerary will automatically be saved and available in the system.
      • This can be done from the “Itineraries” area of the app, located in the Main Menu grid view. Once in this area, tap the “+” located in the top right corner and complete the steps presented by the app.

       Bulk entry of itineraries:

      • This can be done from the web application. Navigate to the Admin view and the “Itineraries” section and click the “+ Import” button. You will then be able to select or drag and drop the CSV file. The CSV file template format is the same as provided in the CSV Spreadsheet section above. See this article: Admin: How to bulk import travel files