Overview

Owned by Vanni Sanvincenti
Last updated: 12 Jul 2023 by Jakub Bielecki (Deactivated)
2 min read

The two key capabilities explained in this document are:

  1. Agency Profile - An API allowing an Airline to get real-time information about an Agent.

  2. Agency Sales Transactions - An API allowing an Airline to post information about a NDC sale.

Agency Profile

In the "traditional" model, the GDS/TSP collects from IATA in an automated way ticketing authority file (Agent's BSP status and by Forms of payments) on an hourly basis. It gathers data from the IATA Agency Management Systems and ticketingauthority data granted by Airlines in BSPLink.

In the "NDC" model the Airline is in direct control of the offer and order management process. In order to leverage the same risk management capabilities, IATA has created capabilities so that the NDC Airlines collects real-time latest Airline agency profile information directly fromIATA's source of data.

The Agency profile API allows an Airline to get latest agency risk information available from IATA's source od data prior to any transaction processing at the offer create and/or order create stage of the NDC process.

An airline can get agency risk information (in a given BSP) including:

  • BSP Agent Status.

  • Allowed BSP Payment Methods for that Agent.

  • It's Airline Ticketing authority status vis a vis the Agent.

An airline can use this information to determine whether to:

  1. Return Offers to a given seller.

  2. Accept Orders from a given seller.

Agency Sales Transactions

In the traditional model, financial documents are issued via the GDS/TSP. For risk monitoring purpose, somesales data are reported into IATA's risk management engine near real time, allowing early detection of abnormal sales increase as well as any behavior or pattern of form of payment usage.

In the "NDC" model an Airline creates the order and issues financial documents relating to it (such as a ticket or an EMD). In order to leverage the same risk management capabilities, the Airline will need to post sales to IATA's risk management engine directly in real time.

The Agency Sales Transactions API allows an Airline to post sales information to the IATA Risk monitoring Engine after the order create and transaction processing stage of the NDC process.

An airline will post 11 elements of an NDC agency sale information, including in particular:

  • Transaction Type

  • Ticketing Number

  • Agent code

  • Airline code

  • Issue date

  • Amount

  • Currency

  • Form of payment used

This information keeps the IATA Risk Monitoring Engine updated, enabling IATA to monitor real-time all outstanding sales issued by an Agent, regardless if they are operated through GDS/TSP or through NDC.

This will also ensure that subsequent Agency Profile calls will be up to date vis a vis payment methods allowed to be used for a given Agent.