Avoiding Booking Policy violations and fees FAQ's
Updated: March 25, 2009
The
following questions and answers provide consistent information and answers
to some important booking questions.
Where are Delta and Northwest's Booking Policies published?
The Delta Booking Policy is published on the Online Agency Service Center
under GDS
Booking Policy
The Northwest Booking Policy is published on the agency website WorldAgent
Direct
Does the enforcement of the Booking Policy apply
to all GDS subscribers?
Yes, the Booking Policy covers all GDS subscribers regardless
of location:
- For Delta, enforcement will initially be focused on GDS bookings bookings
made within the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- For Northwest, enforcement will initially be focused on GDS bookings made
within the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S.
Virgin Islands and Canada.
Will violations for both Delta and
Northwest be included in the same debit memo?
No. While the fee structure for the Delta and Northwest booking
policies are being aligned, the respective policies will continue to be administered
separately with debit memos being issued by each airline.
How will Delta handle the previously
unbilled periods October 2008 through March 2009?
The new lower fees will apply to all previously unbilled booking violations
from October 2008 going forward. The first billing cycle will be for the 4th
quarter of 2008 (October to December) with plans to continue processing previously
unbilled booking violations in two month increments until current. Delta’s
goal is to implement a monthly billing cycle however; some billing cycles may
include more than one month.
Since Northwest/KLM booking violations processing is up to date, historical
data is not applicable and the new fees will be effective starting April 1,
2009.
Is there a way for a GDS User to avoid fees?
Yes, GDS users can ensure they are not engaging in any booking activities that
violate the Delta or Northwest Booking Policy by reviewing Delta's GDS
Booking Policy page or Northwest's WorldAgent
Direct website.
Are bookings made on Farelogix included in this
policy?
Yes.
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Fee Logistics
How does Policy Enforcement affect my agency?
All agencies are required to comply with all Delta or Northwest Booking Policies
and Procedures. Delta and Northwest will audit booking activity, evaluating
the results and take appropriate action when violations are identified.
How will the penalties be calculated?
See Booking
Policy Notice.
Does the Booking Policy and Enforcement apply to
bookings in all fare classes?
Yes.
When did Delta begin assessing fees under this
policy?
Delta began assessing fees on bookings made on or after June 1, 2008.
When will Delta and Northwest begin
assessing fees under this policy?
Delta and Northwest will begin assessing the revised fees for Booking Policy
violations incurred within all bookings on/after April 1, 2009.
Is enforcement of the Booking Policy applied
to booked or ticketed segments?
The Policy applies to booked segments, regardless of whether
the itinerary is ultimately ticketed.
How will itineraries that are booked but never
ticketed or canceled be treated?
The Booking Policy and Enforcement applies regardless of whether the itinerary
is ultimately ticketed or not. Any “DL” and “DL*” or
NW and NW* segment booked and not canceled or not traveled is a direct loss
to Delta and Northwest not only in GDS fees but also lost inventory.
What do I do if I have a question or
wish to dispute a debit memo?
Debit Memos will be distributed through the ARC
Memo Manager Product. This product contains the ability to question and/or
dispute a debit memo in the website.
Does the Booking Policy and its enforcement
apply to codeshare or interline itineraries?
Yes. The policy applies to all segments which contain Delta’s “DL” or “DL*” or
Northwest’s NW or NW* flight designator code.
How does Delta and Northwest monitor agency booking
practices in regard to GDS activity?
Delta and Northwest maintain auditing systems that provide the ability to review
all GDS bookings and identify Booking Policy violations.
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What types of transactions generate GDS segment
fees to Delta and Northwest?
The GDSs charge Delta and Northwest for almost all booking activity including,
without limitation, sell, passive, cancel, waitlist, inactive and schedule
change transactions.
Is it appropriate for GDS Users who maintain
more than one GDS to copy PNR’s between GDS Systems but ticket in only
one system?
No; PNR’s are not to be copied between GDS’s for any reason.
What about automation systems that continually
look for lower fares and seats? If a lower
fare is found the system will cancel and rebook to the lower fare. Does
this impact Delta’s costs?
We are aware of software programs that search for lower fares or alternative
seats. This practice adversely impacts Delta’s costs and Delta
will assess fees in such instances.
If the passenger does not provide a full
first name, is the PNR subject to cancellation?
Yes, GDS Users must use the passenger’s full first name. The use
of initials in lieu of the passenger’s full first name will subject the
PNR to scrutiny and ultimately cancellation.
Can GDS Users create a PNR with Passive
Segments to issue a client itinerary or invoice?
No, creating a PNR with Passive Segments to issue a client itinerary or invoice
is a violation of Delta and Northwest’s Booking Policy and violations
of this nature will result in violation fees discussed above. Please contact
your GDS regarding non billable booking practices.
What about reservations made for fares that
require 24-hour ticketing and the passenger is not ready to purchase the
ticket?
If the passenger is not ready to purchase before expiration
of the 24-hour ticketing period, the PNR must be canceled. This releases
the inventory for sale to other customers who are ready to make their ticket
purchases. Holding inventory beyond the 24-hour ticketing period is a violation
of Delta and Northwest’s booking policies and directly harms the
airlines and other customers by preventing the sale of these seats to customers
who are ready to purchase.
What if a passenger is unable to provide
a final itinerary for their trip?
Passengers may hold a single reservation under the terms of the published fare
rules (e.g. 24 hour ticketing rules). Passengers may not hold duplicate, overlapping
space for the purpose of shopping or firming an itinerary (e.g. alternate city/flight/date/class
of service).
What is Churning?
Churning refers to any repeated booking or canceling of the same itinerary
in the same class or different classes of service across one or more passenger
name records or GDSs including, without limitation, to circumvent or extend
ticketing time limits, hold inventory or to meet GDS productivity requirements.
Can a name be changed on an already
booked PNR?
In general, Delta and Northwest do not allow a name to be changed on an existing
PNR. The PNR would need to be canceled and a new reservation made using the
current availability. In instances where a name change is authorized, it should
be done through Delta’s Global Service Center or through Northwest’s
Sales Support or Reservation Center.
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If you have questions concerning the Delta Booking Policy please refer
to the Online Agency Service Center at Delta.com or submit questions by
email to TravelAgencyFeedback@delta.com.
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