Updated: September 24, 2008

Journey Control Technology

What is Journey Control?
Journey Control eliminates the ability to book one flight segment at a time (point-to-point) when more than one flight is necessary to get the passenger to his or her final destination. Creating a reservation that includes connections must now be booked from a schedules or availability display that includes the passenger’s complete origin and destination (O&D).

This technology will review every booking and itinerary change to ensure compliance with O&D guidelines. Bookings or cancellations which violate Journey Control rules will receive a unique error message denying the transaction.

Journey Control provides customers with consistent availability found across all distribution channels.

Note: Journey Control technology allows Delta Air Lines improved detection and enforcement efforts for ticketing abuses. Agents engaging in this practice are held accountable for these violations and appropriate action is taken in accordance with Delta's Abusive Ticketing policies.

Return to top

Off-Shore/Cross Border Ticketing
Delta's base commission structure varies by country. Delta-appointed travel agents shall not, directly or indirectly, circumvent the Delta base commission rate structure applicable to sales in one country by collecting base commissions at rates applicable in other countries, which encompasses the following:

• Through the establishment or use of an international branch office, satellite ticket printer or electronic transfer of ticketing data
• Through a commission sharing or referral arrangement with a travel agency in another country, or otherwise

Delta reserves the right to collect any amount of inappropriately retained base commissions and terminate the Delta ticketing authority of any Delta-appointed travel agents who participates in practices contrary to Delta’s rules regarding its base commission structure.

Churning
Churning is repeatedly canceling and rebooking the same itinerary in the same or different classes of service across one or more PNRs or GDS. Churning is not permitted for any reason including, but not limited to, circumventing of fare rules in order to extend ticketing time limits, to hold inventory or to find a fare.

Canceling reservations
Segments must be canceled and inventory released immediately when a ticket has not been purchased in accordance with the fare rule, or when notified by a customer that travel is no longer needed, whichever comes first. Canceled space for one passenger shall not be used for another customer even if that customer desires an identical itinerary.

Dual Automation
A GDS subscriber that uses more than one GDS in its business must book and ticket a specific passenger itinerary within the same GDS.

Duplicate Bookings

All duplicate bookings generated by a single GDS subscriber are prohibited, including:

• Multiple itineraries for any number of passengers with the same passenger name, whether identical itineraries or not
• Reserving one or more seats on the same flight or different flights for the same time frame, regardless of the class of service or format used to make the reservations
• Creating bogus reservations where it is logically impossible for travel to take place
• Duplicates created within the same PNR or through the creation of multiple PNRs

PNR Examples of duplicate segments within the same PNR:

Multi Airport City
1 DL5070Y 02JAN5 ATLJFK HK1 830A 1045A
2 DL 904Y 02JAN5 ATLLGA HK1 840A 1108A
** Passenger may not be confirmed to both JFK and LGA

Multiple Flight Dates
1 DL5070Y 02JAN5 ATLJFK HK1 830A 1045A
1 DL5070Y 03JAN5 ATLJFK HK1 830A 1045A
** Passenger may not be confirmed on multiple flight days

Different Connect Point
1 DL 935Y 2JAN5 ATLLAX HK1 715A 846A
1 DL1094Y 2JAN5 ATLCVG HK1 650A 815A
2 DL1743Y 2JAN5 CVGLAX HK1 855A 1032A
** Passenger may not be confirmed on both direct and connecting flights

Overlapping Segments
1 DL4630Y 02JAN5 STLATL HK1 948A 1225P
2 DL4675Y 02JAN5 STLATL HK1 1155A 237P
3 DL 82Y 02JAN5 ATLJFK HK1 230P 456P
** Passenger may not be confirmed on multiple flights to the same destination

Different Classes of Service
1 DL 904Y 02JAN5 ATLLGA HK1 840A 1108A
2 DL 904B 02JAN5 ATLLGA HK1 840A 1108A
** Passenger may not be confirmed in multiple classes of service on the same or different flights

PNR Examples of duplicate segments across PNRs within the same IATA:

Passenger Smith is booked round-trip AMS-JFK in record locator ABCDEF. Passenger may not be confirmed in any other PNRs for surrounding time periods.

Original Booking
DL RECORD LOCATOR ABCDEF
1. 1SMITH/JOHNMR
SWI1GGHIJKL/XXXX/12345678/AMS
1 DL 81U 09JUN1 AMSJFK HK1 1240P 255P
2 DL 80U 16JUN1 JFKAMS HK1 900P 1045A¥1
HA FAX-OSIDL CTCT Delta Travel Agency 404-123-4567

Alternate Travel Dates
DL RECORD LOCATOR GHIJKL
1. 1SMITH/JOHNMR
SWI1GLMNOPQ/XXXX/12345678/AMS
1 DL 81U 10JUN3 AMSJFK SS1 1240P 255P
2 DL 80U 17JUN1 JFKAMS SS1 900P 1045A¥1
HA FAX-OSIDL CTCT Delta Travel Agency 404-123-4567
** Passenger may not be confirmed on alternate dates of travel while holding the original booking

Alternate Itinerary
DL RECORD LOCATOR MNOPQR ETKT ELIGIBLE
1. 1SMITH/JOHNMR
SWI1GRSTUVW/XXXX/12345678/AMS
1 DL 81U 09JUN1 AMSJFK HK1 1240P 255P
2 ARNK
3 DL 141Y 17JUN3 BRUJFK SS1 1145A 200P
** Passenger may not be confirmed on an alternate itinerary while holding the original booking

Return to top

Back-to-back Ticketing
Several communications have been published for all Delta Air Lines' appointed travel professionals throughout the year describing Delta's position regarding abusive ticketing practices.

Delta has emphasized the importance of adherence to Delta Air Lines' tariff rules which are designed to allow pricing and travel flexibility for all of our customers. Enforcing these rules benefits Delta customers since it allows Delta to offer a greater number of discount seats to passengers while reserving last seat availability for business customers.

In an effort to more readily identify abusive ticketing practices, Delta Air Lines has implemented new technology. This new process identifies non-compliant ticketing techniques, such as back-to-back transactions issued by all Delta ticketing locations, including airport and city ticket offices, and all Delta-appointed travel agents. The travel agency community is being held accountable for all tariff violations. Likewise, all Delta personnel are also being held equally accountable. Under no circumstances should Delta personnel or Delta-appointed travel agents suggest or solicit back-to-back ticketing or any type of ticketing that includes any of the abusive practices that would violate Delta's tariff rules.

Delta's policy as stated in tariff rule 100 specifically prohibits the practice of back-to-back ticketing, which is defined as follows: The issuance or use of coupons from two or more tickets issued at round-trip fares or the combination of two or more round-trip fares end to end on the same ticket, for the purpose of circumventing applicable tariff rules such as advance purchase and minimum stay requirements.

Effective immediately, this new technology allows Delta Air Lines improved detection and enforcement efforts for ticketing abuses, including back-to-back ticketing.

Agents engaging in this practice are held accountable for these violations and appropriate action is taken, including issuing debit memos, and where appropriate, terminating their Delta appointment.

In connection with implementing this new technology, Delta began sending a list of violations beginning with October 1998 transactions. Please reinforce with your agents the importance of complying with all tariff rules.

In addition, enclosed is a communication piece to assist you with explaining Delta Air Lines' tariff rules to our mutual customers.

To access this communication piece use the following direct access formats:

 Return to top

Member

©2009 Delta Air Lines
About Delta  |  DL/NW Merger FAQs  |  Business Programs & Services | Privacy/Security  | Legal Notices  | Worldwide Sites