شركات الطيران .. الحاسبات تعمل

Airlines .. Computers work

Airlines

Airlines use computers to reserve seats for passengers, record reservations, and perform many routine administrative tasks. Reservations are made through remote crossings in the company's offices or travel agents that are connected to the central computers in a complex time-sharing system. This system greatly facilitates the reservation process for the traveler, as it is sufficient for the traveler to go to any of the company's offices or agents, wherever they are, and inquire about the required flight, and he is immediately informed either that the reservation for this flight is not possible or that he has a confirmed reservation.

This system greatly facilitates the work of travel offices, as it saves their employees from referring to complex flight schedules and contacting airlines by phone, telex, or mail regarding temporary reservations or

(The traveler asks the responsible employee in the airline's branch office to reserve a seat for him on a transoceanic flight. The employee inquires from the computer about the required flight using a touch panel, and the immediate answer comes to him displayed on a television screen (above opposite), and then the card is immediately printed by a typewriter controlled by the computer).

The responsible employee types the traveler's inquiry on the touch panel. Each feature is immediately displayed on the TV screen. When the text is complete, the employee checks it and then presses the send button on the panel, which transmits the text to the computer.

The computer's immediate response appears on the screen and remains displayed until the employee presses the erase button on the panel. The vacancy numbers may change while the traveler decides which flight to take, as a result of reservations on these flights from other offices.

The responsible employee types the traveler's request, and the computer asks for the traveler's name, address and other details, which the employee answers and transmits the answer to the computer. The computer's inquiries and answers appear on the screen simultaneously.

The computer confirms the reservation and requests payment for the ticket. When the employee confirms payment, the computer prints the ticket using a typewriter in the same office and informs the employee of this.

To cancel the reservation, travel agencies can be in contact via the computer, not just with one airline or a group of airlines, but with all major airlines.

This system has many advantages for airlines as well. It provides the company's management with detailed and rapid information about the booking status of all flights, and thus enables it to take the required measures and make appropriate adjustments as quickly as possible: for example, the company can arrange additional flights when demand increases and inform its branch offices and travel agents of this immediately. Also, the use of the computer for administrative work and the information it provides about the conditions of the entire company's apparatus enables the management to take measures to develop operations, reduce expenses and follow up on the results of these measures, such as reducing the costs of transporting and housing aircraft crews and reducing as much as possible the transfer of empty aircraft from one place to another. Although the use of the computer and its spread in travel agencies may allow companies to view the booking status of their competitors, the commercial damage that may result from this is much less than the benefits of the system, since without it, vacancies cannot be filled until the last minute easily and without disturbing passengers.