Low fare search for ticket changes

• US 20080010104A1
• Filed: 12/01/2006
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Knight, James, Williamson, Todd, Thumim, Daniel J., De Marcken, Carl
• Granted Patent: US 8,731,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing new pricing solutions to satisfy changes to a purchased ticket are described. A query for new travel includes information needed to determine a set of pricing solutions for issuing a new ticket that satisfies the new travel requirements using some value associated with an original, issued ticket. Valid fares corresponding to replacement itineraries are determined according to a determined reissue method that is valid for the replacement itineraries.

Claims

1. A method for providing new pricing solutions to satisfy changes to a purchased ticket, the method comprising:

receiving a query for new travel requirements, the query including information needed to determine a set of pricing solutions for issuing a new ticket that satisfies the new travel requirements using some value associated with an original, issued ticket; and

determining valid fares corresponding to replacement itineraries according to a determined reissue method that is valid for the replacement itineraries.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information in the query includes an origin and destination for the new travel, and at least a Passenger Name Record of the original ticket.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reconstructing the original ticket based on the received query.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reconstructing the original ticket by accessing information in a database that holds historical information comprising flights, fares and rules to provide information associated with the original ticket.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the database returns one or more possible pricing solutions whose associated tickets contain information that matches the information associated with the original ticket.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining possible sequences of flight segments, between the origin and destination for each slice of the new trip, which satisfy the new travel requirements specified in the query.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

analyzing the returned pricing solutions to determine whether there are seats available on flights for the pricing solutions; and

eliminating those pricing solutions for which there are no seats available from consideration.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of pricing solutions include reconstructed pricing solutions for reconstructed tickets and replacement pricing solutions for replacement tickets, and the method further comprises:

determining for each candidate solution which, if any, valid reissue methods may be used to refund the candidate solution or exchange the candidate solution with one or more of the replacement pricing solutions.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing reissue methods and sets of candidate solutions and reissue solutions that are applicable to each of the reissue methods and

determining valid fares corresponding to the replacement itineraries according to the reissue methods that are valid for the replacement itineraries.

10. A system for providing new pricing solutions to satisfy changes to a purchased ticket, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

receive a query for new travel requirements, the query including information needed to determine a set of pricing solutions for issuing a new ticket that satisfies the new travel requirements using some value associated with an original, issued ticket; and

determine valid fares corresponding to replacement itineraries according to a determined reissue method that is valid for the replacement itineraries.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the information in the query includes an origin and destination for the new travel, and at least a Passenger Name Record of the original ticket.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

reconstruct the original ticket based on the received query.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a database that holds historical information comprising flights, fares and rules to provide information associated with the original ticket; and

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to;

reconstruct the original ticket by accessing the information in the database.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the database is configured to:

return one or more possible pricing solutions whose associated tickets contain information that matches the information associated with the original ticket.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine possible sequences of flight segments, between the origin and destination for each slice of the new trip, which satisfy the new travel requirements specified in the query.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

analyze the returned pricing solutions to determine whether there are seats available on flights for the pricing solutions; and

eliminate those pricing solutions for which there are no seats available from consideration.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the set of pricing solutions include reconstructed pricing solutions for reconstructed tickets and replacement pricing solutions for replacement tickets, and the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine for each candidate solution which, if any, valid reissue methods may be used to refund the candidate solution or exchange the candidate solution with one or more of the replacement pricing solutions.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

provide reissue methods and sets of candidate solutions and reissue solutions that are applicable to each of the reissue methods; and

determine valid fares corresponding to the replacement itineraries according to the reissue methods that are valid for the replacement itineraries.

19. A computer program product for providing new pricing solutions to satisfy changes to a purchased ticket, the computer program product being tangibly stored on machine readable media, comprising instructions operable to cause one or more processors to:

receive a query for new travel requirements, the query including information needed to determine a set of pricing solutions for issuing a new ticket that satisfies the new travel requirements using some value associated with an original, issued ticket; and

determine valid fares corresponding to replacement itineraries according to a determined reissue method that is valid for the replacement itineraries.

20. The product of claim 19, wherein the information in the query includes an origin and destination for the new travel, and at least a Passenger Name Record of the original ticket.

21. The product of claim 19, further comprising instructions to:

reconstruct the original ticket based on the received query.

22. The product of claim 19, further comprising instructions to:

reconstruct the original ticket by accessing information in a database that holds historical information comprising flights, fares and rules to provide information associated with the original ticket.

23. The product of claim 19, wherein the database returns one or more possible pricing solutions whose associated tickets contain information that matches the information associated with the original ticket.

24. The product of claim 20, further comprising instructions to:

determine possible sequences of flight segments, between the origin and destination for each slice of the new trip, which satisfy the new travel requirements specified in the query.

25. The product of claim 23, further comprising instructions to:

analyze the returned pricing solutions to determine whether there are seats available on flights for the pricing solutions; and

eliminate those pricing solutions for which there are no seats available from consideration.

26. The product of claim 19, wherein the set of pricing solutions include reconstructed pricing solutions for reconstructed tickets and replacement pricing solutions for replacement tickets, and wherein the product further comprises instructions to:

determine for each candidate solution which, if any, valid reissue methods may be used to refund the candidate solution or exchange the candidate solution with one or more of the replacement pricing solutions.

27. The product of claim 19, further comprising instructions to:

provide reissue methods and sets of candidate solutions and reissue solutions that are applicable to each of the reissue methods and

determine valid fares corresponding to the replacement itineraries according to the reissue methods that are valid for the replacement itineraries.