System and method for scheduling travel on a charter transport

• US 8,200,503 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2009
• Issued: 06/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fly Victor, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Memphis Ventures
• Inventors: Eagle, III, Bryan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): O'Connor, Gerald J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HIEP VAN
• Application Number:
  US12/366,439
• Publication Number:
  US 20090198624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,223 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/188 Electronic negotiation

Abstract

A method is disclosed for scheduling travel on a charter transport. The method can include obtaining from a traveler a passenger accommodation request identifying an origin-destination-pair. The method can also include automatically identifying one or more charter transports having an available passenger accommodation. Moreover, the method can include notifying the traveler of the available passenger accommodation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computer-based reservation service, pre-scheduled flight data for private aircraft, the pre-scheduled flight data defining at least one of empty leg flights and shared flights scheduled by the owners prior to transmitting the pre-scheduled flight data to the reservation service;

receiving from the owners availability information including predetermined reservation criteria for each empty leg or shared flight, said reservation criteria including a departure location, a departure time constraint, a minimum number of passengers, and an agreed upon a predetermined payment schedule required to reserve the private aircraft, the departure location being defined by the pre-scheduled flight data;

posting, by the computer-based reservation service, at least a portion of the availability information relating to departure location and destination;

said payment schedule being agreed upon prior to said posting, and said payment schedule including a cost per seat determined by the number of passengers accepted;

receiving, by the computer-based reservation service, reservation offers from a plurality of independent passengers, each of the reservation offers including an agreement to a specific destination request and a predetermined payment schedule;

selecting a number of the received reservation offers, wherein the selected offers collectively are consistent with said reservation criteria for an identified private aircraft;

communicating received reservation offers from one or more independent passengers to owners of private aircraft;

receiving any changes in said predetermined reservation criteria from owners of the private aircraft and communicating said changes to each of said independent passengers associated with the offers;

accepting the selected reservation offers consistent with any said changes from said owners;

communicating to each of the independent passengers associated with the selected reservation offers a first notification of the acceptance;

communicating to an owner of the identified private aircraft a second notification of the acceptance;

transmitting to the owner of the identified private aircraft a passenger list corresponding to the selected reservation offers and a flight schedule that is substantially consistent with the departure time constraint, the departure location, and the specific destination request; and

amending the availability information posted by the computer-based reservation service to reflect the number of seats remaining available and the status of the prescheduled flight data for the owner'"'"'s aircraft.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each empty leg is one flight of an origin-destination flight pair.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the departure time constraint is defined by the pre-scheduled flight data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the data received by said reservation service includes the owners'"'"' schedule of the origin-destination flight pairs.

5. A system for utilizing private aircraft as a public passenger service, comprising:

a reservation service operated by a reservation service owner for use with a plurality of airplanes, each owned and operated by a private airplane owner, each airplane owner independent of another such airplane owner and independent of said reservation service owner;

said reservation service to receive electronically from each airplane owner availability of a at least one flight pre-scheduled by the airplane owner, each of said flight availabilities including a departure location, a list of possible destination locations, a departure time constraint, and a minimum total payment, said minimum total payment expressed as a function of available seats and price per seat;

said reservation service to post via a computer network each of said flight availabilities on an electronic medium;

said reservation service to receive reservation offers electronically from a plurality of independent passengers, said passengers independent of said reservation service owner and said airplane owners, each of said reservation offers including a specific destination request and a payment schedule;

said reservation service to communicate received reservation offers electronically to owners of said private airplanes, said reservation service receiving from each owner any changes in flight availabilities including constraints on total payment;

said reservation service to accept a number of said reservation offers and to reserve a matching flight availability if the number collectively satisfies the minimum total payment, departure location, destination location, and departure time constraints associated with said matching flight availability;

said reservation service to transmit a notification of said reserved flight availability to the owner of said airplane associated with said reserved flight availability;

said reservation service to transmit a notification of said acceptance to each of the passengers associated with the accepted reservation offer;

said reservation service to transmit electronically to the owner of said airplane associated with said reserved flight availability a passenger list and a flight schedule that is substantially consistent with said departure time constraints, said departure location, and said destination location;

said reservation service to schedule a flight for the airplane substantially according to the flight schedule;

said airplane to fly a flight substantially according to said flight schedule;

said reservation service to collect a payment from each of the passengers, said payment corresponding to said payment offer; and

said reservation service to transfer said collected payment to said owner of said airplane associated with said reserved flight availability.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

said reservation service to terminate one of said flight availabilities if said reservation service fails to match a number of reservation offers with said flight availability such that said minimum total payment requirement is met.

7. A system comprising:

a reservation service server configured to;

receive pre-scheduled flight data for private aircraft, the pre-scheduled flight data defining at least one of empty leg flights and shared flights scheduled by the owners outside prior to transmitting the pre-scheduled flight data to the reservation service;

receive, from the owners, availability information including predetermined reservation criteria for each empty leg or shared flight, said reservation criteria including a departure location, a departure time constraint, a minimum number of passengers, and an agreed upon predetermined payment schedule required to reserve the private aircraft, the departure location being defined by the pre-scheduled flight data;

post the availability information, said payment schedule being agreed upon prior to said posting, and said payment schedule including a cost per seat determined by the number of passengers accepted;

receive reservation offers from a plurality of independent passengers, each of the reservation offers including an agreement to a specific destination request and a predetermined payment schedule;

receive a number of the received reservation offers, wherein the selected offers collectively are consistent with said reservation criteria for an identified private aircraft;

communicate received reservation offers from one or more independent passengers to owners of private aircraft;

receive any changes in said predetermined reservation criteria from owners of the private aircraft and communicate said changes to each of said independent passengers associated with the offers;

accept the selected reservation offers consistent with any said changes from said owners;

communicate to each of the independent passengers associated with the selected offers a first notification of the acceptance;

communicate to an owner of the identified private aircraft a second notification of the acceptance;

transmit to the owner of the identified private aircraft a passenger list corresponding to the selected reservation offers and a flight schedule that is substantially consistent with the departure time constraint, the departure location, and the specific destination request; and

amend the availability information posted by the computer-based reservation service to reflect the number of seats remaining available and the status of the prescheduled flight data for the owner'"'"'s aircraft.