Guest Posted November 18, 2019 Share Posted November 18, 2019 Air Canada’s new reservation system Today, November 17, 2019, 7 hours ago | Canadian Aviation News Fhttps://canadianaviationnews.wordpress.com/2019/11/17/air-canadas-new-reservation-system/ From November 18-19, 2019, we will be migrating to a new Reservation system to improve your travel experience. If you’re booking or travelling during this period, here is important information you need to know: Starting at 20:00 ET on Nov. 18, the aircanada.com website as well as our phone Contact Centres will be off-line for making new bookings or changes until approximately mid-day Nov. 19. Any required bookings or changes to current bookings for travel during this period should be made prior to the start of migration on Nov. 18. Flights will be available for purchase and bookings will be available for modification as usual once our new system is live on Nov. 19. What’s different? Provided by PAX News, Serge Abel-Normandin 28 February 2019 By the end of the year, Air Canada will implement a new booking system in collaboration with Amadeus. The existing booking system is approximately 40 years old. So, what exactly, will be changed? PAX spoke with François Choquette, director, revenue management, transatlantic routes, Air Canada. For starters, travel agents should note that it’s not just the Air Canada reservation system that will change. The Amadeus Altéa suite (to which Air Canada has joined) is anintegral passenger management system (PSS). In addition to booking solutions, this platform includes other solutions (inventory management, departure control, and ticketing, for example). In addition to the PSS, Air Canada will also implement several other Amadeus solutions, like its Anytime Merchandising, which will offer personalized offers tailored to the individual preferences of travelers. Like an open heart surgery François Choquette notes that a careful analysis preceded Air Canada’s decision to partner with Amadeus. “Our assessment was based on the features offered,” he says. It was also noted that the majority of Air Canada Star Alliance business partners are already using Amadeus Altéa suite . As welcome as they are, the changes announced are not an easy task for Air Canada. “50 million passengers means 50 million people go through the reservation system. Changing that is as delicate as open-heart surgery,” commented François Choquette. Thus, the implementation of the new system transforms the work tools of many CA employees: booking agents at the call centre, counter agents at the airport, dispatchers, and so forth, which means in turn, teams must be trained accordingly. Same look, different feel That said, as far as travel agents are concerned, there is no revolution on the horizon, reassures François Choquette. “The pipes will have been changed, but the machine will look essentially the same,” he says. For non-IATA agencies that use consolidator services, the change will be imperceptible. There will be no major changes for agencies connected to Saber or TravelPort (Apollo, Galileo, Wordspan). And for the agencies connected to Amadeus? According to Choquette, they will notice a certain positive difference, to the extent that “a better synchronization will be possible between the partition of the agency and that of the airline.” In addition, these agencies will have access to some more advanced features, like when booking groups, for example. But the implementation of the new system will not force agencies to specifically train their employees or revise their working methods, insists the director. Shifting the balance There’s one exception to the rule: agencies that decide to switch from Saber to Amadeus. In this regard, remember that although Amadeus dominates in Europe, it is currently the third system used by agencies in Canada, after those of Saber and TravelPort. Therefore, a question arises: could the association between Amadeus and the largest airline in the country lead to changes in the relationship between Canadian agencies and their preferred GDS provider? “The partnership between Air Canada and Amadeus could upset the balance between the three major GDSs in Canada,” concludes Choquette. Comments (0) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Powick Posted November 18, 2019 Share Posted November 18, 2019 Oh...Yay !!! I just booked to and from southern Florida on WestJet approx $200.00 cheaper than AC....(same dates, almost same times). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
better4me Posted November 18, 2019 Share Posted November 18, 2019 Quote The existing booking system is approximately 40 years old. I'm 43 years old and clearly remember the cut over to RES3; so it can't be that RES3 was implemented over 40 years ago. I do also remember that RES3 was sourced from British Airways Business Systems (BABS) that was several years old all ready. Also, don't knock old computer systems. The core of SAP's system that powers majority of fortune 100 (largest companies in the world) is closing in on 40 years old. The core programming code can't be replicated, many have tried. The super big systems instead have wrap around processes so the user experience isn't a green and black screen. My understanding is that SabreSonic still uses the original core of Sabre mainframe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fido Posted November 18, 2019 Share Posted November 18, 2019 One of the problems with Res-3 is that Air Canada is all alone in using it. Other airlines are in the same state but each has had to modify the original system so much that everyone is unique. The manuals that map the inter-dependencies is a library of telephone book size chapters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvWatcher Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 So while you can't book a flight on Air Canada due to the cut over either over the internet or through the call centre, trust WestJet to launch a seat sale .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 3 hours ago, AvWatcher said: So while you can't book a flight on Air Canada due to the cut over either over the internet or through the call centre, trust WestJet to launch a seat sale .... Smart Marketing at work. It would have been dumb to ignore the opportunity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AIP Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 booking is available once again on the AC website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 Air Canada’s Reservation System Migration Complete – Bookings reopen Today, November 19, 2019, 15 minutes ago | Canadian Aviation News Provided by Air Canada 19 November 2019 We have now migrated to a new Reservation system to improve your travel experience. It is business as usual and reservation services including flight purchase and booking modification are available. Questions and Answers How can I be sure my booking was not affected by the migration? Your booking is secure. We have undertaken extensive testing to ensure a rigorous migration process has been put in place to transfer all existing bookings. Is my personal information secure? Yes. Protecting your information is a top priority, and we have a number of safeguards in place to ensure your information is kept secure. Altitude members continue to enjoy the Preferred Seat benefit. However, temporarily you will not be able to extend the discount and/or fee waiver for Travel Companions for the same booking. As the second phase of the new reservation system roll-out at the airport progresses in the new year we will restore these functions.Why am I not able to utilize eUpgrade functions? Over the next few months while we update our airport systems, you will not be able to request upgrades at the airport, and upgrades which were not cleared prior to check-in will not be processed at the gate, even if a seat is available. In light of this, rest assured that we will work diligently to confirm more upgrades ahead of check-in.Why can’t I request a confirmed Same Day Change (SDC) for my flight online anymore? As we complete our system rollout over the next few months, this functionality will not be available through self-serve channels. If you are looking to confirm a different flight on your day of departure, please see an airport agent to process your request.I opted to stand-by early for a flight and requested an eUpgrade. My eUpgrade didn’t clear and I didn’t receive a refund for my credits. What should I do? If you wish to stand-by for an earlier flight at the airport on the day of your departure, your eUpgrade status may be affected. If you do not receive an eUpgrade on your earlier flight, and your credits are not refunded within 72 hours, please fill out the online reporting tool. My new Altitude status still hasn’t been recognized online. When will my account be updated? If you are reaching a new Altitude status, note that it may take up to 72 hours for all our different systems and touchpoints to reflect your updated status. Rest assured, we are continuously working at improving this – we are building a new frequent flyer program, inspired by you Learn more here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.O. Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 I really like the changes to the iPhone / iPad app. Nicely done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanishing point Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 Not a good time to try and check-in for a d/h YVR-YUL for tomorrow morning. Seems like the site is a bit busy at the moment... "This site says... The system is currently experiencing high volumes of traffic. We are unable to process your request at this time. Please try again in 30 minutes. (Err: 10001)" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FA@AC Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 34 minutes ago, vanishing point said: Not a good time to try and check-in for a d/h YVR-YUL for tomorrow morning. Seems like the site is a bit busy at the moment... "This site says... The system is currently experiencing high volumes of traffic. We are unable to process your request at this time. Please try again in 30 minutes. (Err: 10001)" Only the reservations system has been switched over to Amadeus so far. The DCS (airport systems) haven't yet been moved. I'm not sure which system the online check in function connects to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 2 hours ago, vanishing point said: Not a good time to try and check-in for a d/h YVR-YUL for tomorrow morning. Seems like the site is a bit busy at the moment... "This site says... The system is currently experiencing high volumes of traffic. We are unable to process your request at this time. Please try again in 30 minutes. (Err: 10001)" Check you PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanishing point Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 All good a short time after my post. Check-in is a bit different from the old system but it works well enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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