Woud it be difficult to introduce an option to restrict the type of booking.
I would like to be able to restrict flights to take connecting pax only. This way when demand is calculated i want to have 2 prices- one for direct pax and one for connecting pax. The problem is at the moment is that i can charge more direct pax but then my connecting pax are priced out or i charge less for the direct flight to fill my connecting flights.
I just want to be able to block direct pax booking on certain flights to keep the price low but so then my direct pax pay more.
There was a similiar idea within the german board. In terms of controlling passenger flow, it is worth not only to restrict direct flights, but to have the ability to adjust transfer prices in one or the other direction.
I event think, that this would even releive the slot situation in many times, as a hell a lot off passengers could be redirected to a less busy hub.
There was also discussed, that this might lead to an increase of micro-management. Actually, I am not sure about this. Once you have set up the pricing for a route, it might be even more lasting, as it's more solit competition wise.
I think it is - even with a mid-term priority - worth to remember, while adjusting the demand calculation in terms of enabling a differentiation between first and connection-flights.
I think a quick fix that could be quickly implimented would be the ability to block connecting pax on certain flights- and like wise block non connecting pax on others.
Why would you want to block passengers from booking on your airline?
"Here, take my money.."
"NO!"
Nope... I get the OP's point. It is actually a GREAT idea (the allow/disallow O/D pax on certain flight).
Imagine you run several flights during a day out of slot congested airport.
You have waves at certain hours, but have some trunk routes with flights departing maybe every hour or even more frequently.
Now at demand calculation (at a HUB), flights are booked starting form the first one departing at 00.00 down all the way till 24.00
So the O/D pax may well book flights that you would like to use for connecting passengers, not for O/D pax. The O/D pax can fly between the waves.
If you "disable" O/D pax on that flight, only connecting PAX can book a flight.
It would help connecting pax to NOT find the "second leg booked" (or in other words have second leg available), without having to go for a much later flight (or none at all) at the cost of decreased ORS ( with a later flight a connecting time might be 6 hours instead of 2 hours, if the earlier flight was not booked by O/D pax....)
On a trunk route with a lot of direct traffic and 20 flights per day, I would also keep direct passengers out of flights that leave at "wave time".
Besides, it's not like you make an irreversible decision. If a flight that is reserved for transfer passengers doesn't get any bookings, you simply open up the flight to all passengers ;-)
On a trunk route with a lot of direct traffic and 20 flights per day, I would also keep direct passengers out of flights that leave at "wave time".
Besides, it's not like you make an irreversible decision. If a flight that is reserved for transfer passengers doesn't get any bookings, you simply open up the flight to all passengers ;-)
And that is what RL airlines actually do. Some of the flights (or better to say fare buckets) may not be available for O/D pax, only to connecting pax. If the flight (or a specific fare bucket) does not get booked with O/D pax, the airline opens up that fare bucket for O/D traffic leaving/departing the hub.
I earlier suggested different approach to the same dilemma. Virtual routes.
ie. You could define and price a route from A via B to C as a single route in ORS. Rating would of course take into account the transfer, but you could price it as to compete with a direct A to C.
I'd like to ability to price tickets for IL connecting pax differently to internal connections.
The reason for this is similar to the use cases above. If a particular route is slot constrained I would prefer to have pax from my own connecting flights flow through than those of an IL partner.
I earlier suggested different approach to the same dilemma. Virtual routes.
ie. You could define and price a route from A via B to C as a single route in ORS. Rating would of course take into account the transfer, but you could price it as to compete with a direct A to C.
But this is a bit different than allowing O/D pax to book a specific flight... even if you define A to C pricing via B, to be different than A to B and B to C, that still does not take care of issue of O/D pax booking seats on the flight leaving B, seats that we might want to be booked by connecting pax and not O/D pax.
Yes you could set up O/D fare on that flight so high as that would be unattractive (very low ORS rating) .... but a checkbox for allowing or disallowing pax originating or terminating in that city on that flight would be much faster option.
Defining A to C fares is another very good idea, because it would allow you to bump up ORS rating for connecting flights. Bu it is a different thing and probably would need redesign of ORS rating system. Currently connecting flights depend more on total travel time than on price/value. While price/value affects the O/D flight, the first number of ORS rating is what is a basis for connection flight ORS rating, not the second number (important for O/D ORS rating).
I earlier suggested different approach to the same dilemma. Virtual routes.
ie. You could define and price a route from A via B to C as a single route in ORS. Rating would of course take into account the transfer, but you could price it as to compete with a direct A to C.
I'd like to ability to price tickets for IL connecting pax differently to internal connections.
The reason for this is similar to the use cases above. If a particular route is slot constrained I would prefer to have pax from my own connecting flights flow through than those of an IL partner.