February 4, 2005 - reprinted with permission from The National Business Review

Rebookings now made easy

by Graeme Kennedy

Air New Zealand has become the world's first airline to use a new software tool to simplify and speed global rebookings for passengers hit by flight delays and cancellations.

Developed by Dallas company Sabre Airline Solutions the Reaccommodation Manager automates the rebooking process, evaluating passenger priorities according to class of travel, frequent-flyer status and fares paid to create alternative flights and itineraries.

Air New Zealand operations delivery manager Rod Butchers said the system was prioritised so that premium passengers were dealt with first with the best alternate itineraries to help minimise disruptions.

First-class travellers would be re-booked ahead of those in business who would be handled before economy. Mr Butchers said the new system would be used in association with the carrier's integrated operations centre which runs the airline's day-to-day movements.

"By adding Reaccommodation Manager to our existing portfolio of Sabre Airline Solutions technologies we aim to deliver a superior level of service by reducing the problems associated with flight disruptions," he said.

"We have been working with Sabre for three years on this tool. We have a long on-going relationship and spend a lot of time with them on different issues. We have advanced ideas other airlines have not thought of - we are smaller and a bit more nimble.

"All airlines struggle with the problems of flight disruptions and it takes forever to rebook and produce new itineraries.

"Take a 747 with 400 people from Auckland to Los Angeles - if there is a problem, all the passengers are not going just to Los Angeles but to New York and other destinations and we've got to rebook them for the ongoing sectors as well.

"In the past we have rebooked sector by sector and that doesn't necessarily get the best decision-making.

"This new software takes a global view and solves the problems in a few minutes to get passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible."

Mr Butchers said delayed passengers in the past queued at a service desk to be re-issued with boarding passes but Reaccommodation Manager enabled passes to be collected from the carrier's self-service kiosks - "We are trying to get people away from queues."

Air New Zealand already uses Sabre software products to manage aircraft movements and dispatch, aircrew management and flight planning and scheduling.

The company is the world's largest provider of airline-based software tools and recently won a contract to provide on-line management of the International Air Transport Association's business-to-business solutions for travel suppliers and agents in Australasia.