SeatMap_7

Quick Info

Seat maps display which seats are available for a given flight, as well as their location within the aircraft. The following information is required to display a seat map:

• Airline

• Flight number

• Date of travel

• Cabin, such as first class or coach cabin. Seat Maps are displayed by cabin

Seat Assignments

Seat assignment is an optional procedure and is only necessary when booking air segments. If no seats are assigned with the PNR/BF, then the passenger is assigned seats when checking-in to board the plane.

Availability of Seat Assignments

The availability of seating information depends of the level of participation between the vendor and the CRS. The availability of seat assignments also depends on booking requirements. The following rules apply to seat assignments:

• A seat assignment can only be made after the flight has been reserved.
• The maximum time limit for seating availability for a direct link from the vendor is 362 days. For a non-direct link availability from the host, the maximum time limits is 330 days. However, the actual time limits vary by vendor.

Types of Seat Assignments

There are two (2) methods of seat assignment:

• Generic - Generic seat assignment may specify a qualification such as a non-smoking window seat; however, the CRS will randomly choose a seat on the aircraft that meets these qualifications assuming that seats exist that match the given criteria. If no seat is available that fulfills the request, the host responds with a message to that effect.
• Direct - Direct seat assignment uses a seat map query to display available seating. A specific seat identifier can be used to request the given seat. In a specific request, the user identifies the specific seat desired, such as 28B.
  Note: Seat Maps are not available from all vendors.

Special Seating Requirements

Special seating requirements such as a bassinet for infants can be issued to the CRS using Special Service Requests (SSRs).

Waitlisting

Flights can be waitlisted for class of service that is not currently available for the desired flight. The details of waitlisting a specific flight are subject to the type of vendor link available for the airline. The priority of a waitlist option may also vary:

• Host airlines for the CRS, such as United, automatically prioritize waitlisting for subscribing travel providers.
• Not all Inside Availability or Last Seat Sell airlines provide automatic waitlisting. Waitlisting must be requested at the time that the initial flight is sold, but before the PNR/BF is committed (end transacted).
• Airlines that do not have Inside Availability or Last Seat Sell receive the waitlist request only after the PNR/BF has been committed (end transacted).
  

Seat Maps

Seat maps display which seats are available for a given flight, as well as their location within the aircraft. The following information is required to display a seat map:

• Airline
• Flight number
• Date of travel
• Cabin, such as first class or coach cabin. Seat Maps are displayed by cabin

Prerequisites

• Airline Vendor Code
• Flight Number
• Booking Indicator Code (BIC), also known as Class of Service
• Departure Date
• Departure City
• Destination City
• [Optional] Number of Seats that are needed. (This prerequisite is available on Galileo only.)
• [Optional] Frequent Flier Names, ID, and Number

Notes

• The seatmap transaction can be used in the following configurations:
  • General Seatmap Display.
  • General Seatmap Display with special seats for Frequent Fliers.
    
• Not all airlines support seat map display, just as not all airlines will allow the user to assign seats on their flights.

Idiosyncrasies

Some aircraft (code 44A) such as the 747-400 have upper decks. The most common BIC code to show upper deck seats are "J" class when displaying seatmaps for British Airways. Upper deck seats are indicated using seat attributes in the response. The EDIFACT seat attribute for an upper deck seat is "UP".

Remarks

Not all airlines support seat map display, just as not all airlines allow users to assign seats on their flights.

Related API Developer Notes

API Developer Notes can assist you when developing applications that use Galileo Web Services and XML Select. The following table lists the API Developer Notes that are applicable to this transaction and provides a description. Each document is a link to the PDF file: