Enhanced Exchanges: Early Adopter Release

Enhanced Exchanges (formerly Automated Exchanges for Smartpoint Cloud) is currently available only to agencies that are activated for Early Adopter testing. If your agency would like more information about being part of our pre-release testing, please contact your Travelport representative.

Enhanced Exchange

Exchange Tickets (ARC)

Enhanced Exchange is available for Travelport+ itineraries. To modify an NDC itinerary, refer to Modify an NDC booking.

To exchange and ticket for ARC bookings:

  1. Retrieve a ticketed booking file (PNR) in either the terminal or graphical view.

    Note: The Cancel booking feature is not yet available in this release.

  2. Select the change booking option.

    Select Change booking.

    Select <<CHANGE>>, then select Exchange (Automated).

    Tip! If the change option does not display, see Eligibility to ensure the booking file is eligible for Enhanced Exchange.

    A message that indicates if the booking is eligible for exchange and displays any change fees.

  3. Select Continue. If a ticket is not eligible for exchange, a message indicates that it cannot be changed or canceled.

    The Air search (Change trip) panel displays flight and traveler information from the booking. Select the Edit icon to modify search criteria for that flight.

    Tip! If your itinerary has multiple flights, you must click the Edit icon for each flight before making changes to that flight. If you do not click the Edit icon for a flight, then Enhanced Exchange knows to retain the existing inventory for that flight.

  4. Modify the itinerary. In this example, the outbound city is changed.

    You can make changes to origins, destinations, dates, and/or times for the request.

    1. In From, enter the departure (origin) city/airport name or code in the origin and destination (O & D) pair. As you type name or code, a list of similar names is displayed.

    2. In To, enter the destination city/airport name or code.

    Note:

    • The origin and destination can be changed to new routes, but you cannot added stops or increase/decrease the number of segments.

    • If an itinerary is partially flown, any segments that have already been flown are shaded and edits are disabled.

    The departure date is displayed in DD MMM format. For example, September 14 is 14 Sep.

    You can also enter the date as Sep14 (MMMDD) or 09/14 (MM/DD).

    The departure time is displayed in HH:mm format on a 24-hour clock. You can also enter the time on a 12-hour clock. For example, 6P converts to 18:00.

    Flights searches display within a window of 3 hours before and 3 hours after the specified time.

    • The ± 3-hour time window applies only to the specified departure date. The window is shortened if the time range includes part of the previous day or next day. For example, a time request of 23:00 returns flights in a range from 20:00 to 23:59.

    • If no flights are available within the time window, the results are NOT relaxed to include flights outside of the window. Click RESET to request different departure times.

    Note: The Time field must have an entry. A search request with a blank Time field returns an error, NOT a default Travelport+ (1G) departure time.

    All itinerary modifiers are optional.

    For each traveler, you can click the arrow to change the PTC (passenger type code) for that traveler. Changes in the PTC may affect the available fares.

    Optional. Select Return fares for these passengers only to limit responses only to the selected PTCs. If this option is not selected, fares for additional PTCs may be returned.

    Note: You cannot add or delete travelers using Enhanced Exchanges.

    If no fare type is selected, the fare type defaults to Public and any private fares.

    For fare types other than Public fares only, the Private Fare Codes fields are enabled. If the original booking includes a private fare, that account code is automatically displayed.

    To add or change a Private Fare Code:

    1. Click the Airline arrow to select the applicable airline.

    2. In the corresponding Code, enter the private or net fare code.

    1. Optional. Click the Add + icon to add additional Private Fare Codes fields to a maximum of five fare codes.

    Select this option to ensure that the fares in the response match the fare brand from the original ticket. If this option is not selected, other brands may be returned.

    Note: This modifier applies only to itineraries with a single fare brand. If the original fare includes multiple brands, this option is unavailable and the following message is displayed.

    The cabin class (class of service) modifier is not available for this release. This placeholder will be implemented in a future release of Smartpoint Cloud.

    Excludes basic fares, also known as economy unbundled fares, from the search request.

    The intent of these fare type codes is to allow airlines to distribute lower-priced fares that:

    • Do not include additional services, such as advance seat assignment or inclusive baggage.
    • May have restrictions on other fare-related data, such as change and cancellation policies.

    This option is selected by default because basic fares often dominate search results that display from lowest to highest price.

    Terminal Equivalent: /FXD

  5. Select Search to display the Air search results screen with a maximum of 25 itinerary options.

    In the Air search results screen, each option includes flight information, flight details with connection information, and any additional cost or residual values, and fare type information. This example displays fares for both residual values (negative amounts). Add collect options display positive amounts.

    All fares listed are guaranteed to be exchangeable. The icon indicates that the fare is covered under the Travelport Fare Guarantee Policy.

    • The combined cost of the fare, exchanges fees, and taxes is listed for each option:

      • 0.00 indicates an even exchange with the cost of the new fare the same as the original fare.

      • A positive amount indicates that the total new fare is higher than the original the original fare, and an additional collection (add collect) is required.

      • A negative amount indicates that the total new fare is lower than the original fare, and a residual value (retain or refund) is available.

        • A green icon displays when the refund method is an MCO or original form of payment.

        • A gray Refund permitted icon displays when the refund form is unknown. A note indicates that the airline must be contacted to provide the refund details.

  6. Optional. For each option, click View pricing details to display the complete fare and tax breakdown per passenger. Select the Back button to return to the previous screen.

  7. Select the new itinerary by clicking the Select button for a flight option.

    The Review and confirm changes screen displays the new flight and fare information.

  8. If applicable. In the Ticketing details section, add commission information, endorsements, IT/BT modifiers, and tour codes.

    All ticketing details are required only as applicable for a specific fare.

    If present in the booking file, the commission is automatically displayed. Pre-populated commission information can be changed.

    To add or change commissions:

    1. Click the Commission arrow to select from either:

      • Base fare percent (%) to enter a percentage commission.

      • Base fare amount to enter a flat commission amount.

    2. Enter the percentage or flat amount of the commission.

      • For percentages, be sure to enter a 0 before the decimal point. For example: 0.3.

      • For amounts, do not enter the currency code. The amount is automatically added in the currency of the base fare.

    Note: The Commission fields display for all tickets, even if the fare type does not support commissions.

    To add or change endorsements:

    • Enter the endorsement information as free text.

    • A maximum of 6 endorsement lines are displayed.

      • A maximum of 3 lines are reserved for airline endorsements.

      • A maximum of 3 lines are available for agency endorsements.

      • If present in the booking file, endorsements are automatically displayed, but all lines can be edited.

      • In this example, one automated airline endorsement is displayed, one agency endorsement was manually added, and two additional lines are available for agency endorsements.

    • Each line supports a maximum of 29 characters, for a maximum of 174 characters total.

    • If an automated endorsement exceeds 29 characters, it is split into separate lines using a forward slash /.

    If the IT/BT indicator is not automatically displayed with the fare, it can be added. This indicator be also used in conjunction with a Tour Code and other modifiers.

    To add or change the fare type:

    Click the arrow to select if the fare is an Inclusive Tour (IT) or Bulk Tour (BT).

    Tip! See E-ticketing functionality information for all participating Travelport Airlines in the Travelport Knowledge Base to determine if a carrier supports BT and/or IT ticketing.

    Inclusive Tour fares include charges in addition to the airfare, such as accommodations or ground transportation as part of a "package".

    • Inclusive Tour (IT) suppresses the fare and does not print the fare construction on the passenger receipt.

    • Inclusive Tour (IT*PC) suppresses the fare and prints the fare construction on the passenger receipt.

    Bulk Tour fares are usually given to agencies who book a high volume of seats such as a consolidator or wholesaler. However, typically accommodations or other package items are not required for this fare.

    • Bulk Tour (BT) suppresses the fare and does not print the fare construction on the passenger receipt.

    • Bulk Tour (BT*PC) suppresses the fare and prints the fare construction on the passenger receipt.

    A tour code is issued by an airline to identify a tour deal. The tour code must be entered into the fare as a ticket modifier so that both the airline and the settlement plan (BSP or ARC) know the source of the fare and the agency's authorization to use the fare.

    The tour code can be:

    • A maximum of 14 alphanumeric characters.

    • Used in combination with an Inclusive Tour or Bulk Tour indicator.

  9. In the Payments section, review or select the payment options for add collect or the refund options for residual values. Per ARC requirements, change fees are collected at the time of ticketing.

    Optional. In Payments, click the Payment Method arrow to change the form of payment for add collect options. Available forms of payment vary depending on the carrier and itinerary.

    Note: For this release:

    • Multiple forms of payment are not yet enabled.

    • Change fee collected as tax is not yet supported.

    In the Payments section, either the original form of payment (FOP) or an MCO is used for residual values.

    • For this release, check and non-refundable are not supported as forms of payment for refunds.

    • If the refund method is unknown, a message indicates that you must contact the airline to confirm the refund method and process the refund outside of Smartpoint.

    • If permitted by the carrier, the residual value may be returned as an automatically generated MCO (Miscellaneous Charge Order). If an MCO is automatically issued for a residual exchange with a negative value, a message is displayed when you click the Information icon in the Payments section.

    • If applicable, agents can choose to forfeit (ignore) the refund value of (base fare and/or taxes), by selecting either:

      • Do not issue the refund to forfeit both the base fare and all applicable taxes.

      • Refund all except certain taxes to forfeit only the selected taxes.

      Sometimes agents want to forfeit (ignore) the refund value of (base and/or taxes) of an exchange so that the passenger does not receive the refund amount. Agencies may choose to forfeit refunds for a number reasons. For example, forfeiture may be desired if:

      • The refund has a very low amount, such as USD 0.10.

      • The refund has a low amount, such as lower than USD 10.00, and requires an EMD. EMDs can be relatively expensive transactions, and it may be preferable to avoid the fee for a small refund.

      • There is no EMD support for the applicable country, airline, and/or agency.

      • Agency business critera

      • An airlines

      Agency business criteria and/or airline criteria for not to refund for a certain value

      To forfeit fares, you can select either:

      • Do not issue the refund forfeits both the base fare and all applicable taxes.

      • Refund all except certain taxes to forfeit only selected taxes.

        After you select this option, the list of taxes for the fare is displayed.

        Select a tax code to EXCLUDE that tax from the refund, then click Apply.

        In this example, €1.24 (DE) is refunded to the passenger, and €8.77 (RA) is not included in the refund.

  10. In the Traveler section, confirm passenger information from the booking file.

  11. Select Confirm and ticket to complete the exchange and issue the new tickets. If applicable:

    • Penalties are charged at the time of ticketing.

    • If a refund is not made using the original form of payment, a residual MCO is issued.

    • If MIR is linked, a MIR is issued to the back office.

  12. Optional. Select View Booking File to display the updated booking file (PNR). The booking file can be displayed in either the terminal or graphical view.

    • Click *HTI to view the current and historical TINS.

    • Click *HTE to view the original and new electronic tickets.

    • If applicable. Click *MCO to view issued MCOs.