Creating Rail Bookings

A Special Service Request (SSR) is a message sent directly to suppliers to communicate traveler preferences, special services needed by a traveller such as wheelchair assistance, or of a procedural requirement necessary of the supplier. Because action must be taken by the supplier, there is usually a reply from the supplier in the form of the status code on the SSR (HK, UN, etc.)

filters any SSR data that will not be accepted by a specific rail supplier.

RetrieveProviderReservationDetails is a Boolean attribute.

• When set to false (default), the response displays provider details using UniversalRecord/ProviderReservationInfo/ProviderReservationDetails.
• When set to true, ProviderReservationDisplayDetailsList displays in the response in UniversalRecord/ProviderReservationInfo. This element displays some details of the PNR elements that are not otherwise returned in the Universal Record.

Universal versions prior to v29.0 will not return the ProviderReservationDisplayDetailsList element.

The Loyalty Card information in the response (BookingTraveler/LoyaltyCard @ MembershipProgram and CardNumber) is saved in the Universal Record database. Loyalty card information is not taken from the request and added to the response.

Universal API compares the corporate DiscountCode values in a RailAvailabiltySearchReq with the DiscountCode values returned in RCS:

• With Rail v35.0 and later, this logic is replicated in additional services to return the DiscountCode values at the passenger level in the Rail Create Reservation Response, Rail Exchange Quote Response, and Rail Exchange Response.
• The /DiscountCard @Code @Description @Number is mapped in the RailCreateReservationRsp/UniversalRecord/BookingTraveler path.

@BookingStatus

In Universal 2.0, a Booking Status was added for booked or modified Rail segments. @BookingStatus is mandatory but the string value is not validated. Common values are: Final, Ticketed, Initiate, Exchanged, Cancel, Refunded, and Unknown.

There can be only one @BookingStatus value per booking. If there are multiple train segments in the booking, they must all have the same value.

/RailTicketInfo

With Rail.xsd, Universal API provides additional ticket information, such as journey reference, ticket type, traffic type (international or domestic), traveler reference, ticket advisory, and issue date.

Rail.xsd returns statuses:

• The attribute type is string to accommodate new statuses. 
• The schema description has also been updated to reflect new status options: Status of Ticket. Example - Not Print Ready, Can Be Printed, Queued (sent to print module), Printed, Ticket issued, Ticket refunded, Ticket exchanged, Ticket cancelled by phone, Immediate cancellation, Ticket cancelled at station, Internal cancellation, Cancellation in progress, etc.

RailSegment

@TransportCode

A TransportCode of "TER" for SNCF segments on a short route typically indicates a local train. SNCF does not confirm space on local trains. For local trains, a ticket can be purchased for travel on a local train, but no time of day and no seating accommodation is returned.

@ClassCode and @CabinClass

With Rail.xsd and Universal.xsd, because the class code and cabin class can differ for each train segment, the class code and cabin class are returned in the Rail Create Reservation Response, Universal Record Retrieve Response, and Rail Exchange Response.

• SSRs are not supported by Amtrak.

• If multiple valid loyalty card numbers are sent in the book request, Amtrak only accepts the last loyalty number sent.

• Discounts

  • Previously, Discount Codes sent for Amtrak in the Rail Booking request were ignored and booked without the discount code applied.

    • With Rail v32.0, the Discount Code can be applied to the booking. The response returns the discounted fare.
    • Only one Discount Code is supported for the Rail Booking request. If there are multiple Discount Codes in the Rail Booking request, Amtrak processes only the first code.
    • Support for discount codes varies supplier.

    • ReferenceDataRetrieveService can be used to pull all the discount codes available for Amtrak. With Rail v33.0, six new DiscountCodes are added to the existing table. Most discounts require a number. The two military discount codes do not require a member number as the traveler will be asked for an active-duty ID card by the train conductor:

      • Code="162.DIS" for Amtrak Corporate Discount. Requires a number.

      • Code="163.DIS" for Amtrak Promotion Code
      • Code="164.DIS" for Amtrak Guest Rewards (AGR)
      • Code="291.DIS" for Military traveller

      • Code="292.DIS" for Military Child

      • Code="293.DIS" for AAA Adult and requires AAA membership number

      • Code="295.DIS" for AAA Child and requires AAA membership number

      • Code="296.DIS" for NARP and requires National Association of Railroad Passengers membership number

      • Code="297.DIS" for Veterans Advantage and requires a membership number

  • The Corporate Discount or Promotion Code is associated with the Booking Traveler in the RailCreateReservationReq. The Corporate Discount or Promotion Code returned by Amtrak in the second shop response (see Amtrak Exceptions in Rail Availability) should be sent for one passenger in a single- or multi-passenger book request.
    • If multiple Corporate Discount or Promotion Codes with: different Reference values are sent for one passenger in a single- or multi-passenger booking, each will be mapped to RCS at booking level.
    • If multiple Corporate Discount or Promotion Codes with the same Reference values are sent for one passenger in a single- or multi-passenger booking, the Corporate Discount or Promotion Code is mapped once at booking level.  
    • If multiple Corporate Discount or Promotion Codes with different Reference values are sent for multiple Booking Travelers, all of them are mapped to RCS at booking level.
    • If multiple Corporate Discount or Promotion Codes with the same Reference values are sent for multiple Booking Travelers, the Corporate Discount or Promotion Code is mapped once at booking level.
  • Amtrak requires that the Corporate Discount or Promotion Code card number is sent in the request. Other rail distributors do not require the card number.

• For Origin and Destination, Amtrak uses proprietary Amtrak station codes, rather than IATA city/airport codes.

  • Passive Amtrak segments are imported as rail segments, and Amtrak station codes, and corresponding time zone data, were added as a Reference Data table. As a result, passive segments from Amtrak can now be correctly imported as rail segments.

  • With Universal.xsd:

    • Amtrak Station codes are supported in AirCreateReservationReq.
    • For Amtrak (2V) bookings, Universal API checks the Rail Code table to identify location and time zone for the rail stations. If a match is not found, then Universal API uses the standard flow for Air, which checks for the city codes if an airport is not found.

• FulfillmentType

  • @FulfillmentType=”Ticketless” indicates an Amtrak E-Ticket . An email address is required in the RailCreateReservation request. A delivery address should not be included. Up to three email addresses can be specified, and an E-Ticket will be sent to each one.

  • @FulfillmentType=”Ticket on Departure” indicates a pick up at the rail station . An email address is required in the RailCreateReservation request. A delivery address should not be included.

  • @FulfillmentType=”Standard Mail” indicates ticket by mail (TBM) . An email address is required and a delivery address must be in the RailCreateReservation request.

  • @FulfillmentType=”Express Mail” indicates ticket by courier. An email address is required and a delivery address must be in the RailCreateReservation request.

Eurostar does not use Rail Seat Map and Rail Booking for rail segments. Rather, Eurostar uses Air Seat Map and Air Booking to manage seating and reservations for rail segments.

• SNCF does not confirm space on local trains. A train is considered to be local if RailSegment @TransportCode="TER" and the train is used on short routes. A ticket can be purchased for travel on a local train, but no time of day and no seating accommodation is returned.

• SNCF accepts requests for wheelchairs. However, only 1 traveler per booking can request a wheelchair. The name of the traveler requesting a wheelchair should always be the 1st name in the booking.

• @FulfillmentType="Ticketless" indicates a Ticketless Thalys train.

• Agency Email Addresses (RailCreateReservationReq/BookingTraveler/Email)

If the booking is being handled by a travel agency, the email address of the travel agency should always be the first email address in the Rail Booking request. This setting is especially necessary if FulfillmentType="TravelAgency".

• Form of Payment (RailCreateReservationReq/FormOfPayment/AgencyPayment)

SNCF Supports only Agency Payment, however, both AgencyPayment and Cash values are allowed as FormOfPayment in the Rail Booking request. Cash payment allows the agency to track that they have been paid in cash.

Note The response may show Cash, however, SNCF assumes AgencyPayment.

• Last Hold Dates for Tickets (RailCreateReservationRsp/UniversalRecord/ActionStatus Type="TTL" and corresponding @TicketDate value)

SNCF supports BookingStatus="Final" (travel documents are not issued) and BookingStatus="FinalTicket" (travel documents are issued). If BookingStatus="Final" a ticket time limit may optionally be returned in the RailCreateReservationRsp/UniversalRecord/ActionStatus Type="TTL" with a corresponding @TicketDate value.

• Split Bookings

SNCF splits a reservation into multiple bookings if:

• A single booking request is sent to SNCF for multiple passengers with different classes of service.
• A change is made directly with SNCF for individuals in an existing multi-passenger booking.

To reduce the probability of a booking being split, RCS implements logic to build fare offers only with fares in the same class of service for all requested passengers types. In some situations this logic may result in “no offers available” if the same class of service is not available for all of the segments requested for a journey.

However, if SNCF splits a booking, Universal API returns a warning to indicate that multiple Supplementary Booking IDs are present. In this case, the passenger or agent must contact SNCF directly to manage the bookings:

<ResponseMessage Type="Warning">Booking contains supplementary booking ids [SupplementaryID1, SupplementaryID2]. All subsequent transactions must be done directly with SNCF.</ResponseMessage>

The warning is returned in RailCreateReservationRsp if:

• The initial booking was split by SNCF, even though the fares in the requested offer were for the same class of service.
• There is a requested update to the Booking Status for an existing booking that has been split.

The warning is also returned when a booked segment is retrieved if a change was made directly with SNCF that resulted in the booking being split, or any other reason why SNCF found it necessary to split a booking.

The Supplementary Booking ID is processed by RCS, but is not returned in Universal API as discrete data. The Supplementary Booking ID is noted only in the warning response.