Vehicle Search

Vehicle Search is a generic request for rental cars that are available in a certain city between two specific dates.

• By default, responses are sorted from low to high rate only when pickup and drop-off locations are the same. However, when pickup and drop-off locations are different, rates may not appear from low to high rate.
• Modifiers such as specific car types, features, or rental locations can be used to narrow the response.

Schema

See the following transactions for Vehicle Search:

• VehicleSearchAvailabilityReq
• VehicleSearchAvailabilityRsp

Request

VehicleSearchAvailabilityReq is used to search for vehicles.

1. Enter the minimum required data for a Vehicle Search request in the VehicleDateLocation element:
   • The pick-up date and time.
   • The return date and time.
   • A city or airport code.

If the VehicleDateLocation/VendorLocation @VendorLocationID is specified in the request, the PickupLocationType is mandatory in the request.

Enter exact locations

Requests can include single or multiple exact pickup, single exact return for single or multiple vendors, or exact pickup and return locations.

• Include VendorLocation @VendorLocationID in the request to specify an exact pickup location OR include VendorDateLocation @ PickupLocation, @PickupLocationType, and @PickupLocationNumber in the request to specify an exact pickup location.
• Include VendorDateLocation @ReturnLocation, @ReturnLocationType, and @ReturnLocationNumber in the request to specify an exact return location.

If only @ReturnLocation is specified it is assumed to be an airport. If @ReturnLocation is not specified, the pickup location is assumed to be the return location as well.

All schema versions support submitting exact pickup and return locations.

Exact Pickup and Return Locations

Vehicle Search requests can include:

• Up to three generic pickup locations and one exact return location.

• Up to three exact pickup locations and one exact return location.

• Up to three exact pickup locations with return to pickup Location (return attributes are not specified in the request).

• Up to three exact pickup locations with return to airport (return LocationType and VendorLocationID are not specified in request).

When VehicleDateLocation @PickupLocation or @PickupLocationType are specified in the request, an exact pickup location can be specified by including VehicleDateLocation/VendorLocation:

• @LocationCode
• @LocationType
• @VendorLocationID
• @VendorCode

Notes:

• For Galileo (1G) and Apollo (1V), the request can include exact pickup locations and an exact return location with one or multiple vendors.
• For Worldspan (1P), the request can include exact pickup and an exact return location with one vendor.
• All attributes must be included in the request (@ProviderCode, @VendorCode, @LocationCode, @LocationType, @VendorLocationID, Type) for both Pickup and Return.
• For one or more exact Pickup and Return to Pickup Location with one vendor (Galileo, Apollo, and Worldspan) or multiple vendors (only Galileo and Apollo support multiple vendors):
  • All attributes must be included in the request for Pickup: @ProviderCode, @VendorCode, @LocationCode, @LocationType, @VendorLocationID, and @Type
  • The return location for Return to Pickup Location is not included in request, as its included in the Pickup Location.
• For one or more exact Pickup, and default return to airport, for one or multiple vendors (Galileo, Apollo, Worldspan), these attributes must be included in the request for Pickup: @ProviderCode, @VendorCode, @LocationCode, @LocationType, @VendorLocationID, and @Type:
  • The return includes @ProviderCode, @VendorCode, @LocationCode, and @Type.
  • The return @LocationCode must be the same for all returns.
• For default Pickup to airport and exact Return for one vendor (Galileo, Apollo, Worldspan):
  • These attributes must be included in the request for Pickup: @ProviderCode, @VendorCode, @LocationCode, and @Type
  • The return includes @ProviderCode, @VendorCode, @LocationCode, @LocationType, @VendorLocationID, and @Type.

Only one generic return location can be specified:

• If VendorLocation @LocationType and @LocationID are not included in the request, the default return location is an airport.

• If VendorLocation @Type="Pickup" or ="Return", and VehicleDateLocation attributes are specified, only VendorLocation attributes are processed and a warning is returned.

Show warnings

A warning is returned if:

• The maximum number of vendors/exact pickup/exact return locations allowed per provider is exceeded. Universal API processes up to the maximum number and ignores all others. The warning lists the pickup and return locations that were not processed.
• The request includes VendorLocation @Type and VehicleDateLocation attributes (@PickupLocation, @PickupLocationType, @PickupLocationNumber, @ReturnLocation, @ReturnLocationType, or @ReturnLocationNumber). The warning lists the VehicleDateLocation attributes that were not processed.

• For exact Pickup and exact Return requests where both VehicleDateLocation/VendorLocation@VendorCode and VehicleSearchModifiers@PermittedVendors are present, Universal API takes the value from VehicleDateLocation/VendorLocation@VendorCode and ignore @PermittedVendors. Universal API returns the following warning message “PermittedVendors “XX” was not processed in the request” where XX = vendor code.

• Any /VendorLocation/@Type “Pickup” or “Return” has @VendorLocationID but does not have @LocationType, then Universal API returns the following error message for both single and multiple pickup, or if VehicleSearchAvailabilityReq/VehicleDateLocation/PickupLocationType is not provided in the request, and either VehicleSearchAvailabilityReq/VehicleDateLocation/PickupLocationNumber or VehicleSearchAvailabilityReq/VehicleDateLocation/VendorLocation/VendorLocationID is present:
  "Location Type is mandatory with Location Number for provider."

• Multiple Pickup Locations with LocationType and VendorLocationID, the error "Return @LocationType and @VendorLocationID are not allowed with multiple Pickup Locations” returns in the response.

• Multiple Pickup Locations are requested and all Return @LocationCode(s) are not the same, Universal API will return the following error: “All Return @LocationCode must be the same.”

See the response for more details.

2. Enter optional data to refine the search in the VehicleSearchModifiers element.
   1. Preferred currency can be specified to request vehicle rates in a user's preferred currency.

   Show details

   Use @PreferredCurrency to request a response in the user's preferred currency. E.g., PreferredCurrency="EUR". All converted rates are returned, regardless of the providers to whom the request was submitted.

   2. When ReferencePoint is sent in the request, the location is not required, but can be included. In Galileo, the reference point, location, or both must be provided.

   Notes:

   • If multiple vendors are specified in a request that includes ReferencePoint, a vehicle type is also required. 
   • Some locations types are not supported for ReferencePoint-only searches.
   3. Add any Discounts, Promotional, and Related Attributes:
   •  Vehicle v.34.0 and greater processes the existing @DiscountNumber, @PromotionalCode, @TourCode attributes in the Vehicle Rate response (VehicleSearchAvailabilityRsp/Vehicle/VehicleRate).
     • These optional attributes @DiscountNumberApplied, @PromotionalCodeApplied, @TourCodeApplied, @CardNumber, @CardNumberApplied, and @RequestedRateCodeApplied, were added in Vehicle v.34.0.
     • Backward Compatibility:

       • Universal API populates @DiscountNumberApplied, @PromotionalCodeApplied, @TourCodeApplied, @CardNumber, @CardNumberApplied, @RequestedRateCodeApplied in V.34.0 and later.

       • In VehiclesearchAvailabilityRsp, @DiscountNumber, @PromotionalCode and @TourCode will not be populated in version 33.0 and earlier.

       • If a Booking is created with a @DiscountNumber greater than ten characters in v34.0 or later, and then retrieved in an earlier version, Universal API truncates and returns the first 10 characters along with the following warning, “Partial DiscountNumber returned, upgrade to uAPI v34 or higher to retrieve.”

     • As of Universal API Release 22.2.2, Vehicle Rate allows surcharge to be returned in the vehicle charge category. Release 22.2
       VehicleSearchAvailabilityRsp/Vehicle/VehicleRate/VehicleCharge @Category="Surcharge" .

   4. Corporate / Government Rate Category and Discount Number Best Practices:

      • The following points are best practices when using Corporate Discount Numbers (CDN) witn Rate Categories, specifically Corporate and Government. For some car vendors, these best practices are requirements and if not followed, results in errors: U

        1. Pairing Enforcement:

           • When a Corporate Discount Number (CDN) is provided, the Rate Category must be either Corporate or Government, or,

           • When Rate Category is Corporate or Government, a valid CDN must be included in the request.

           • For some customers:

             • If CDN is present, the RateCategory must be Corporate or Government, or this error message returns: "Rate Category is required when a Corporate Discount Number (CDN) is provided. Please include a Rate Category of Corporate or Government."

             • If the Rate Category is Corporate or Government, a CDN must be present, or this error message returns: "Corporate or Government Rate Category requires a Valid Corporate Discount Number (CDN). Please include CDN in your Request."

        2. Vendor Scoping/Identification:

           • Corporate or Government rate requests must specify a vendor using either VendorLocation@vendor or PermittedVendors/Vendor@code.

           • If both are provided, the vendor codes must match.

           • If RateModifier@VendorCode is sent, it must align with the specified vendors. If not, the following error may return: "Corporate or Government Rate Category requires a vendor. Please include VendorLocation@VendorCode or PermittedVendors/Vendor@Code in your request."

        3. Consistency Validation:

           • The system validates that vendor codes match across VendorLocation@Vendor, PermittedVendors/Vendor@code, and RateModifier@VendorCode (when applicable).

           • For some customers, if both VendorLocation@vendor and PermittedVendors/Vendor@code are present and the codes don’t match, this error returns: "VendorLocation@VendorCode, PermittedVendors/Vendor@Code and RateModifier@VendorCode does not match in your request. Please review."

        4. Error Handling:

           • Universal API returns clear, actionable error messages when these requirements are not met, helping you quickly identify and resolve any issues.

3. VehicleSearchAvailabilityRsp returns Vehicle Search options.

Response

Available car rental rate options are returned in order of price. The least expensive options are displayed first, followed by increasingly more expensive rental rates. Any optional qualifiers that are added to request will narrow the response.

• By default, responses are sorted from low to high rate only when pickup and drop-off locations are the same.
• However, when pickup and drop-off locations are different, rates may not appear from low to high rate.

Based on the qualifiers used, the GDS returns a response that includes as many as ten availability options. If additional rate options exist, a ‘More’ indicator is also returned, and subsequent requests can be made.

One of three statuses will be returned with the response:

• Available  
• Call (the supplier)
• Closed  

A search response may contain a NextResultReference if the provider has additional response data that was not returned in that call. This reference token from the provider can be used in a subsequent request to obtain this additional data.

The following data may also be returned in the response:

• A "true" indicator if a rate is guaranteed in VehicleRate/RateGuaranteed.
• Pre-payment requirements in VehicleRate/RequiredPayment.
• Rate separator text, when available.
• The InventoryToken when it exists for a rate, so that it can be used in the booking request.
• Any applicable drop charges associated with the rate because the drop-off location is different from the pick-up location.
• Car type description, when available.
• The vendor unique location ID associated to the vehicle.  
• The data base key that is related to a rate, so that it can be used in a reference sell request.
• The source of the rate, so that it can be used in the sell request.
• The door count for specific vehicles.
• The location of the vehicle, e.g., Terminal, ShuttleOnAirport, etc. The /Vehicle@Location also returns the Shuttle Category code in the description text. For example, "S" or "SHTL" code is returned as "Offsite – Shuttle to counter and car" with the Vehicle Search Availability Rate response. See Car Counter Location Shuttle Descriptions for more details.
• For Vehicle.xsd, an ACRISS Standard code.

• The Counter Location Code, which is the four-byte code to identify the Location of the Rental Counter, e.g. OMSO, PHON, etc. Universal API converts the 1G and 1V Counter Location 1-byte value to a 4-byte code, or returns the 1P Counter Location 4-byte code, in the response.

Exceptions