Vehicle Search by Merchant Rates

Vehicle Search Availability supports multiple Merchant Rates. A Merchant Rate is the ability to request multiple vendor/ multiple specific-pickup-locations in a single request.

Previously, Universal API VehicleSearchAvailability supported one pickup and return location, and one Corporate Discount number, Loyalty number, Tour Code number, and Coupon number. Vehicle v.31.0 search functionality for Merchant Rates allows users search multiple vendor and pickup locations and associate up to five search parameters per vendor code/pickup location, with a maximum of ten vendors.

Search Parameters per vendor/pickup occurrence are:

• One Rate code
• One Corporate Discount number (CD)
• One Loyalty number (ID)
• One Tour code number (IT)
• One Coupon – Promotional number

Request

Universal API determines whether a request in a "Merchant Rate" request when VehicleDateLocation/VendorLocation attributes are used to request. These parameters are:

• VehicleDateLocation/VendorLocation attributes are used to request more than:
  • One @VendorCode (same or different.
  • One @LocationCode (same).
  • One @LocationType (same or different).
  • One @VendorLocationID (same or different).
  • @Type= “Pickup”.
• VehicleDateLocation/VendorLocation attributes are used to request more than one @VendorCode (same or different), one @LocationCode (same), and for @Type= “Return”.
  
  
• Note: There may be one or more occurrences of RateModifier elements (these are optional):
  • /RateModifiers include the VendorCode and one or more modifiers; i.e. one @Vendor@RateCode and/or one @CorporateDiscount and/or one @TourCode and/or one @PromotionalCode.
  • One LoyaltyCard

  • Each RateModifiers and/or LoyaltyCard occurrence is mapped to each /VendorLocation/@Key, which is grouped with all veh:VendorLocationRef and com:VendorLocationRef of the same value.

Response

Valid return locations are:

• Return to pickup.
• Return to airport.
• Exact return location when request RRD requests are for the same vendor only.

Note: When more than one VehicleDateLocation/VendorLocation/ @Type=”Pickup” are present, the user must associate all RateModifers and Loyalty Cards to the requested Pickup and Return Locations by using the following attributes:

• /veh:VendorLocation/@Key
• /@VendorLocationRef for All /RateModifiers and /@LoyaltyCard

Errors

• VehicleSearchAvailabilityReq – Different Return Locations Specified error. Multi-Pickup Location requests where the Return Locations (City/Airport Code) are not the same, Universal API request fails and returns the error: “All Return Locations must be the same when Multiple Pickup Locations are requested.”
• VehicleSearchAvailabilityReq – Return Type and Location Specified error. When @Type “Return” @LocationType and @VendorLocationID are populated with Multi-Vendor and Pickup Location requests, Universal API fails and returns the error: “Attributes for Return @LocationType and @LocationID are not allowed with Multi-Vendor or Multi-Pickup Location request.”
• VehicleSearchAvailabilityReq – VendorLocation/@key and vehVendorLocationRef are not equal error. When the vehVendorLocationRef is present and there is no VendorLocation/@key of the same value, Universal API returns the error: “Match VendorLocation/@Key to veh:VendorLocationRef and resend request”
• VehicleSearchAvailabilityReq – Number of Pickup Locations has exceeded 10 error. When /VendorLocation/ @Type = Pickup greater than 10, Universal API request fails and returns the error text: “The number of /VendorLocation/ @Location, @Type “Pickup” has exceeded 10. Please correct and resend request.”
• Missing @Key or @VendorLocationRef Error. When more than one Pickup Location is requested and the VendorLocation/@Key is not present and/or a VendorLocationRef is not present with a RateModifier or LoyaltyCard, Universal API returns the error: “Missing VendorLocation/@Key or veh:VendorLocationRef, update and resend request.”