 |
 |
Source Premium: Frequently Asked Questions |
|
|
|
Source Premium Frequent Asked Questions
Below are American Airlines' responses to agency-submitted questions regarding the Source Premium Policy.
Avoiding the Source Premium
Content
Source Premium Logistics
Tables of Billable Booking Status Codes
AVOIDING THE SOURCE PREMIUM
What can agencies do to avoid the Source
Premium?
American has negotiated
with
Sabre,
Galileo/Apollo,
Worldspan,
G2 Switchworks, and
Farelogix to provide Competitive Booking Sources for American, its travel
agencies, and corporate accounts. These sources provide cost-effective booking
sources for American and, as a result, agencies and corporations will not be
assessed any new fees for segments booked using a Competitive Booking Source.
An Amadeus agency, subject to the
flexibility provided under its current GDS contract(s), may enter into an
agreement with a Competitive Booking Source to either replace or complement its
existing GDS(s). American is willing to discuss the steps necessary to address
agencies' needs during the time needed to contract with and implement a
Competitive Booking Source.
In addition, American and Amadeus have entered into an interim agreement whereby Amadeus is considered a Competitive Booking Source, and Amadeus bookings are not subject to the Source Premium charge. This agreement is for bookings made on or after September 1, 2006 and is effective through February 2008.
What exceptions will be granted?
No exceptions will be
granted other than the correction of billing errors. However, American is
willing to discuss the steps necessary to address agencies' needs during the
time needed to contract with and implement a Competitive Booking Source.
Are agencies able to avoid the Source Premium
by signing up for Sabre's
Efficient Access Solution?
Yes.
Is it possible for agencies to book directly on
AA.com?
While agencies are able to
enter their ARC/IATA number on AA.com today under "Enter Passenger Details,"
their bookings are not currently included in commission calculations. In
addition, AA.com does not display private fares. American has negotiated new
agreements with
Sabre,
Galileo/Apollo,
Worldspan,
G2 Switchworks, and
Farelogix that provide more robust channels for an agency to book American
while still avoiding the Source Premium.
Can agencies pass on the Source Premium on to
corporate customers?
The charges and fees
assessed by travel agents to their customers are a matter for market conditions
to determine in accordance with the value proposition agencies offer to
customers.
What legal means does AA have to charge a Source
Premium?
Please refer to Section I
of the Source Premium Policy located at
http://www.aa.com/content/agency/Agency/SP_Master/SP.jhtml.
CONTENT
How is "full content" defined?
Full content is defined
with the same scope as the past three years in terms of American's fares and
inventory available through the GDSs. It includes fares (including web fares),
schedules, and inventories that American makes generally available to the public
through its own reservations personnel, AA.com, or any other GDS. Beyond the
traditional scope of full content, American has committed to give its
Competitive Bookings Sources non-public fare parity (e.g. corporate negotiated
and wholesaler) with American's direct channels.
Will content on Competitive Booking Sources be
the same as that on AA.com?
In most cases, it will be
better in that it contains certain private fares (e.g. corporate, private) in
addition to all publicly available fares, schedules, and inventories on AA.com.
Will American Airlines continue to send out targeted
promotions that can
only be booked on AA.com?
Yes. American reserves the
right to continue its practice of targeting customers and trying to increase
sales on American Airlines.
Are GSA contract fares a part of "full
content"?
Yes.
Will American guarantee full content to its Other Booking
Sources?
American currently intends
to offer full content via Other Booking Sources. Consistent with any applicable
contractual obligations, American may eventually withhold content from Other
Booking Sources if the terms and conditions of distribution through those GDSs
become unfavorable for American in other respects, particularly if an Other
Booking Source fails to display American content on neutral terms as compared
with other airlines. Alternatively, agencies may be guaranteed full content for
the longer term via Competitive Booking Sources.
Return to Top
SOURCE PREMIUM LOGISTICS
What bookings will be subject to the Source
Premium?
The policies and procedures
outlined in the Source Premium Policy apply to bookings made via Other Booking
Sources and originated by ARC-accredited agencies and outlets, including
corporations with a "CTD" designation, located within the 50 United States, with
respect to bookings originated in or via the United States. Only American
bookings made or changed on or after September 1, 2006 using an Other Booking
Source will be assessed a Source Premium.
Does the Source Premium apply to only AA segments booked on
Other Booking
Sources, or does it apply to all carriers on Other Booking Sources?
American's Source Premium
applies only to segments booked on AA, including codeshare segments for which
American is the marketing carrier, using an Other Booking Source on or after
September 1, 2006. American's Source Premium does not apply to the segments of
other carriers, as American is not charged a booking fee by GDSs for those
segments.
How will my Source Premium invoice be calculated?
For each Other Booking
Source used by the agency, the total Source Premium invoice will be calculated
by multiplying the number of net segments booked by the agency during the month
and the Source Premium rate per net segment applicable to the Other Booking
Source.
How are "net segments" calculated?
Net segments are the sum of
all segments created in the billing period, less all segments canceled. This
includes passive segments.
What is a "passive segment"?
A passive segment is any
booking made in a GDS that does not eventually result in ticketing. A complete
list of billable booking codes by GDS is included at the bottom of this web
page.
Does the Source Premium apply to agencies located
within Canada, Puerto
Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with respect to bookings originated in or via
these territories?
Source Premium does not apply to Canada bookings. U.S. Virgin Islands and Pureto Rico bookings will be sjbject to Source Premium starting APril 1, 2008. For more information on the Caribbean Booking Source Premium policy refer to http://www.aa.com/content/agency/Agency/SP_Master/sp%20CRB%20POS.jhtml
Does the Source Premium apply to bookings in all
fare classes?
Yes.
Our agency currently uses Farelogix software with an
Other Booking Source as
our GDS. Will we be subject to the Source Premium?
Yes. The Source Premium
applies to the underlying GDS that processes the booking. Agencies using
Farelogix products may avoid the Source Premium by implementing a Competitive
Booking Source as their GDS.
Are AAirpass bookings subject to the Source Premium?
Yes. Agencies that book a
significant amount of AAirpass itineraries may avoid the Source Premium by
implementing a Competitive Booking Source that supports AAirpass. Currently,
Sabre,
Galileo/Apollo and
Worldspan are Competitive Booking Sources that support AAirpass bookings.
Is the Source Premium applied to booked or ticketed
segments?
The Source Premium applies
to booked segments. It does not matter whether the itinerary is eventually
ticketed.
When will bookings on Other Booking Sources begin to incur a
Source Premium?
Bookings created or changed
on Other Booking Sources on or after September 1, 2006 will incur a Source
Premium. For clarification, the Source Premium does not apply to bookings made
prior to that time even if the passenger's itinerary is flown on or after
September 1, 2006.
When will agencies receive their first invoice?
The first invoice will be
for the September 1-30, 2006 billing period and will be sent out during the
month of October 2006.
Does the Source Premium apply if an agency transfers a PNR
from another GDS
to an Other Booking Source for ticketing?
Yes.
Is American able to process the Source Premium through
ARC?
While American is able to
settle payment via ARC, it is not able to charge agencies via ARC at this time.
Will sample Source Premium invoices be made available to
agencies prior to
effective date?
A sample invoice will be
available to agencies at a later date on this website (www.aa.com/agency).
The sample invoice will include enough dummy data to give agencies an accurate
sense of its structure. American will not be able to generate invoices using
specific agency data until after the effective date of the Source Premium
initiative.
Source Premium invoices
will be generated for each Other Booking Source used by the agency. The invoice
will include ARC number detail of net bookings and Source Premium charges. The
invoice will also include contact information for assistance with agency
questions about Source Premium policies, billing details, and potential billing
errors.
Will American provide sample historical net booking data to my
agency so
that I may estimate the size of my Source Premium invoice going forward?
American can provide this
information upon the agency's request through its American Sales Representative.
Will the invoice itemize every individual booking?
No. Due to size
constraints, the invoice will show detail at the individual ARC number level.
The invoice will also include contact information for acquiring more detail if
necessary.
Does the Source Premium apply to changes in
itineraries?
The Source Premium will
apply to any net segments created using an Other Booking Source, whether through
an originated or changed itinerary. If an agency deletes a segment and creates
another, then the net number of segments created is zero. Therefore, no
additional Source Premium would be incurred by the agency. However, if the
agency were to cancel a non-stop segment and replace it with a two-leg
connection, the number of net segments created would be one. In that case, the
agency would incur a Source Premium equivalent to one additional net booked
segment.
How will itineraries that are booked but never ticketed
or canceled be
treated?
These itineraries are
considered "passive segments." American is charged for these bookings by the
GDS and, likewise, the agency will be assessed a Source Premium.
What if a passenger is booked on a 4 segment
itinerary but cancels the
return on AA and requests to be booked on another carrier. Will the agency
receive a credit for the 2 segments that were canceled?
Yes. The agency would only
be charged a Source Premium for the two segments remaining on American.
How will this impact my override agreement if we choose to use multiple
booking products?
The use of multiple booking
products will not affect the calculation of agencies' override agreements.
American's override agreements are based upon bookings from all GDS providers
and upon AA flown revenue. Flown revenue data is not provided to American by
the GDS providers.
Will the Source Premium apply to codeshare or
interline itineraries?
Yes. American is charged
by the GDS for any segments for which AA is the marketing carrier (AA*) and any
segments flown on AA metal in an interline itinerary. Likewise, agencies will
be assessed a Source Premium on those segments.
How is the Source Premium calculated for
multi-passenger itineraries?
The Source Premium is
calculated by applying the appropriate Source Premium rate per net segment to
the total segments on the itinerary. If there are 50 passengers on the same
4-segment itinerary, then the total number of segments subject to the Source
Premium is 200.
If a booking is made in September and canceled in October,
does the agency
receive a credit?
Yes. The booking made in
September would increase the number of net segments billed and the cancellation
in October would decrease the number of net segments by the same amount.
I provide consolidator fares to several sub-agents. Who
will be charged the
Source Premium?
The ARC number that books
the itinerary in the GDS will be charged the Source Premium.
Will I be charged the Source Premium for bookings I make with American Airlines
Vacations?
The chart below outlines when the Source
Premium applies to American Airlines Vacations bookings.
Booking Vehicle
|
Source Premium Applies?
|
|
AA Vacations Reservations
800-321-2121
|
No,
PNR will not be secured to agency pseudo city code.
No, if agency requests to have PNR secured and the agency is opted
into Sabre EAS.
|
|
Yes,
if agency requests to have PNR secured to agency pseudo city code and is not opted into Sabre
EAS.
|
|
aavacations.com/agent
|
No,
PNR will not be secured to agency pseudo city code.
|
|
|
Amadeus Tour
Source
|
No
|
|
|
Galileo/Apollo
Leisureshopper
|
No
|
|
|
SABRE FAAST
|
No, if agency opts into Sabre EAS.
Yes, if agency does not opt into Sabre
EAS.
|
|
|
Worldspan Tour
Source
|
No
|
|
|
Return to Top
TABLES OF BILLABLE BOOKING STATUS CODES
Amadeus
|
Status Code |
Description |
|
DL |
Delete segment from face of PNR |
|
FB |
Forced booking |
|
FF |
Frequent flyer booking |
|
FR |
Forced request |
|
FS |
Forced sell |
|
HK |
Holding confirmed |
|
HL |
Have listed (on wait list) |
|
HN |
Holding need |
|
HX |
Holding cancel |
|
IN |
If
not requested, request |
|
IS |
If
not sold, sell |
|
IX |
If
holding, cancel |
|
KK |
Confirming |
|
KL |
Confirming from wait list |
|
LK |
Direct access booking |
|
LL |
Need wait list |
|
NA |
Alternative request |
|
NK |
Secured direct access booking |
|
NN |
Requested booking |
|
NO |
No
action taken |
|
OX |
Cancel only if requested segment is available |
|
PA |
Waitlist priority |
|
PC |
Waitlist priority |
|
PD |
Waitlist priority |
|
PE |
Waitlist standard priority |
|
PG |
Group waitlist priority |
|
PK |
Passive confirmed |
|
PL |
Passive wait listed |
|
RR |
Reconfirmed |
|
SA |
Space available |
|
SG |
Group |
|
SS |
Sold |
|
ST |
Stretcher |
|
TK |
Confirming - advise passenger new times |
|
TL |
Wait listed - advise passenger new times |
|
TN |
Holding need - advise passenger new times |
|
UC |
Unable flight closed - have not wait listed |
|
UM |
Unaccompanied minors |
|
UN |
Unable, does not operate |
|
US |
Unable to accept sale - have wait listed |
|
UU |
Wait list have wait listed |
|
XL |
Segment moved to history |
|
XN |
Segment moved to history |
|
XX |
Segment moved to history |
Apollo
|
Status Code |
Description |
|
AK |
Passive segment confirmed |
|
AL |
Passive segment waitlisted |
|
AN |
Passive segment requested |
|
BK |
Passive segment confirmed |
|
BL |
Passive segment waitlisted |
|
BN |
Passive segment requested |
|
DL |
Deferred from waitlist |
|
GK |
Group confirmed |
|
GL |
Group waitlist or non-participant waitlist |
|
GN |
Group request or non-participant request |
|
HK |
Holding confirmed if filed as active or passive |
|
HL |
Holding waitlist |
|
HN |
Holding need |
|
HX |
Cancel requiring action by subscriber |
|
IN |
If
not holding, need |
|
IS |
If
not holding, sell |
|
IX |
If
holding, cancel |
|
KK |
Confirming |
|
KL |
Confirming from waitlist |
|
LL |
Waitlist |
|
NN |
Need |
|
NO |
No
action |
|
PA |
Priority 1 waitlist |
|
PB |
Priority 2 waitlist |
|
PD |
Priority 4 waitlist |
|
PN |
Pending need |
|
PO |
Priority 4 waitlist |
|
RR |
Reconfirmation |
|
SS |
Sell |
|
TK |
Advise time change |
|
TL |
Advise time change on waitlisted segment |
|
TN |
Advise time change on segment request |
|
UC |
Unable to accept sell, waitlist closed |
|
UN |
Unable - flight does not operate |
|
US |
Unable to accept sell, have waitlist |
|
UU |
Unable, have waitlisted |
|
WL |
Was waitlisted |
|
XK |
Cancel segment without sending message |
|
XX |
Cancel segment |
Galileo
|
Status Code |
Description |
|
AK |
Passive segment confirmed outside Galileo |
|
AL |
Passive segment waitlisted outside Galileo |
|
AN |
Passive segment requested outside Galileo |
|
BK |
Passive segment booked outside Galileo |
|
BL |
Passive segment waitlisted outside Galileo |
|
BN |
Passive segment requested outside Galileo |
|
DL |
Deferred for waitlist |
|
HK |
Holding confirmed if filed as active or passive |
|
HL |
Holding waitlist |
|
HN |
Holding need |
|
HX |
Cancel requiring action by subscriber |
|
IN |
If
not holding, need |
|
IX |
If
not cancelled, cancel segment |
|
KK |
Confirming |
|
KL |
Confirm from waitlist |
|
NO |
No
action |
|
PA |
Priority 1 waitlist |
|
PB |
Priority 2 waitlist |
|
PN |
Pending need |
|
RR |
Reconfirmation |
|
TK |
Advise time change |
|
TL |
Advise time change on waitlisted segment |
|
TN |
Advise time change on segment request |
|
UC |
Unable to accept sell, waitlist closed |
|
UN |
Unable - flight does not operate |
|
US |
Unable to accept sell, have waitlist |
|
UU |
Unable have waitlisted |
|
WL |
Was waitlisted |
|
XK |
Cancel segment without sending message |
|
XX |
Cancel segment |
Sabre
|
Status Code |
Description |
|
BK |
Confirmed manually, teletype sent only if cancelled |
|
BL |
Waitlisted manually, teletype sent only if cancelled |
|
DS |
Desire segment (open segment) |
|
GK |
Guaranteed or group booking code OA only |
|
GL |
Waitlisted manually, no teletype sent |
|
HK |
Holds confirmed |
|
HL |
Have waitlisted (on waiting list) |
|
HN |
Have requested |
|
HS |
Have sold and inventory for segment specified |
|
HX |
Have canceled (tty sent from ARS to GDS) |
|
IN |
If
not holding need, check for dupe reservation |
|
IS |
If
not holding sell, check for dupe reservation |
|
JL |
Priority waitlist |
|
KK |
Confirming |
|
KL |
Confirming from waitlist |
|
LL |
Waitlisting segment |
|
NN |
Need space |
|
NO |
No
action |
|
PN |
Pending |
|
RR |
Reconfirm |
|
SS |
Sold |
|
TK |
Confirming/holds confirmed, advise of new schedule |
|
TL |
On
waitlist, advise of new schedule |
|
TN |
Pending need, advise of new schedule |
|
UC |
Unable to confirm/ waitlist closed |
|
UN |
Not operating |
|
US |
Unable to confirm from sell, have waitlisted |
|
UU |
Unable to confirm from NN, have waitlisted |
|
XB |
Cancellation |
|
XK |
Cancel segment, not teletype |
|
XL |
Cancel waitlist |
|
XX |
Cancel confirmed space |
|
YK |
Confirmed manually for AA space only |
Worldspan
|
Status Code |
Description |
|
DL |
Deferred from waitlist, code not sent in TTY |
|
GA |
Group request - preferred, code not sent in TTY |
|
GC |
Group request unable - can't be listed, code not sent in TTY |
|
GN |
Group request - alternate, code not sent in TTY |
|
GO |
Group request - no action taken, code not sent in TTY |
|
GX |
GA-GN-GU-GL action codes affected by SC |
|
HK |
Holding confirmed |
|
HL |
Hold on waitlist |
|
HN |
Holding need |
|
HX |
Have cancelled |
|
IN |
If
not holding, need |
|
IS |
If
not holding, sell |
|
IX |
If
holding, cancel |
|
KK |
Need confirmed |
|
KL |
Confirmed from waitlist |
|
LL |
Requested waitlist |
|
MK |
Passive segment, confirmed, code not sent in TTY |
|
ML |
Memo list, code not sent in TTY |
|
NN |
Request need |
|
NO |
No
action |
|
OX |
Only cancel if alternate available |
|
PA |
Priority waitlist, code not sent in TTY |
|
PB |
Priority waitlist, code not sent in TTY |
|
PC |
Priority waitlist, code not sent in TTY |
|
PD |
Priority waitlist, code not sent in TTY |
|
PN |
Pending need, code not sent in TTY |
|
RR |
Reconfirmed, international |
|
SC |
Schedule change, code not sent in TTY |
|
SS |
Sell |
|
TK |
Time change - confirming |
|
TL |
Time change - waitlist |
|
TN |
Time change - pending segment |
|
UC |
Unavailable, waitlist closed |
|
UN |
Flight not operating |
|
US |
Unable to accept sell, waitlist |
|
UU |
Unable to confirm, waitlist |
|
WK |
Was confirmed |
|
WL |
Was waitlisted |
|
WN |
Was needed |
|
XK |
Passive segment, cancel - no message sent |
Return to Top
|
|
Information contained on this web site is
subject to change at any time without notice. American Airlines shall not be
liable for any consequences resulting from your reliance on the information.
|
|
Reservations
