Messages Module

The Messages Module is intended for working with incoming and outgoing messages. Incoming messages, containing information about booking for flights subject to check-in, arrive to the system from the Reservations Systems (RES systems). Outgoing messages about the actually departed flights are sent to the reservations systems and destinations (airports) of the flight.

It is possible to work with messages for the current date, the next date and for 15 days preceding the current date.

Actions with messages:

• Viewing incoming messages
• Viewing outgoing messages
• Generating outgoing messages
• Editing outgoing messages
• Dispatch of outgoing messages
• Recording messages on a hard drive
• Downloading messages from the hard disk
• Printing messages.

Incoming messages

The system can accept and process two types of incoming messages: PNL (Passenger Name List) and ADL (Additions and Deletions List), according to the IATA Recommended Practice 1707/1708, which come from the reservations systems.

PNL message contains information about the number of passengers booked for the flight by destinations and classes, it may also contain passenger names, special service remarks and further related information. PNL message containing only the number of passengers (without names) is called a numeric message; the message containing passenger names is called name message.

ADL message contains information about amendments in the list of passengers booked for the flight and full data about the number of passengers as of the moment of the message generating. ADL can also be numeric and name message.

It is recommended to sent the messages as follows: A numeric PNL message 24 hours before the departure for preliminary estimation of the loading. Then, 4 hours before the departure (i.e., directly before check-in opening), a name PNL message and then ADL message in case of changes due to sales or returning tickets.

The messages arrive only for departing flights. There are no incoming messages for arriving flights.

Particularities of acceptance

Each incoming PNL or ADL message may be divided into several parts if it is too large (requirement for data transfer through SITA channels). The information about it is contained inside the message. Astra system forms a single message from several parts and then analyzes information contained in it. For this purpose the system has two independent processes. The first process is responsible for the acceptance of message parts, the other process is responsible for combining and analysis of messages. The latter process also associates the message with a particular flight from the DFP (Daily Flight Plan).

If two or more identical messages (parts) are accepted, only the first one will be processed, the rest will be ignored.

PNL and ADL messages contain information on the basis of which the message may be attributed to (associated with) the flight on a particular date. In particular, a message contains flight number and date. The process of analyzing includes the continual DFP scanning in order to find the addressee of not associated massages when the flight date in the message is more or equal to the current date. Then the process stops for such messages and they will be classified as undetermined.

The outline of the process is as follows:

acceptance of parts > combining parts > association with the flight on a particular date > analysis.

Processing

The PNL and ADL messages processing rules are as follows:

• Upon receipt of messages the system compares the time of their generating and updates the loading info using the latest data;
• As any PNL or ADL message contains complete data about the number of passengers (flight load), the load calculations will be updated in the system upon receipt of messages (you can see this info in the Check-in Preparation Module);
• After name PNL message is accepted, the passenger names contained in all further name PNL messages from the same address will be ignored, but the load calculations will be updated;
• Before the name PNL messages is accepted, all received ADL messages will wait for the passenger names processing (!load calculations will be updated at the moment of ADL message acceptance!);
• Upon receipt of the name PNL message, all ADL messages waiting for processing will be processed and the amended data will be registered by the system.

The outline of the message processing is as follows:

numeric PNL > …> numeric PNL >name PNL > ADL > … > ADL

Outgoing messages

The system can generate and dispatch the following outgoing messages: PTM (IATA Recommended Practice 1718), BTM (IATA Recommended Practice 1745, sections 1-3), PFS (IATA Recommended Practice 1719), PSM (IATA Recommended Practice 1715), LDM (IATA AHM 583), MVT (IATA AHM 780), as well as free format messages.

The list of message types is stored in the Message Type reference table, the example of which is given in Figure 1.

See also:

• Working with the Message Module
• PFS Groups
• Entering Crew in the Transportation module for LDM Message
• Automaitc LDM Sending
• Searching for non-proccessed messages
• Error Messages Processing
• Rules of Forming Messages in the Free Seating Mode
• Outbound Messages Options

Other sections:

• Boarding module
• Seasonal Schedule Management Module
• Check-in Preparation Module
• Check-in module
• Documentation module
• Statistics module
• EMDA Module
• Messages Module
• Access Module
• Baggage Payment Module
• Transportation Module
• Weight and Balance Module
• Web Check-in at a Cost Service
• Alarms Designations
• Self Check-in Kiosk Software
• Administration module