Travel agencies

Useful Information for Trade Partners

Dear Trade Partners

Please check this site for useful information that will help and facilitate your cooperation with Smartwings.

Smartwings GDS/CRS Reservation and Ticketing Policy

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Smartwings GDS/CRS Reservation and Ticketing Policy

The purpose of this document is to inform our agency partners (hereinafter referred to as Trade Partner/s or Agent/s) about existing rules and recommended behaviour regarding booking procedures and air segment management. We count on the cooperation of our Trade Partners in adhering to these policies which serve for everybody’s benefit, both Smartwings, agents and passengers.

This booking policy enables Smartwings to manage the flight inventories in an optimal manner, allowing us to offer better prices, improving at the same time the passenger service while avoiding booking mistakes.

The Policy is obligatory for all GDS/CRS subscribers that in any way have the capability to access Smartwings’ Booking Content. The Trade Partner shall ensure that all its employees and contractors are familiar with this Policy including all of its future updates.

Smartwings will enforce this following set of rules, which are fully compliant with all applicable IATA regulations, and audit those transactions to identify potential non-compliance. Smartwings reserves the right to charge the Trade Partner and Trade Partner agrees to pay for any actions which are not compliant with this Policy at the rates specified further in this document (please see section “Fees and Penalties”). Frequent violations of this Policy and/or failure to pay any outstanding fee(s) may result in loss of access to Smartwings’ Booking Content. Trade Partner must pay any amounts owed to Smartwings in accordance with the terms of this Policy accrued prior to the date of termination.

This Policy is not intended to affect the services and distribution levels provided by Smartwings to their Trade Partner and will only target practices that are clearly abusive and/or have negative impact on the airline’s inventory as well as to customers in some cases.

Smartwings reserve the right to anytime change the scope and any fees mentioned in this Policy. Trade Partners will be informed of any change 30 days in advance. Up to date version can be found on Smartwings website www.smartwings.com.

For general guidelines on how to properly work with Passive Segments, Inactive Segments, Waitlisted Segments, Fake Names, usage of correct RBDs, Duplicate Bookings, Queues and other reservation procedures please refer to IATA Travel Agent’s Handbook – Code of Reservations Ethics, and IATA Resolution 830a – Consequences of violation of Ticketing and Reservation procedures.

Smartwings has the highest consideration for its Trade Partners, values their continuous help and contribute, and believes that this following set of policies will benefit both agencies and passengers.

We appreciate your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Smartwings

Smartwings ADM policy concerning areas handled by IATA Travel Agent’s Handbook and further areas of concern.

Speculative and Fictitious Bookings

• Bookings (confirmed segments as well as waitlist) made in anticipation of a sale or for GDS productivity where no definite passenger exists, where there is no intent for travel and which are not related to requests from passengers to purchase a ticket
• Bookings not requested by real passenger
• Bookings made with fake names
• Reservations made for other purposes than ticket sales, intentionally blocked space
• Not canceled bookings immediately when passenger notifies cancelation
• Repetitively high cancelations ration
• Significant volume of un-ticketed bookings
• Significant volume late cancelations

Administrative bookings

• Bookings created for testing, training or business tracking, printing itineraries or invoices
• Bookings made only for speculative purposes to receive travel document/visa
• Bookings created to keep copy of itinerary

Duplicate bookings

• Bookings with more than one segment and/or more than one PNR for the same passenger for the same/different route with one or more GDS
• Similar itinerary booked on another airline too

Baggage Allowance

• Incorrect or missing baggage allowance shown in the ticket

No Shows, or Bookings on the day of departure without instant ticketing

• It is forbidden to deliberately generate No Shows on Smartwings flights, including but not limited to
  • Trade Partner must ensure that all bookings were issued within the limit set by Smartwings
  • Bookings on the day of departure without issuing tickets are strictly prohibited
  • Not removing segments from PNR when the Ticket or that portion of the Ticket is refunded/voided/exchanged.

Churning

• Trade Partner must respect ticket time limit set by Smartwings. All activity resulting in repetitive cancelation and booking of the same flight segment to circumvent Smartwings ticket time limit is considered as a breach of this Policy.

Bookings of multiple alternatives of one trip

• Trade Partner must not book multiple flights/connections on the same day for the same passenger (except for roundtrip flights/connections).

Fake Ticket numbers

• Trade Partner must not use fake ticket numbers.

Test PNRs (Training and Testing in test system only, not live)

• All test PNRs must be created in respective GDS’s test environment (for further information please contact your GDS).

Direct Access availability queries (mainly OLTA)

• Trade Partner should avoid using Direct Access availability queries, especially online travel agents.

Queues

• Trade Partner is responsible for processing all queues properly on a regular basis and is responsible for informing its clients regarding any changes in the PNR affecting the passenger´s travel. The Agent is responsible for handling and informing passengers concerning irregularities and itinerary changes.

Inactive Segments

• Inactive Segments (UN, UC, HX, etc.) must be removed from PNR as soon as possible.

Interline Ticketing

• When using QS ticket stock (797), the ticket must contain at least one QS segment. Trade Partner must make sure that interline partner(s) on the ticket have interline agreement with QS.

Name Change

• As per applicable Smartwings Name Change policy

Taxes

• Trade Partner is responsible for collecting, reporting and accurate coding of all taxes applicable on the ticket being sold.

Changing the point of origin/destination

• The point of origin must correspond with passenger’s boarding/destination point. Inserting fake segments into booking is not permitted.

Card Acceptance

• Agent should avoid acceptance payment Card issued in the name of the Agent, or in the name of a person permitted to act on behalf of the Agent, or in the name of the Agent's officer, partner or employee in connection with the sale of traffic documents to any customer of the Agent (IATA Resolution 890).

ADM processing description

• Smartwings reserves the right to hold the Agent responsible and liable for losses and damages for violation of IATA/Smartwings Reservation and Ticketing Policy.
• Smartwings reserve the right to use BSP link to issue ADM(s).
• Smartwings will send the ADM(s) to Trade Partner whenever a non-compliance with this Policy is identified.
• Trade Partner may challenge the issued ADM(s) by sending formal dispute within 15 days of debit memo date (as per BSP Guideline). Smartwings will revert accordingly within 60 days from receiving the dispute (as per BSP Guideline).
• Minimum value for the issuance of a single ADM is 5 EUR or equivalent. In case of repeated errors, however, ADM may be issued for a lower amount as well.
• The administration fee for ADM is 10 EUR or equivalent, unless otherwise specified below.