The Deem team has been hard at work, consulting with customers about their current travel point points - many of which relate to the current seat map and assignment functionality. We have developed a road map to improve the current experience.
Current Traveler Pain Points:
- Travelers with frequent flyer status are not able to select premium seats on some airlines (AA on Sabre is the airline causing the most pain)
- Travelers without frequent flyer status are not able to select a premium paid seat, as paid seat processing is not yet supported
- Inconsistent access to seat data across airlines and each GDS
- No access to a travelers frequent flyer status and the type of seat they are entitled to per airline program
- Travelers' fare selection is not tied to premium seat selection when paid or free
- Seat map request is not validating travelers frequent flyer status when available by airline and GDS
- Inconsistent display of seat types such as paid seat, free seat, exit row seat, premium seat, etc
- Poor seat map user experience
- Vague or missing seat status messaging to travelers when seat is rejected by airline
- System does not consistently retry seat request when initial seat request is rejected by airline
- Inconsistent seat map display and seat selection on desktop vs mobile app
Roadmap Enhancements to Resolve Pain Points:
- Update seat map call to the GDS to view all open seats with corresponding status code – paid seat, free seat, exit row seat, premium seat, etc
- Pre-purchase: send full coach booking code in standalone seat map request
- Post-purchase: send seat map request using segment select to get validated seat map response
- Send each airline seat map request to GDS with best structured seat map response – eg DL to Wspan, AA to Sabre, etc
- Open up available seats for selection and flag accordingly based on type – eg premium seat, paid seat, etc
- Update static seat map table for airlines that support read only seat maps or reject seat request greater that 90%
- Tie seat map display and seat selection to selected fare tier and airline
- Allow selection of ‘free seat’ if fare tier allows a free seat
- Allow selection of ‘premium seat’ if fare tier allows for a premium seat
- Read only seat map display and no seat selection if fare tier does not allow a free or premium seat
- Improve messaging to travelers when seat is not allowed or otherwise rejected by airline
- Fix set of known issues where travelers are not advised when seat is rejected
- Tie seat map display and seat selection to frequent flyer status
- Track travelers frequent flyer status and allow or disallow premium seat selection per program
- Improve seat map user experience - no seats are available, seat map not available, Seat Guru data and overlay
- Enhance retry logic to send follow up seat request when initial seat request is rejected
- Align desktop and mobile seat map display and seat selection
Roadmap:
Note: 90% of all seat map issues will be resolved by the end of Phase 2 which is targeted for the end of July.
| Phase 1 - Completed July 11th. | Phase 2 - Completed July 11th. | Phase 3 | Phase 4
|
|---|
- Update seat map call to the GDS - Pre-purchase send full coach booking code in standalone seat map request
- Optimize seat map request by GDS
- Open up available paid/premium seats for selection
- Fix seat status messaging pre/post purchase
- Update static seat map table
| - Fix seat map display with horizontal layout.
- Tie seat map display and seat selection to fare tier
- Enhance retry logic to send follow up seat request when initial seat request is rejected
| - Support paid seat request and processing in the pre and post purchase workflows
- Align desktop and mobile experience – Travel Services
- Update seat map call to the GDS – Validate seat map in post-purchase workflow
| - Tie seat map display and seat selection to frequent flyer status
- Enhance Travelport seat map call – implement uAPI for Apollo and WSpan seat maps
- Implement Sabre web services seat map call
|
Future
Integrate Seat Guru seat data and visual overlay on seat maps
NDC for airline seat content