Book of travels delayed4/17/2023 ![]() 1957-1964: SABRE is the first booking automation system As a result, the first computer reservation system (CRS) was born. The growing number of travelers and analog booking forced American Airlines to modernize their booking pipeline. ![]() So, the whole process relied heavily on manual input. If an agent needed to book a ticket, he or she would put a paper card into the device and fill in all the necessary information. Both devices represented complicated mechanical computers that could show seat availability. Those systems included primitive semi-automatic devices as Magnetronic Reservisor and Reserwriter developed by IBM for American Airlines. The whole process was clumsy and slow, making it hard for carriers to process large volumes of bookings.ĭuring the late 50s, this issue was partially solved by IBM’s early computerized systems. Ticketing agents were operating with paper cards stored in a rotating tank, manually checking flight and seat availability, filling in passenger info by hand. A single booking could take about an hour, even more. At that time, airlines used archaic, manual systems that opened access to the airlines’ inventory and allowed for booking tickets via phone calls. Rising demand forced major carriers to seek a solution capable of processing bookings much quicker than it used to be. In the 1950s, airlines in the USA and Europe experienced the rapid growth of new customers. 1957-1976: The era of Computer Reservation Systems By looking at this history timeline, you’ll be able to understand, at least partially, how the modern flight reservation market formed. We chose events that depict the gradual change of reservation systems, giving a solid understanding of how airline distribution developed. In this article, we will look at the history of flight booking: from the beginning of the first semi-automatic systems to modern e-ticketing and online booking. While customer-facing technologies are advanced, some systems and processes under the distribution umbrella are legacy monsters that date their inception to the 70s.It’s still hard for small online travel agencies and other travel distribution businesses to enter the market because such giants as Expedia and Booking Holdings own most of the market.Airlines are stuck with a limited number of distribution capabilities as three major players on the market (Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport) dominate the distribution landscape.But for businesses, the way the air travel market works is worrisome: Fast forward to today – and previously unimaginable – travelers enjoy fully automated ticket booking, reserving and paying for flights using smartphones.Ī quick run through the whole history of booking technologiesįrom the customer’s standpoint, things look great. Twenty years or so down the road in the 60s, the whole booking process could be accomplished in minutes – through a travel agent. With the growing number of customers, carriers had to overcome numerous challenges to make booking fast, convenient, and operationally easy. As air travel became a viable transportation option in the early 40s, thousands of people became ticket buyers. ![]()
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