Air Rarotonga GDS & CRS reservation and ticketing policy

Air Rarotonga – GDS and CRS Reservation and Ticketing Policy

General Notes

In order to reduce the costs related to abusive reservation practices Air Rarotonga has previously published a formal GDS/CRS booking policy, which is fully in line with IATA Travel Agent’s Handbook and all industry standards, and is aimed at cost reduction.

Please note that Air Rarotonga is charged significantly by each GDS and CRS for each segment booked by a travel agency. Therefore un-ticketed segments and non-standard agency behavior may result in significant loss for the airline.

This Policy is not intended to affect the services and distribution levels provided by Air Rarotonga  to their Travel Partners and will only target practices that are clearly abusive and/or have a negative impact on the airline’s inventory as well as to customers. Air Rarotonga is closely monitoring the reservation procedures of their partners and will address behavior that is not in line with this Policy.

The Policy is obligatory for all GDS/CRS subscribers that in any way have the ability to access Air Rarotonga’s inventory. The Travel Partner has to ensure that all of its employees and contractors are familiar with this Policy including all of its future updates.

Air Rarotonga reserves the right to any time change the scope and any fees mentioned in this Policy. Travel Partners will be informed of any change 30 days in advance. An up to date version can be found at https://airraro.com/gds-policy

Air Rarotonga reserves the right to charge the Travel Partner and the Travel Partner agrees to pay for any actions which are not in line 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 a loss of access to Air Rarotonga’s Booking Content. The Travel Partner must pay any amounts owed to Air Rarotonga in accordance with the terms of this Policy accrued prior to the date of termination.

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.

Finally, Air Rarotonga would like to thank all their Partners for cooperation and understanding.

Kia Orana e Kia Manuia

Air Rarotonga 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 is no intent for travel and which are not related to request from passenger to buy a ticket.

 

Bookings not requested by real passenger

  • Bookings made with fake names
  • Reservations made for other purpose 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 of 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/CRS/Reservation Channel

Baggage Allowance

  • Incorrect or missing baggage allowance shown in the ticket
  • Misrepresentation of our baggage and flexibility rules for GDS RBDs in order to sell customer an extra insurance

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

  • It is forbidden to deliberately generate No Shows on Air Rarotonga flights.Including but not limited to:The Travel Partner must ensure that all bookings were issued within the limit set by Air Rarotonga. Booking on the day of departure without issuing tickets is strictly prohibited.Not removing segments from PNR when the Ticket or that portion of the Ticket is refunded/voided/exchanged.

 

Churning

  • The Travel Partner must respect the ticketing time limit set by Air Rarotonga. All activity resulting in repetitive cancelation and booking of the same flight segment in order to circumvent Air Rarotonga’s ticket time limit is considered as a breach of this Policy.

Booking of multiple alternatives of one trip

  • The Travel Partner must not book multiple flights/connections on the same day for the same passenger (except for roundtrip flights/connections)
  • Fake Ticket numbers : Travel Partner must not use fake ticket numbers.
  • Test PNRs: Training and Testing must be created 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) Travel Partner should avoid using Direct Access availability queries, especially online travel agents.
  • Queues: Travel Partner is responsible for working all queues properly on a regular basis and is responsible for informing its clients regarding any changes in the PNR affecting passenger’s travel. The agent is responsible to handle and inform passengers concerning irregularities and itinerary changes.
  • Inactive SegmentsInactive Segments (UN, UC, HX, etc.) must be removed from PNR as soon as possible. 
  • Interline Ticketing: When using OAL ticket stock, the ticket must contain at least one OAL and one GZ segment.  Travel Partner must make sure that interline partner(s) on the ticket have interline agreement with GZ.
  • Name Change: As per applicable Air Rarotonga’s Name Change policy.
  • Taxes: Travel 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 has to correspond with passenger’s boarding/destination point. Inserting of 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: Air Rarotonga reserves the right to hold the agent responsible and liable for losses and damages to violation of IATA/Air Rarotonga Reservation and Ticketing Policy.

1. Air Rarotonga reservew the right to use BSP link to issue ADM(s)

2. Air Rarotonga will send the ADM(s) to Travel Partner on monthly basis

3. Travel Partner may argue with the issued ADM(s) by sending formal dispute within 15 days of debit memo date (as per BSP Guideline)

4. Air Rarotonga will revert accordingly within 60 days from receiving the dispute (as per BSP Guideline)

Effective Date

These GDS Policies and Terms have last been updated and are effective as of November 1, 2023.