BOOKING POLICY DEFINITIONS

Booking Policy

  • Admin Fees for Debit Memo 

    Delta and KLM will each assess a $50 administrative fee for each debit memo issued.

  • Back-to-back Ticketing

    Delta's policy as stated in tariff rule 100 specifically prohibits the practice of back-to-back ticketing, which is defined as follows: The issuance or use of coupons from two or more tickets issued at round-trip fares or the combination of two or more round-trip fares end to end on the same ticket, for the purpose of circumventing applicable tariff rules such as advance purchase and minimum stay requirements.

    Agents engaging in this practice are held accountable for these violations and appropriate action is taken, including issuing debit memos, and where appropriate, terminating their Delta appointment.

  • Canceling Reservations

    Segments must be canceled and inventory released immediately when a ticket has not been purchased in accordance with the fare rule, or when notified by a customer that travel is no longer needed, whichever comes first. Canceled space for one passenger shall not be used for another customer even if that customer desires an identical itinerary.

    TSA Secure Flight Passenger Data - Industry Mandate

    Secure Flight Passenger Data is required for each passenger and segment. PNRS without comple SFPD may be subject to cancellation shortly before the 72 hour TSA deadline for providing this information.

  • Churning

    Churning refers to any repeated booking or canceling of the same itinerary in the same class or different classes of service across one or more passenger name records or GDSs including, without limitation, to circumvent or extend ticketing time limits, hold inventory or to meet GDS productivity requirements. DL excludes from churning calculations all activity generated the same date the initial booking for a segment was created.

  • Claim PNR

    Updated: July 17, 2008

    Claim PNR allows travel agencies to programmatically take control of Delta created bookings for ticketing purposes in markets that are not e-ticket eligible. Delta created bookings that are wholly e-ticket eligible will be secured and unavailable for automated transfer of control (Claim) by travel agencies via their GDS.

    Delta bookings such as those with more than 9 passengers or those booked in SkyMiles award classes are secured and continue to be excluded from Claim functionality.

    If you have additional questions, please contact your GDS Help Desk.

  • Dual Automation

    A GDS subscriber that uses more than one GDS in its business must book and ticket a specific passenger itinerary within the same GDS.

  • Duplicate Bookings

    All duplicate bookings generated by a single GDS subscriber are prohibited, including:

    • Multiple itineraries for any number of passengers with the same passenger name, whether identical itineraries or not
    • Reserving one or more seats on the same flight or different flights for the same time frame, regardless of the class of service or format used to make the reservations

    Additionally, creating a reservation where it is logically impossible to be used on each segment created across one or more PNRs or GDSs is not permitted. Examples of fee application related to Duplicate Segments.

  • Fraudulent/Fictitious Bookings

    Fraudulent, fictitious, or speculative bookings are forbidden. These are defined as reservations where a booking is entered into a GDS regardless of input codes, using fictional or fabricated names, with no intent for travel and is not directly related to a request from a passenger to purchase a ticket.
    Examples of such bookings include reservations that list the following in the PNR:

    • Schedule A/B/C
    • Mouse/Mickey
    • Smith/A/B/C
    • Test/Delta

    Additionally, creating such PNRs to hold or block reservations due to expected demand, customer indecision, or for any reason including, without limitation, to circumvent any of Delta Air Line's fare rules or policies is not permitted.

  • Group Bookings

    An acceptable group booking may include segments entered passively into a GDS. These passive segments must match segments already existing in Delta's Reservation System. Passive segments may only be entered at the time, and for the purpose, of ticket issuance.

    Group bookings entered into a GDS that are not directly related to a customer request and are subsequently canceled prior to ticketing are considered speculative. Groups booked in a manner designed to circumvent these procedures are subject to penalties and/or cancellation by Delta Air Lines. This includes, without limitation, creating hidden groups by making multiple, small bookings which are intended as a group. Delta prohibits creating speculative and hidden group bookings.

  • Inactive Segments

    All inactive segments must be removed from the GDS PNR at least 24 hours before departure. Inactive segments include those with the status codes of HX, NO, UN, UC, SC, TK, US or WK. Inactive segments that are not cancelled 24 hours prior to departure are subject to Cost Recovery Fee charges from Delta.

  • Inventory Circumvention

    Delta manages inventory on an origin and destination (O&D) basis. Inventory that is available on a particular segment for one O&D may not be available for other O&Ds including the same segment. Delta's booking policy prohibits the creation of reservations with the intent to circumvent inventory management controls (e.g., married segment logic or journey controls) and/or to obtain inventory for ticket sales which Delta does not intend to offer for the passenger's actual O&D itinerary. Agents engaging in circumvention of Delta, Air France, KLM and Alitalia inventory controls will be held accountable for these violations.

  • Journey Control (O&D)

    Journey Control technology eliminates the ability to book one flight segment at a time (point-to-point) when more than one flight is necessary to get the passenger to his or her final destination. Creating a reservation that includes connections must now be booked from a schedules or availability display that includes the passenger’s complete origin and destination (O&D).

    This technology will review every booking and itinerary change to ensure compliance with O&D guidelines. Bookings or cancellations which violate Journey Control rules will receive a unique error message denying the transaction.

    Journey Control provides customers with consistent availability found across all distribution channels.

    Note: Journey Control technology allows Delta Air Lines improved detection and enforcement efforts for ticketing abuses. Agents engaging in this practice are held accountable for these violations and appropriate action is taken in accordance with Delta's Abusive Ticketing policies.

  • Off-Shore/Cross Border Ticketing

    Delta's base commission structure varies by country. Delta-appointed travel agents shall not, directly or indirectly, circumvent the Delta base commission rate structure applicable to sales in one country by collecting base commissions at rates applicable in other countries, which encompasses the following:

    • Through the establishment or use of an international branch office, satellite ticket printer or electronic transfer of ticketing data
    • Through a commission sharing or referral arrangement with a travel agency in another country, or otherwise

    Delta reserves the right to collect any amount of inappropriately retained base commissions and terminate the Delta ticketing authority of any Delta-appointed travel agents who participates in practices contrary to Delta's rules regarding its base commission structure.

  • Passive Segments

    An acceptable passive segment is a segment entered into a GDS for the purpose of ticketing. It must match an existing booking.

    GDS subscribers must use claim PNR functionality when it is available and can be used for ticketing instead of passive segments. The creation of passive segments when it is possible to claim a Delta created PNR instead is not permitted.

    In order to better control costs and eliminate abuse associated with the use of passive segments Delta participates in passive segment notification in GDSs which offer this enhancement. This means that whenever a travel agent passively books a Delta segment, Delta receives a passive segment notification (PK, PL, PU, PX) message at end transaction.

    1. Delta will automatically validate each passive segment notification message to determine that a matching segment exists in our internal reservations systems.

    2. If an identical segment does not exist within Delta’s internal system a message will be sent back to the GDS PNR, changing the status code of the passive segment to "NO" (No Action Taken) .

    3. An SSR will also accompany the rejected segment stating that the segment containing the passive is not valid. Passive segment(s) may be rejected by Delta for one or more of the following reasons:

    • Matching itinerary not found
    • Matching name not found
    • Matching number of passengers not found
    • Matching class of service not found
    • Segment actively waitlisted by Delta; passive waitlist not allowed
    • Matching passive segment previously received
    • Agency does not have ticketing authority or is on Delta’s denied sales table
    • Segment cannot be ticketed as booked or segment is already ticketed

    4. Industry standards require that passive segments be used "for the purpose of ticketing" only after a booking has been made in an airline's inventory system. Delta does not allow passive segments to be used for other reasons, including the following:

    • To satisfy GDS productivity requirements
    • To circumvent fare rules
    • To fulfill administrative functions
  • Premium Group Process

    For all U.S. and exit U.S. point-of-sale locations (domestic and U.S. to international), when booking a premium group, follow the ticketing rules below:

    • Group minimum – 10 passengers
    • No discounts
    • Tour Conductors can be negotiated - Valid for agencies only
    • Customer contact – official agency only
    • Booking inventory for Delta: Delta mainline – Q class or above using published fares only
    • The agency will establish one Equity Account to be used for all Premium Groups. Agency will be responsible for maintaining the rolling balance.
    • Full payment will include taxes and surcharges applicable at the time of the fare quote and is non-refundable
    • Equity cannot be used for future travel
    • Feeder space will be allowed for international destinations only
    • One free name change is permitted per ticket, prior to departure. Agency must reissue the ticket.

    Premium Group Process

    1. Agency (acting on behalf of the customer) contacts the GSSC Customer Service Coordinators for blocked domestic and International space via e-mail.
    2. Full payment is required within 7 business days of booking. If payment is not received the blocked space will be canceled.
    3. Confirmation letter, along with two forms describing Electronic Payment and Equity Card procedures, will be sent to the agency via e-mail.
    4. Upon receipt of payment, Equity account will be credited.
    5. Agency will control ticket issuance and use FOP DL Equity card.
    6. Tickets must be issued at least 7 days prior to departure. When ticket issuance is complete, agency must send e-mail notification to the GSSC Customer Service Coordinator.

    Post Booking

    Additional information:

    • Group questions and follow-up will be handled by the GSSC Customer Service Coordinators (CSC).
    • Adding additional passengers to the group will be confirmed subject to availability using applicable fares at the time of booking.
    • Agency will issue their own tickets with FOP DL Equity card (additional taxes and surcharges will be the responsibility of the agency).
    • Agency will issue their own approved tour conductors.
    • Once all tickets for the group have been issued (minimum of 7 days before departure), it is the agency’s responsibility to inform the Group Customer Service Coordinator desk that ticketing is complete.
    • Group tickets are non refundable but can be reissued for future travel. Applicable penalties will apply.
    • International feeder space is allowed based on available inventory at the time of booking.
    • Once feeder space has been added for the entire group, the agency will be notified to make a deposit in the amount equal to the additional collection.
    • One free name change is permitted per ticket, prior to departure. Agency must reissue the ticket.

    Payment Option

    Electronic Payment Option (Preferred Method) - accounts will wire payment directly to the Delta Air Lines, Inc. account with Citibank. Specific instructions will be provided via e-mail from the CSC desk. Non-U.S. agency/customer accounts cannot wire payments to pay for their groups.

  • Secure Flight Passenger Data Required

    The TSA Secure Flight Program requires Travel Agents to enter the passenger’s legal name, date of birth and gender and allows for an optional redress number against government watch lists for domestic and international flights. PNRs without complete Secure Flight Passenger information may be subject to cancellation, tickets inhibited, and the potential for booking violation fees.

    See the TSA Secure Flight website for more information www.tsa.govopens in a new window.

  • Special Service Request

    When changing itineraries in a passenger name record (PNR), it is necessary to re-request any special service requests from the original booking. When a name is changed in a PNR the SSR documents will be removed from the PNR. This includes unaccompanied minors, special meal requests and Secure Flight Passenger Data.  When an SSR message is needed for only part of the itinerary, the special service request must be flight specific and not requested for all Delta flights.

  • Test or Training PNRs 

    The training mode or non-billable segment status codes provided by the GDS must be used when testing situations or training personnel. Creating PNRs for training purposes using active sell segment status codes is prohibited.

  • Valid Name Required 

    All Delta Air Lines reservations require a valid first, middle, and last name as provided by the passenger. Initials, in lieu of a first, middle, or last name, are not permitted. See the TSA Secure Flight websiteopens in a new window for more information.

    Invalid Name Changes

    Name changes are not permitted on reservations unless entered for the purpose of correcting a misspelling of the passenger's name. Contact the Global Service Center for assistance with misspellings to avoid cancellation of space.

  • Wait Listing

    Wait listing B, M, H, Q, K, L, S, U, and T classes of service on Delta Air Lines is not permitted.