OAG flight Guide Supplement

OAG Flight Guide publishes a supplement quarterly to provide the information may required to knowto travel certain country.It provides information related to passport, visa rules and regulation of the countries. It is published by a division of Red Business Information as a supplement to OAGFlight Guide Book. This supplement includes information about the country, health information,visa/passport formalities and other related information may require to travel. It contains different sections such as:* Country Code* currency codes* Airport & City Codes* Baggage Allowance* Frequent Flyers - the special facilities offered by different airlines to its regular customers.The facilities include mileage, hotel, car rental facilites.* Airlines Clubs - The address of the different airlines clubs, their address, fees and benefits, admit,etcoffered by the airlines clubs.* Frequent Lodges - The facilities provided by different lodges/hotels to its regular customer.* Frequent Renters - The facilities offered by rental companies to its regular customer.* Health Information - The health information also includes World Health Map.* World Map.* Airport Diagrams - the airport lay out.* Aircraft Seating Plans* General Information - This is the main objective of this manual. This section provides information aboutthe country in alphabetical order. It contains the location, capital, language, currency, business/ social hints,public holiday, climate, health, Passport and visa, custom facilities. It also includes theinformation about the airport such as Airport tax, location, facilities available at the airport, etc.

OAG Flight Guide

OAG Flight Guide : Reed Travel Group Ltd. of Great Britain publishes OAG Flight Guide every month. It is the completeguide to air travel.In this guidebook the infomation related to air travel are listed in alphabeticalorder and in a systematic sequence. It is believed that it contains each and every information relatedto airlines, airport and their timetables/schedules. Earlier it used to be called ABC Guide, and how a itis published as OAG Flight Guide. Sometimes it may be published in one volume but mostly publishedin two volumes. It it is published in two volumes, the first part is popularly known as BlueABC or OAG and 2nd part being red in color known as RED ABC or RED OAG. The 1st Part will containthe information regarding the airlines, city codes, airlines code, City to City Schedules of the cities fromA to M alphabetically. The 2nd part contained the information related to City to City Schedules from N to Z and some information related to fare. Those two volumes together comprised total information of flight schedules.The system of coding and decoding was developed even before the modern computerized communication system was developed. Moderncommunication system also follows the same system. To handle travel matters through computerized network one should have basicunderstading of the system that is in The OAG Book.

Information sources , Source of information

The required information can be drawn from different sources. Some information can be directly related to travel while others are not directly related but play a vital role. Political news, festivals, fairs, visits of the head of the states to a certain country,etc. are not directly related to travel business but it effects the industry. It will affect the demand of the airlines seats. These news gives the idea about the pressure on air space, traffic problems, security systems etc. Similarly, weather report gives you the idea of flight operation in the mountain regions; festivals, special activities, etc will give you some idea on flight operation.

Travel agent or airlines staff need to maintain the record of travel information. The information are necessary for government formalities, for the airlines and for the customers. The information can be categorized in the following ways:

* Governmental requirement - Under this group we collect all the information as per the government rules. They are necessary information related to government rules and regulations such as passport, visa, health documents, airport tax, etc.

* Airlines requirement - A staff needs to collect the information related to airlines such as flight schedules, tariff, rules and regulation published by the airlines, promotional policies, etc. we need to keep a record of reservation requests made to certain airlines and states, TTL, PNR etc.

* Personal requirement - Under this heading information related to guests are recorded. Their booking, requirement, need, contact address, bill etc.

1. Informal or related information - The sources of informal information are news papers, magazines , government law and regulations. The government of the country will issue rules and regulations regarding passport, visa, immigrations, airport tax etc.

2. Formal information is published by airlines or by international associations. They are the time table, news letters, electronic media, OAG World Airways Guide, PAT.

3. Computer Automated Systerm - This is the system that provides the travel information through the help of computer. A special network has been developed to provide all the travel related information. BY the help of this system one can get the information about the country, visa and passport rules, airport tax, health regulation etc. One can get the information of availability of space or non-availability and as well as reserve the seat. They are ; Computer Reservation System (CRS) and Airlines Reservation System (ARS).

Special Feature of the Travel Product

The seats are the product of an airlines. To sell the seats, an airlines publishes its schedule. Some airlines may combine accommodation and destinations with airlines seats and sell as a package tour. Certain air tickets include hotel accommodation also. Their main target is to sell te seat. For this purpose, they may add different attractions with air space. The following special features of the travel products have made the subjects more complicated.

1. A travel product, that is airlines seats is non-transferable. If you reserve an airlines seat for a passenger, he and only he is entitled to travel on it.

2. Date and sectors are non-changeable unless it is approved and endorsed with the concerned airlines.

3. The product is non-storable. It has to be consumed/sold before the actual production starts. Once the aircraft takes - off the air, seats cannot be sold or stored. Half consumption or return from half way is not possible.

4. Producing of the travel product is publishing the schedule. Flight schedules are the production of the airlines seats. They have to be sold within a limited time. Once schedules are published, the flights should take-off. An airline cannot increase or decrease the production of his product once a schedules is published. To increase or decrease the production , it must get approval from the concerned authority.

Dealing with travel documents

In the travel industry, there are different types of documents used between the airlines. These documentsare acceptable to the member airlines. The concerned autority monitors their formats, disign, rules and regulation and writing process. Where as IATA has developed standard format to its member airlines.The basic objectives of these documents are to facilitate the customers and to promote the travelindustry. They help for money transaction, communication, saves communication expresses. Mostpopular documents used between the airlines are Prepaid Ticket Advise (PTA ) and Miscellaneous Charge Order(MCO).

PTA (Prepaid Ticket Advise): Prepaid Ticket Advise (PTA) is a document used in the travel industry. It is not an air ticket butis a request made by one carrier to another to issue a ticket. IT is issued on receiving the paymentfrom the customer.The PTA may be issued to cover air fares, taxes, excess baggage charges and cashadvance to cover en route expenses. It cannot be used for money transfer.

MCO ( Miscellaneous Charge Order): The Miscellaneous Charge Order(MCO) is a request form. It is issued by an agency to anotherto provide the services on behalf of him. It is similar to a service order used in travel agencies.It is issued to cover the services, such as excess baggage, hotel accomodation, taxes, refund of the balances, collection for PTA and charges to be collected for service.MCO is a legal document or legal proof that the passenger is entitled to receive the services.The MCO is made of 1,2,3 or 4 coupons. In every type, it contains a jacket, exchange coupons, auditcoupons and a passenger coupon.

Tips of Travel information

1.The most important aspects of information is motivation. The best and impressive information motivates people to buy the product
2. Proper and correct information will eliminate the chances of future misunderstanding
3. The product an airline is selling is very complex because of its multi-faceted activities, which together product the "tourist product".Airlines are selling seat only or it may join with a hotel,and or with tour,and or other service industries. It is also complex because,various sub-sectors of this product are in themselves a complete industries. Hotel, tour or different centers of attraction independently or jointly sell their product. So,there are always chance of misunderstanding between customer and seller.
4. Tourism is a service industry and is directly related to satisfaction and human behavior. As such, it is most complicated subject to deal with.
5. Each of the components of tourism is supplied by individual provides of services like hotels,airlines or other suppliers . A consumtor can combine these individual products through a large number of ways. There can be many possible destination, each with a number of potential choice facing the consumer is very large . It can be sold as a package by the airlines or assembled by the tourist himself or by the travel agent .in tourism,it is most important to let the customers know how each of the components are joined and what the limitations of each of the service agency are.

Travel information, importance of information in travel

It is well-known fact that travel and tourism industry is based on information. Many people pefer to define tourism as channels of information. Actually a travel agency,as a middleman sells nothing but information. The information in the tourism industry is somewhat different than other industries . It is a service industry where we are dealing in non-transferable items,sometimes non-tangible product and it is a non storeable item. It is well known that in tourism,information has to to be provided first at the time of sales and the second time of consumption motivates the customers to purchases the product. the information provided the second time is related to making them understand how to use tHE Commodity. Many times in tourism,a travel agent as a middleman sells what he does not own. A seller and service providing agencies are different .So proper and right information is most inmportant subject in this industry.

The information has to be provided at the market.Market is defined as "where buyers and sellers meet together". Being the special feature of tourism,market buying and selling is done in a different way than other consumer products. In travel ,selling an airlines product,that is airlinesseats,is done there where the customer is done later.So,a travel agent must be informative about the product he is selling.