Travel Agency & TMC Management
Network Planning & Scheduling › Sales & Distribution · 17 L4 steps · 6 phases · 8 decision gates · Updated 2026-03-18 21:21
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Process Flow Diagram (BPMN)
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L4 Process Steps
| Step | Step Name | Role / Swim Lane | System | Input | Output | KPI | Dec? | Exc? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phase 1 1.1 |
Validate IATA/ARC Accreditation Status | Commercial Distribution Analyst | IATA Customer Portal / ARC Agency Reporting Corporation | New agency application, submitted IATA or ARC number | Accreditation status confirmation with expiry date and bond coverage details | Accreditation validation completed within 2 business days of application receipt | Y | N |
| 1.2 | Conduct Credit Risk & Financial Assessment | Commercial Distribution Analyst | SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/AR) | Agency financial statements, IATA bond or ARC surety bond documentation | Credit risk score and recommended payment terms (cash upfront / credit limit) | 100% of new agency applications assessed before contract execution; zero post-activation credit defaults | Y | Y |
| 1.3 | Create Agency & TMC Master Profile in PSS | Distribution Operations Specialist | Amadeus Altéa PSS | Approved accreditation record, credit assessment outcome, agency legal entity details | Active agency profile with IATA number, PCC/office ID, ticketing authority, and GDS linkage | PSS profile activation within 1 business day of credit approval; profile accuracy rate ≥99% | N | Y |
Phase 2 2.1 |
Negotiate Preferred Agency Agreement Terms | Commercial Account Manager | SAP Ariba (contract authoring module) | Agency profile, historical booking volume, market share data from OAG Schedule Analyser | Signed preferred agency agreement with commission structure, volume incentive tiers, and performance thresholds | Contract cycle time ≤15 business days from first proposal to execution; ≥90% of tier-1 TMCs under signed agreement | N | N |
| 2.2 | Configure Commission & Incentive Tiers in GDS Backend | Distribution Operations Specialist | Sabre GDS (Agency Private Fares) / Travelport GDS (SmartFares) | Signed preferred agency agreement, commission rate schedule, incentive tier thresholds | GDS incentive configuration active across Sabre, Travelport, and Amadeus GDS for the agency PCC | Configuration live within 3 business days of contract signing; incentive calculation accuracy ≥99.5% | Y | N |
| 2.3 | File Agency-Specific Private Fares via ATPCO | Pricing Analyst | ATPCO | Negotiated net rates, rules, and fare basis codes from preferred agency agreement | ATPCO-filed private fare records with agency fare category (Category 35) applied | Private fare filing completed within 24 hours of contract activation; zero Category 35 fare rule violations on ATPCO audit | N | Y |
Phase 3 3.1 |
Configure GDS Agency Access & Booking Rules | Distribution Operations Specialist | Amadeus GDS / Sabre GDS / Travelport GDS | Active PSS agency profile, agreement ticketing restrictions, fare display permissions | GDS booking rules configured: point-of-sale restrictions, ticketing time limits, void and refund authorities | GDS rule configuration completed within 2 business days of agreement activation; zero unauthorised fare-display incidents in 90-day post-activation audit | N | Y |
| 3.2 | Provision NDC API Credentials for TMC Self-Serve | Digital Distribution Manager | NDC API Gateway | TMC technical onboarding request, API integration specification, agreed content scope | NDC API credentials issued, sandbox test results passed, production channel activated | NDC channel live within 10 business days of TMC API onboarding request; NDC booking share ≥15% of managed corporate channel within 12 months | Y | N |
| 3.3 | Validate Fare Display Accuracy Across All Channels | Distribution QA Analyst | Sabre GDS / Amadeus GDS / Travelport GDS / NDC API Gateway | Published and private fare inventory, real-time GDS fare display queries | Channel parity report confirming consistent fare display; discrepancy log for remediation | Fare parity across GDS and NDC channels ≥98%; critical parity failures (public rate shown as private) resolved within 4 hours | N | Y |
Phase 4 4.1 |
Track Agency Booking Volume & Channel Mix | Commercial Analytics Manager | Sabre PRISM | GDS booking transaction feeds, NDC booking logs, PSS ticketing records | Monthly agency performance dashboard: segment count, revenue, GDS vs NDC mix, market share | Monthly reporting cycle completed by day 5 of following month; GDS booking data completeness ≥99.5% | N | N |
| 4.2 | Monitor GDS Segment Fee Exposure | Commercial Analytics Manager | SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO) / Tableau | GDS booking volume by channel, contracted segment fee rates per GDS | Monthly GDS cost analysis: segment fee accrual vs budget, shift-to-NDC savings model | GDS segment fee cost as % of distribution revenue ≤3.5%; NDC deflection saving ≥$1.20 per deflected segment | Y | N |
| 4.3 | Generate TMC Quarterly Scorecard & QBR Pack | Commercial Account Manager | Sabre PRISM / Tableau | Performance dashboard, incentive tier thresholds, customer satisfaction data | Quarterly Business Review (QBR) deck with booking trends, incentive attainment, and action plans | QBR delivered to top-20 TMCs within 15 days of quarter-end; ≥80% of TMCs achieve at least Tier 1 incentive threshold | N | N |
Phase 5 5.1 |
Process BSP/ARC Weekly Settlement Run | Revenue Accounting Specialist | SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/AR) / IATA BSP Link | Weekly GDS ticketing transactions, BSP remittance files, ARC IAR reports | Settled ticket revenue posted to GL; BSP/ARC remittance confirmed and reconciled | BSP settlement reconciliation completed within 2 business days of remittance receipt; reconciliation accuracy ≥99.8% | Y | N |
| 5.2 | Resolve Debit Memo Disputes with Agencies | Revenue Accounting Specialist | IATA BSP Link / SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/AR) | Raised debit memos (ADMs) for fare errors, refund violations, or commission overclaims | ADM accepted by agency or escalated to IATA Resolution panel; AR balance updated | ADM dispute resolution cycle ≤30 days; ADM acceptance rate ≥85% without IATA panel escalation | Y | Y |
| 5.3 | Calculate & Disburse Incentive Commission Payments | Commercial Finance Analyst | SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/AP) | Quarterly performance data, incentive tier attainment report, agency bank details | Incentive commission payment disbursed; AP posting recorded against agency contract | Incentive payments disbursed within 30 days of quarter-end; payment accuracy ≥99.9% vs contracted incentive schedule | N | N |
Phase 6 6.1 |
Conduct Annual Agency Performance Review | VP Commercial Distribution | Tableau / SAP Ariba | Full-year scorecard, incentive attainment history, market share trends, agency feedback | Annual review findings report with contract renewal recommendation (renew / renegotiate / terminate) | Annual reviews completed for 100% of preferred agency contracts before contract expiry; ≥90% of top-20 TMCs retained at renewal | Y | N |
| 6.2 | Renegotiate Terms or Execute Contract Termination | Commercial Account Manager | SAP Ariba / Amadeus Altéa PSS | Annual review recommendation, revised commercial terms proposal, legal sign-off | Renewed agreement filed in SAP Ariba; or PSS profile deactivated and GDS access revoked for terminated agencies | Contract renewal executed ≥30 days before expiry to avoid lapse; termination-to-deactivation cycle ≤5 business days to prevent unauthorised ticketing | N | Y |
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