Metasearch & Comparison Site Management
Network Planning & Scheduling › Sales & Distribution · 16 L4 steps · 6 phases · 6 decision gates · Updated 2026-03-18 21:41
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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 |
Execute metasearch partner agreement & API onboarding | Distribution Partnerships Manager | NDC API Gateway | Signed commercial agreement with metasearch partner (Google Flights, Kayak, Skyscanner) | API credentials, endpoint URLs, CPC rate card | Partner onboarding lead time ≤30 days from contract signature | N | N |
| 1.2 | Configure fare & schedule feed for metasearch ingestion | Distribution Technology Engineer | ATPCO Routehappy / NDC API Gateway | API credentials, ATPCO fare filing rules, schedule data from Amadeus SkyWORKS | Configured fare feed in OTA Schema or NDC 21.3 format | Feed configuration accuracy ≥99% (zero critical field mappings missing) | N | N |
| 1.3 | Validate feed quality & schema compliance | Distribution Technology Engineer | NDC API Gateway / Postman API Testing Suite | Test feed response from metasearch sandbox environment | Validation report; go/no-go decision for production activation | Zero critical schema errors before go-live; feed round-trip response ≤2s (p95) | Y | Y |
Phase 2 2.1 |
Publish fare cache to metasearch price index | Revenue Management Analyst | Amadeus NRM / ATPCO | Current fare inventory from Amadeus Altéa PSS booking class availability | Fare cache updated on metasearch price index | Fare cache refresh latency ≤15 minutes; stale fare rate <2% | N | N |
| 2.2 | Sync real-time seat availability via NDC/GDS | Revenue Management Analyst | Amadeus Altéa PSS / Sabre GDS | Live inventory status from Altéa booking classes (Y, B, M, H, Q, etc.) | Real-time availability displayed on metasearch for each fare bucket | Availability accuracy ≥98.5% vs Altéa live booking class status | N | Y |
| 2.3 | Perform fare parity audit across distribution channels | Distribution Analyst | Sabre PRISM / Tableau | Published fares scraped from metasearch, GDS, and airline.com for same O&D/date | Fare parity compliance report; exception list of breached routes | Fare parity compliance ≥95% across monitored routes; exception resolution ≤4 hours | Y | Y |
Phase 3 3.1 |
Define CPC bid strategy by route and market segment | Digital Marketing Manager | Google Flights Hotel Ads Console / Kayak Partner Portal | Historical CTR data, route revenue targets from Amadeus NRM, seasonal demand forecast | CPC bid schedule per route, date range, and cabin class | Target CPC ≤$0.45 domestic routes; ≤$1.20 international routes | N | N |
| 3.2 | Monitor click-through rates and impression share | Digital Marketing Analyst | Google Flights Ads Console / AWS Redshift | Live metasearch impression and click data feed from partner APIs | Daily CTR dashboard; impression share report by route | CTR ≥1.8% on primary routes; impression share ≥40% for top 20 O&D markets | Y | N |
| 3.3 | Adjust bids using demand signals and competitor fares | Digital Marketing Manager | Google Flights Ads Console / PROS RM | Competitor fare monitoring signals, demand forecast from Amadeus SkyCAST | Updated bid schedule; exception report for routes with bid floor violations | ROAS (return on ad spend) ≥4.5x on metasearch channel; bid update turnaround ≤2 hours | N | Y |
Phase 4 4.1 |
Generate deep-link redirect URL to booking engine | Distribution Technology Engineer | NDC API Gateway / Amadeus Altéa PSS | Metasearch user click event with fare parameters (O&D, date, cabin class, fare basis) | Deep-link URL to airline booking engine pre-populated with selected itinerary | Deep-link generation latency ≤800ms (p95); link validity ≥99.9% | N | Y |
| 4.2 | Track metasearch click-to-confirmed-booking conversion | Distribution Analyst | AWS Redshift / Google Analytics 4 | Click event from metasearch partner; booking confirmation event from Amadeus Altéa PSS | Conversion rate report per metasearch partner, route, and device type | Metasearch-to-booking conversion ≥2.5%; cart abandonment ≤65% | Y | N |
Phase 5 5.1 |
Aggregate metasearch channel performance data | Distribution Analytics Manager | AWS Redshift / Tableau | Click, impression, conversion, and revenue data from all metasearch partner APIs | Consolidated metasearch performance dashboard covering all partners | Data pipeline freshness ≤4 hours; dashboard availability ≥99.5% | N | N |
| 5.2 | Calculate cost-per-booking and channel contribution margin | Distribution Analytics Manager | SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO) / AWS Redshift | Metasearch ad spend from CPC invoices; booking revenue from Amadeus Altéa PSS | Channel P&L report; cost-per-booking by partner and route | Metasearch cost-per-booking ≤$8.50 domestic; ≤$18.00 international | Y | N |
Phase 6 6.1 |
Reconcile metasearch partner click invoices vs tracked clicks | Finance Analyst – Distribution | SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO) / AWS Redshift | Monthly CPC invoice from metasearch partner; internal click tracking logs from AWS Redshift | Reconciliation report; dispute list for unmatched or bot-classified clicks | Invoice match rate ≥97%; dispute raised within 10 business days of invoice receipt | Y | Y |
| 6.2 | Raise formal dispute with metasearch partner for excess clicks | Distribution Partnerships Manager | SAP Ariba / Partner Dispute Portal | Reconciliation exception list; internal click evidence from AWS Redshift logs | Formal dispute submission; credit note or adjusted invoice from partner | Dispute resolution ≤30 days; credit recovery rate ≥90% of disputed amount | N | Y |
| 6.3 | Process approved metasearch invoices for payment | Accounts Payable Analyst | SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO) / SAP Ariba | Approved reconciliation report; vendor invoice cleared of disputes | Payment instruction executed in SAP; cleared invoice posted to GL | Payment processed within contract terms (Net 30/Net 45); zero late payment penalties | N | Y |
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