If I specify a preferred carrier in my request, will I get interline options back or options that have ONLY the preferred carrier?

No interline solutions will be returned. Only solutions that are marketed by the preferred carrier will be returned.

 

If I specify two different preferred carriers in the request, will I get interline or online options back for those two preferred carriers?

If you specify two preferred carriers and applicable solutions exist including the two preferred carriers, you will receive both online and interline options. If you want to receive only online options, you must add the online parameter in the request.

 

Why do I sometimes get a lower fare when I specify a preferred carrier in the request than when I do not specify a carrier in the request?

When you do not include a preferred carrier in the request, the schedules and fares for all airlines that service the market are included in the search space. When you include a preferred carrier in the request, the system searches only the preferred carrier’s schedules and fares, so the search space is much larger for that preferred carrier. A larger search space for a single carrier increases the chance that a lower fare could be found.

 

How do I specify a carrier by leg rather than the whole journey?

You can specify the carrier per leg in the IncludeVendorPref element. Use the following XML request snippet:

Request Snippet Example

<OriginDestinationInformation RPH="1">
<DepartureDateTime>2011-01-01T00:00:00</DepartureDateTime>
<OriginLocation LocationCode="MIA"/>
<DestinationLocation LocationCode="LAX"/>
<TPA_Extensions>
<SegmentType Code="O"/>
<IncludeVendorPref Code="K0"/>
<IncludeVendorPref Code="U0"/>
</TPA_Extensions>
</OriginDestinationInformation>

Response Snippet Example

<OriginDestinationOption> <DepartureAirport LocationCode="MIA"/>
<ArrivalAirport LocationCode="LAS"/>
<OperatingAirline Code="K0" FlightNumber="1821"/>
<Equipment AirEquipType="738"/>
<MarketingAirline Code="K0"/>
<DepartureAirport LocationCode="LAS"/>
<ArrivalAirport LocationCode="LAX"/>
<OperatingAirline Code="K0" FlightNumber="774" CompanyShortName="K0"/>
<Equipment AirEquipType="738"/>
<MarketingAirline Code="U0"/>