ABSTRACT

            This project looks into the process of booking a seat in a particular flight and also takes into consideration the number of each classes and all these classes of seats are available in a flight and the total seats. This project is single user and its provides numerous benefits. A program is designed in achieving this task by using Visual Basic (VB) programming language.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                        INTRODUCTION

1.1     GENERAL OVERVIEW

            Computer can be define as an electronic device which has the capability to accept data in a prescribed form, perform some series of operation on it and present the result as output information. That is to say the computer is very versatile because of its electronic nature, it is also efficient i.e as speed as possible, it has a large storage capacity.

            The distinctive performance of the computer ranges from high speed, process, ability to store large volume of information, capability to program and ability to perform series of operation with distinct accuracy.

            Before the advent of the modern day computer, many machines had been used in relative to the computer, some of which ranged from the Napler’s Bone, Abacus, Holleriths Punched Card and a host of other contributions from people like Pascal Blaise etc. in a later time, the computer were designed and up date from one generation to another, so as to meet up with the standard of living them.

            Finally for now, the computer system has been so designed with components like the IC’s (Integrated Circuit) to replace the formerly resistor, capacitors and the like which make the computer to be too large and produce much heat.

            Nowadays, we have computer in differences size form, we have the Laptop computer (Micro computer) and even the Palmtop the (Micro computers).

            The distinctive characteristics performance of the computer gained demands different professions e.g. Universities, Banks as e – Banking, Commerce, Science and research institutes and in airline reservation system etc.

            It could be concluded with the above character and demands that surely in future time the computer shall rule the world.

1.2     BRIEF HISTORY OF AIRLINE

            The Wright Brothers invented and built the first airplane, Gliders had been flown without engines and balloons had been flown with engines, but the Wright Brothers plane was the first powered heavier than air craft to take off and land safely. They also built the gas line engine for it. Orvile Wright was the pilot on its first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in the 17th of December 1903. it weighted 750 pounds, had a wingspan of forty feet and cost less than & 1000 (one thousand dollar) to build this marked the beginning of the air transport. It was in Europe, that the aero plane was first put into regular carriage of passengers.

            In 1916, England, an airline company known as “Aircraft” transport and travel was formed for scheduled passenger, flight and mail service as soon as the war was over.  N daily inauguration as the world first airline operated by Britain, France, Netherlands and the Italians were flying nearly 9 million miles and carrying 100,000 passengers annually.

            But today, many other countries have joined in the race with Airline also some African countries like Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and others are not left out as they transport both local and international or either. Some typical examples of airline in Nigeria are British Airways, Albarika Airways, Aero Contractor etc.  

1.3     BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO AIRLINE RESERVATION SYSTEM

            Airline reservation can be defined as the process of making arrangement for a seat on a plane. It implies the process of making order to setting aside seat for a particular person in am aircraft to use at a future or later times. It is the process of making a booking for intending traveler who wishes to travel in an aircraft one place to another.

            Reservation must be made by intending travelers in advance through an airways travel shop or agent or by telephoning or by the computer on – line booking to any of the airways reservation centres from airways that are computerized. In some cases, bookings are recorded in computerized reservation system.

            The reservation becomes effective only when the relevant ticket has been issued to the intending traveler. In the interest of travelers,, tickets should be purchases with the deadline specified as the time of seat reservation, failure to observe this deadline often entitles the airways to cancel reservation, thus realizing the seat to other passengers.

            In most cases, intending passengers are always requested to give their address and telephone number so that they can be contracted in good time in event of any variation in schedules.

            In most major airlines, a proportion of passengers who have booked seats but not prepared are known as “NO SHOW”. Their number varies, but if he / she knows that he / she is not going to be able to travel on that flight, the airline should be informed as early as possible knowing that an intending traveler is no going to use the reservation, the seat can then be offered to another customer who otherwise should be able to travel. It is important for an intending traveler who miss a flight, that one day he/she might be the passenger going on an already fully – book flight due to a “NO SHOW” case of another traveler. In order to minimize the effect of “NO SHOW” and enable the seats to be used by passengers who otherwise would not be able to travel on their chosen flights. Most major airline may over book services. By  careful monitoring and controlling, what they do there must match the numbers of available seats to the numbers of passengers expanded to appear for the flight. While most airlines make every effort to provide seats for which confirmed reservation have been made, no absolute guarantee of seat availability is donated by the expression reservation, bookings status of and the timing attached to their.

            Most airways, operate compensation schemes for passengers with confirmed reservation who are unjustifiably denied carriage because of non – availability of seats and details of these schemes are available at check in.

            In most cases, any question about over booking or denied compensation policy is often taken care of by the customer location manager of the airways.

            When making a booking, the airline office or travel agent often provide their passengers with a booking reference to enable the passenger make us of their reference on the cover of their tickets. This will help the airways to help serve their passengers more effectively.

            Passengers are required to arrive at the airport early enough for all formalities to be completed. The time show or the flight coupons of the tickets are the time table, the latest times at which passengers can be accepted to travel allowing the necessary time to complete all formalities. Flight cannot be help from passengers arriving late and no responsibility can be accepted in such cases by airtime. In most case the airtime cannot guarantee refund for a canceled or transferred reservation. In some instance, the tariff would restricted or even prohibit the granting of any fund. Fight is now so much part of the world that is accepted with case and familiarity by the youngsters who travels without the parent.

            Health information services, on board services, airline seating plans transferring between airports which are parts of the basic function of any airline organization.

1.4     BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BRITISH AIRWAYS

            The British Airway started operation in August 1919 in London (United Kingdom). Since that time, the organization had undergone series of changes. The management had cause to change the name of the organization. The British Airways Orgnisation came to Nigeria in the year 1971.

            Then, the name of the organization was British Caledonia Airways, it follows that a lot of structural development occurred since that time and in April 1988, British Airways bought over the British Caledonia Airways, that is to say that the name was changed from British Caledonia to British Airways.

            Todays, the British Airways have three major offices in Nigeria i.e. Lagos, Kano and Port – Harcourt. The British Airways main office in Nigeria is situated at commerce House, 1 Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

1.5     AIMS AND OBJECTIVE OF BRITISH AIRWAYS

            The main objective of the British Airways is to operate scheduled and chartered air transportation services. For carriage of passengers, cargo and mails and other related business in the most reliable efficient and profitable manner or both domestic and international routes. British Airways already offers one of the most extensive international network in the world. This year winter they are introducing new international destination with the aim of serving the need of the business and ensure traveler than ever before. In addition they are providing greater flexibility on a wide range of routes with more services and convenient timings. British airways has relationship with a range of carries around the word to ensure there is a quality service available to their customer the fly, such carries include USAIR QUANTAS DEUTSHE BA (German Airlines). TAT (French Airline) to mention a few. The British Airways have over 200 destination in the United State, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany and the Caribbean. In Europe, British Airways with their European alliance partners fly to oversea to destination through out Europe.

            British Airways also provide adequate health service by contracting any local British Airways in trained clinic or asking a travel agent and their customer to obtain the latest health advice, immunization and malaria tablets as well as useful health items such as insect repellants, water purifies, mosquito nets, sterile needle kit etc.

1.6     BRITISH AIRWAYS ROUTES AND FLEETS

            In Nigeria, the airline operates flight to and from following airports namely, Abuja, Lagos, Port – Harcourt, Calabar, Kano. On the international routes, British Airways operates flight to over 200 destinations in the United State, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany and the Caribbean, other African countries like Accra, Nairobi, Harare, Johannesburg, to mention just few. British airways have one of the largest fleets on any Airline in the world, with over 200 Aircrafts currently in services. It also had over 250 new airlines which are on firm order to option, for deliver during the next few year ensuring the world’s best equipped fleets.

            The fleet of the British Airways consists of the following CONCORD, BOEING 757, BOEING 737, AIRBUS, etc. it is very important for any intending traveler to follow all the guidelines provided, that is connected with booking for a seat in an aircraft, to avoid unnecessary delay in travel plan.

            If one considers the Airline Business, it is so clear that success to a very large extent depends on the level of patronage, which patronage itself depends on the level of reliability of the airline, customers want to apart from having good in – flight services, have first hand information about flight schedules. They want a situation where information relayed to them are unique and very much reliable.

            This project deals with airline reservation system with a case study British Airway. It is done with the aim of computerizing those are as that are currently done manually.

1.7     AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

            Objective has to do with something one in trying to achieve or reach capture in a work presentation, the result of investigation into a particular subject.

            In this particular case the main objective of this study is to develop an effective and a real Airline reservation system for the management. British Airways Organization. These will enable them to achieve the following:

1.                  Provision of services for customers

2.                  To capture passenger flights data and store them in physical storage.

3.                  To increase the effectiveness of airline reservation operations at the possible cost.

4.                  To eliminate the occurrence of over booking and under booking

5.                  Provision of information that is faster, more accurate and detailed to the customers

6.                  Reduction of work load on reservation clerk.

7.                  To provide an interactive, users friendly environment that will hasten the reservation process.

8.                  To provide reliable system with lower error rate.

1.8     CONCEPTS PF COMPUTER OPERATION IN AIRLINE OPERATION

            Computer is a device that work under the control of stored programs automatically accepting, storing and processing data to produce information that is the result of the processing.

            With this, it can be said that the role of computer in airline operation cannot be overemphasized, because the computer is faster, accurate and reliable than the manual method. The memory of computer is so large that it can accommodate more information and easier to retrieve information from the computer system. It is also faster to process and to update so as to create chance for adequate planning of time to avoid time clash by the operator.

1.9     SCOPE AND LIMITATION

            Although computer could be relevant applied to the entire airline operational activities, for the purpose of this project, the scope actually centered on the reservation of seats for customers, basically among other things. This work will identify the potential areas of Airline Reservation which include: Flight Schedules, Flight Routings and Flying and some other general information connected flight reservation.

            However, there are some limitation that are experienced in the study but the greatest has to do with the customer services. The work of a reservation clerk can never be completely be replaced by computers, passengers are often faced with the problem of clarifying some vital issue, enquiries are regarded by their reservation activities in which if only human beings (reservation clerk) rather than electronic machines (computer) that can adequately answer all customers questions and enquiries

            Secondly, the study does not permit an in depth analysis of some other important services offered by the British Airways, some of which include; check – in time / departure, catering and health information services, aircraft seating plans, transferring between airports which are part of the basic functions of any airline organization.

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