Search results mixer (Air tickets)
Flight search results mixer - a plugin of the "Air Tickets" component of the Websky system.
Contents
Purpose
The search results mixer removes duplicate flights from multiple sources, leaving the most advantageous for the agency (by price or supplier).
Search result mixing is used when a search in several GDS packages results in the same flights from different sources. To exclude duplicate flights from the output, the mixer leaves one of several identical flights, more advantageous for the agency.
Examples of Use
For example, 2 identical flights of "Deutsche Lufthansa AG", one of the Russian Pseudo City Code (PCC) and the other from the German one, were returned in the agency search results. Let's assume that in German PCC the agency has more favorable conditions for ticketing of this airline, then the mixing rule for the airline "Deutsche Lufthansa AG" is created, according to which out of all duplicates of "Deutsche Lufthansa AG" flights, the mixer will leave the flight from the German PCC package.
Similarly, the mixer allows S7 Airlines to leave the GDS SITA flights in the output.
Principle of Operation
The mixer works with the results left after filtering the search results (see the article Search (Air tickets)).
The search results are mixed by the rules. Before the results are output to the user, the mixer deletes flight duplicates according to the rules of mixing.
The "Results mixing rule" consists of mixing conditions. The rule may apply to flights of all airlines or only selected/specified ones.
Attention! A rule for the specified airlines takes precedence over the general rule for all airlines. While mixing, the results of flights of the airlines for which the rules are set will be mixed according to such rules, the general rule will be ignored.
- Mixer searches for duplicate flights.
- Mixing rules apply to duplicates. Each rule checks duplicates in two stages:
- The price step determines the flight from the most suitable GDS according to the given parameter.
- If the price step fails (or the price step is set to ignore), the best flight is selected according to the selected priority of the supplier.
- One flight duplicate, meeting the rules, is selected, the other duplicates are deleted.
If neither the first nor the second stage is applicable to the flight, then the first flight is selected in the order of how they returned in the response from the GDS.
Default mixing rule
Default mixing rule: 'Select the flight with the lowest total (gross) price.
The default rule is triggered when the search result mixer is enabled and:
- the mixing rules are not set,
- or mixing rules are set only for individual airlines.
Thus, if the mixer is enabled but no rules are set for some airline, the default rule is triggered for it.
If there are mixing rules for an airline, the default rule does not work for it at any stage.
To change the default rule, create a common rule for all airlines.
Websky and Nemo Connect search result mixers
There are 2 versions of the search result mixer in Websky: Websky search result mixer and Nemo Connect search result mixer.
Nemo Connect search result mixer is an improved version of Websky search result mixer.
The Websky search result mixer and Nemo Connect search result mixer are mutually exclusive plug-ins. When enabling the Nemo Connect mixer, it is recommended to delete the Websky search result mixer rules and vice versa for the plugin to work correctly.
To enable the Nemo Connect search result mixer, see the Nemo Connect search result mixer section.
Websky search result mixer
The Websky search result mixer is configured in the Websky administration panel.
Enable Search Result Mixer
To enable the search result mixer, enable the Search result mixer enabled option under 'Product control → Processes → Search process → Fine tuning.
Creating a general search result mixing rule
To override the default mixing rule, you need to create a general rule for all airlines.
To create a general rule for all airlines:
- Click on the button Create a new record.
- Select the condition of choosing the flight "by price" (see Websky search results mixing options).
- Select the condition of selecting flight "by priority of supplier" (see Websky search result mixing options).
- Click the Create new record button at the bottom of the page.
Creating a search result mixing rule for specified airlines
To create a rule for specific airlines:
- Click Create a new record.
- Enter the airlines to which the rule applies. Under the term airline will be considered the marketing airline of the first segment.
- Set the condition to select the flight "by price attribute" (see Websky search results mixing parameters).
- Set the condition of selecting flight "by priority of the supplier" (see Websky search results mixing parameters).
- Click the Create new record button at the bottom of the page.
The list of created search result mixing rules is displayed as a table in the section
Product control → Processes → Search process → Results mixer.
Websky Search Results Mixing Options
- Airline - airlines subject to this mixing rule (first marketing carrier or, if the pricing is activated, the commission calculation 2.0, validating carrier).
- Stage 1 (price stage) - the price condition under which the best flight is selected:
- GDS price (net) minimum - lowest net price (fare + taxes);
- Price (gross) minimum - the lowest gross price (fare + taxes + agency charge);
- Price (gross) maximum - the highest gross price ( fare + rates + agency charge);
- Maximum charge - the highest charge, calculated via pricing;
- Maximum commission from the carrier - the highest commission from the airline for the given GDS, works only when the commission calculation 2.0 is enabled;
- Maximum profit (charge + commission) - the largest amount of profit (airline's commission (or "own agent's profit") + charge + bonus - subagent's commission), is calculated in pricing, works only when the commission calculation 2.0 is enabled;
- Ignore Stage 1 - the mixer does not check duplicates according to the condition from "Stage 1".
- Stage 2 (suppliers) - a requisite package from which the flight will be chosen. This condition is checked by the mixer if Stage 1 does not work or Ignore Stage 1 is selected. If "Nemo Connect" value is specified, the flight is selected from the first requisite package.
Examples of search result mixing rules
The agency is configured to search in several sources: "GDS 1", "GDS 2", "SITA Gabriel". For S7 Airlines flights to be executed in "GDS SITA Gabriel", you need to set two mixing rules.
First rule
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Airline | S7 Airlines |
| Stage 1 | Ignore stage 1 |
| Stage 2 | GDS "SITA Gabriel" requisite package |
Second rule
In order for all other airlines to choose a flight with a minimum price from GDS, a mixing rule, common for all airlines, is created, in which:
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Stage 1 | GDS price (net) minimum |
| Stage 2 | Nemo Connect |
There is no priority by the supplier in this rule, so in the second step the value "Nemo Connect" is selected. Thus, if the first step does not work, the mixer will choose the flight from the GDS of the first requisite package.
This rule will work for all airlines except "S7 Airlines", as there is a separate rule for it.
Nemo Connect search results mixer
The Nemo Connect search result mixer is configurable in the Nemo Connect administration panel.
Enabling search result mixer
Attention! The Nemo Connect search result mixer works using Nemo Connect Pricing.
Attention! For correct interaction of plugins, use Nemo Connect search result mixer only if result filters are also enabled in Nemo Connect.
To enable the Nemo Connect search result mixer,
- Go to the Nemo Connect administration panel.
- Enable the Use Air Mixer option under Avia Settings → Search Settings → Mixer Settings.
- Make sure that:
- Nemo Connect Pricing is enabled (see the module's documentation, section Enabling Nemo connect pricing)
- Nemo Connect search request router is enabled (see the module's documentation, section Enabling the Nemo Connect search router)
Since Nemo Connect search results mixer works based on the Nemo 2.0 Pricing module, which in turn works when Nemo Connect search request router is enabled, the plugin does not work without Nemo Connect router.
Creation of the general rule of search results mixing
To override the default mixing rule, you need to create a general rule for all airlines.
To create a rule:
- Click the Add Flight Mixing Rule button.
- Set the flight selection condition by price condition.
- Set the condition of choosing the flight "by the second condition".
- Set the condition of choosing the flight "by sources".
- Click Save to save the rule settings.
Create a search result mixing rule for specified airlines
Nemo Connect mixer rules are created and edited in the Nemo Connect administration panel under Avia settings → Search settings → Mixer settings.
To create a rule:
- Click the Add Flight Mixing Rule button.
- Set the flight selection condition by price condition.
- Set the condition of choosing the flight "by the second condition".
- Set the condition of choosing the flight "by sources".
- Enter the IATA codes of the airlines (validating carriers of the flight) to which the rule applies.
- Click Save to save the rule settings.
Parameters of Nemo Connect search result mixing
- Airline - IATA codes of airlines (validation carrier) subject to the rule.
- Stage 1 (price) - the price condition under which the best flight will be chosen:
- Ignore - the price attribute is ignored, the flight is checked at the second stage;
- MaximalAgencyMarkup - the flight with the highest agency charge, taking into account the discounts;
- MaximalAirlineCommission - flight with the highest agency charge;
- MaximalProfit - flight with the highest agency charge (or "own agent's profit") + fee + bonus - subagent's charge).
- MinimalNet - flight with the lowest price from GDS;
- MinimalPrice - the flight with the lowest total price;
- Stage 2 (price) - the second price condition on which the best flight will be chosen if "Stage 1" does not work. Parameters are similar to Stage 1.
- Stage 3 (sources) - a package or packages of requsites, listed by comma in the order of priority, from which the flight will be selected. This condition is checked by the mixer if the previous steps did not work or if Ignore was selected for the previous steps.
Examples of search result mixing rules
The agency is configured to search in several sources: "GDS 1", "GDS 2", "GDS SITA Gabriel". For S7 Airlines' flights to be executed in SITA Gabriel GDS, you need to set two mixing rules.
First rule
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Airline | S7 |
| Stage 1 | Ignore |
| Stage 2 | Ignore |
| Stage 3 | GDS SITA Gabriel requisite package number |
Second rule
In order for all other airlines to choose a flight with a minimum price from GDS, a mixing rule general for all airlines is created, in which:
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Airline | - |
| Stage 1 | MinimalNet |
| Stage 2 | Ignore |
| Stage 3 | requisite package number |
Thus, if the first stage does not work, the mixer will choose the flight from the specified requisite package.
This rule will work for all airlines except S7 Airlines, because there is a separate rule for it.
Edit the search result mixing rules
The debugging table of mixing rules is used to check the mixer operation and to trace which rules and by which parameters the duplicates are deleted.
Nemo Flights mixer debugging table
For searches on behalf of manager and experts of the agency, the work of the filter for each search request is logged and displayed in a detailed debugging table.
The debugging table for the results mixer of this search results opens in the logs of that search.
- Perform the search on behalf of the manager or expert of the agency. If the search is performed on behalf of a manager, the log page of this search opens when the search is completed.
- In search logs, the line with the message "flights/search/results/" contains a link to the mixer debugging table:
- The link opens the debugging table of the mixer for this search.
The flight left at output is highlighted in green.
Parameters of the mixer debugging table
- Operation - each mixer operation is assigned a sequential number. Duplicates of one flight shall be assigned the same number for all rows in the table.
- Selected mixer - The number of the triggered mixing rule.
- Level 1 - the selected mixing parameter at the first stage of the Mixing Rule operation.
- Level 2 - the selected set of attributes at the second stage of the Mixing Rule operation.
- Airline - the first marketing carrier flight or, if in pricing calculation is activated, validating carrier.
- Mixing code - the flight data for which the operation was performed (date of departure, destination, airline, etc.).
- Min. price of GDS - net price (fare + rates) from GDS.
- Min. price' - the minimum gross price (fare + rates + charges) from GDS.
- Max. price' - the maximum gross price from GDS.
- Max. fee - the amount of charge for the price from GDS.
- Maximum fee - the amount of commissions for the airline for the price from GDS.
- Max profit - the amount of agency's profit for the price from GDS.
- GDS - GDS in which the duplicate is found.
- Package - the package of requisites in which the duplicate was found.
Debugging table of Nemo Connect mixer
The work of the mixer in Nemo Connect can be viewed in the Nemo Flights logs. To do this, go to the section with search logs, go to a corresponding page to view debug. In the table with debugging data we find the "Mixer working log" event. The contents of the trace stack are copied and transferred to the editor, for example, Notepad++. Save the file as a spreadsheet with extension XLS/XLSX/ODS. After performing these actions we will get a file with the mixer debugging table.