A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE SALE OF AIRLINE-SPECIFIED FLIGHT TICKETS

摘要

An unspecified-time airline ticket representing a purchased seat on a flight to be selected later, by the airlines, for a traveler-specified itinerary (e.g., NY to LA on March 3rd) is disclosed. Various methods and systems for matching an unspecified-time ticket with a flight by the system (100) are also disclosed. An exemplary method includes: making available on a reservation system (300) an unspecified-time ticket; examining with a scheduling system (160) a plurality of flights which would fulfill the terms of the unspecifiedtime ticket to determine which flight to select; and providing notification of the selected flight prior to departure. The disclosed embodiments provide travelers (105) with reduced airfare in return for flight-time flexibility and, in turn, permits airlines to fill seats that would have otherwise gone unbooked.