‘1117722, 338 PM Timatie by IATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained | AltexSoft 22 Feb, 2021 Timatic by IATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained Reading time: 8 minutes After surviving one of the most traumatic years for air travel, the industry is finally learning to operate with new travel restrictions, For some time now, the main solution has been requiring customers to provide proof of negative COVID-19 tests prior to boarding, This has been confusing, to say the least Travelers struggle to keep up with constantly updating travel information. Different types of tests and nonstandard test documents put a burden on check-in agents who must manually determine if travelers are literally good to go. Fraud and errors abound, But when news of vaccines started rolling out, more opportunities emerged. The next step is vaccine passports — documents certifying one’s vaccination status. The biggest challenge here is creating a standardized, universally accepted, and easily implemented method for travelers, airlines, and airport staff to use in their current workflow. Perhaps, the most promising implementation is offered by the International Air Transport Association or IATA, Currently tested by Emirates and Etihad airlines, the yavel °oss is looking lke an end-to-end solution that will validate government regulations and standardize the process. One of its crucial elements is the database of health regulations from all over the world that will let travelers and airport agents know who is safe to travel and where. This database already exists — it's called Timatic — ant today we will talk about how and where it can be used iq hitpsiiwwualtexsoft.comblogtimatic! a‘17702, 998 PM Tima by IATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained |AtexSot What is Timatic? Timatic or Travel Information Manual Automatic is a database of travel requirement rules. First established by IATA in 1963, Timatic currently stores travel document and regulation rules for over 220 countries collected from over 1600 sources and updated 65 times a day. This includes such details as: passport requirements and recommendations + visa requirements and recommendations: + health requirements and recommendations + airport tax information + customs regulations concerning the import and export of goods and small pets + currency regulations news on regulation changes According to ICAO, almost all airlines are already using Timatic. Timatic allows airlines, airport staff, and travel agents to fulfill two tasks: + check if the passenger is valid for travel and prevent immigration fines and expenses associated with returning incorrectly-boarded passengers to the airport providing passengers with travel rules at the time of booking There are different ways airlines and travel agents can access Timatic databases, which are reflected in the number of tools IATA developed and provides. Let's go through who can use these tools and when. A standard source of travel requirements data — Timatic Mainframe Users: airli and airport staff, physical travel agencies, and agents imatic Mainframe is the product ost closely associated with the Timatic brand. tt gives access to Timatic databases via major airline reservation systerns, departure control systems, and global ist bution systerns using a command-line interface. How the Timatic Mainframe works Airlines, airport staff, and travel agents accrecitec by [A can retrieve information by typing specific commands or accessing different databases. There are three types of queries users can request a access. hitpsiiwwualtexsoft.comblogtimatic! ane‘17m, 396 PM Tima by IATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained | AtexSof Full Text returns all information on the requested topic, divided into seven subsections. For example, if you request full text on the United Kingdom, you will get all of its geographical health, tax, customs, and currency data. formation, passport, visa, Specific Database returns only the requested information for Passport, Visa, and Health databases. For example, you can look up visa requiremer for US citizens traveling to the Netherlands Miscellaneous contains information about Timatic itself: news, rules, country code tables, etc. ‘or example, below is the part of the response an agent at the check-in desk will get if they want more information on Somali minors traveling with parents to the UK. TERVINAS OID EG BSF TIMATIC-3 / 18JUNO8 / 1038 UTC NATIONAL SOMALIA (SO) DESTINATION UNITED KINGDOM (GREAT BRITAIN) (GB) VISA DESTINATION UNITED KINGDOM (GREAT BRITAIN) (GB) save NORMAL PASSPORTS ONLY ..... PASSPORT REQUIRED. - PASSPORT AND/OR PASSPORT REPLACING DOCUMENTS MUST BE VALID FOR THE PERIOD OF INTENDED STAY. ADMISSION AND TRANSIT RESTRICTIONS: - SINCE JULY 3, 2003, PASSPORTS ISSUED BY SOMALIA ARE NOT RECOGNISED, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHEN THEY WERE ISSUED. (SEE NOTE 29908) NOTE 29908: THEY ARE ONLY PERMITTED ENTRY IF HOLDING A "DECLARATION OF IDENTITY FOR VISA PURPOSES" (ALSO KNOWN AS A"FORM GV3"), ISSUED BY A BRITISH CONSULATE OR HIGH COMMISSION. IT IS A SINGLE SHEET DOCUMENT SHOWING PHOTO AND PERSONAL DETAILS. AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FORM THERE IS SPACE FOR THE APPROPRIATE VISA. THIS FORM SHOULD BE USED FOR ENTRY TO/TRANSIT THROUGH THE UNITED KINGDOM. THE FORM MUST BE ENDORSED WITH A VALID VISA. VISA REQUIRED. If the agent now clicks the link. MINORS: - WHEN THEIR NAMES ARE REGISTERED IN THE P, THEIR PARENTS OR GUARDIANS, TIDFT/GBIP, - CHILDREN MUST ALSO COMPLY WITH Ti REGULATIONS. TIDFT/GBIVI/MUID14975 PORT OF (ONE OF) 1017270 (TRY OR TRANSIT Here, an agent can learn what forms and registrations are needed for specific passengers to travel Sou. hitpsiiwwualtexsoft.comblogtimatic! ane‘vr729, 998 PM Tima by IATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained | AtexSof As you can guess, this is not actually automatic — users should be trained to use the system, write relevant requests, and freely navigate the query, But this solution is currently used by most airlines and there's almost nothing replacing it completely. Pricing and integration To be able to use the Timatic Mainframe, users must pay an annual fee and a transaction fee Fortunately, you can use Mainframe via your CRS, DCS, or GDS of choice, Contact |AI\ airectly for pricing and access key. Document check at self-service kiosks and online — Timatic AutoCheck Users: airline websites, airports, online travel agencies Of course, when a passenger uses self-checicin options, their documents must still be assessed. That's why AutoCheck was created. Timatic AutoCheck is used to review passenger documents at self-service kiosks, bag-drop stations, and even online. I's an XML A®| that can be easily integrated into any travel-related system and gives automatic access to Timatic databases. How Timatic AutoCheck works When a traveler scans their docurnents or enters data online, their passport data is combined with their PNR and submitted to AutoCheck, which provides a yes-or-no decision based on whether the traveler has all needed documents, When the documents are not sufficient, the systern cornments on the exact issue, for example, "Visa required.” hitpsiwowaltexsoftcomblogtimatic! ane‘snit7722, 338 PM Timatie by IATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained | AltexSoft TINERARY DETAILS Depart Fint Deateate Arnal Oate Tianat Pont) peating Carer aration of Sty ee PASSPORT DETAILS Natiralty Document 8 (Dscumert Exp Date There's no easier way to check a passenger's docs IATA claims that AutoCheck saves airlines up to $0.59 per international passenger, reducing expenses for rmanual screening, immigration fines, and hotel costs. It's currently used by Star Alliance, Deka, British Airways, Southwest Airlines, and more. Pricing and integration IATA provides pricing information to AutoCheck on request. It also comes out of the box (but paid separately) with such passenger management software as Amadeus Altea, Sabre Sonic, IBM Kiosks, INK Aviation, Damarel, and MIS Choice. But an AP! allows developers to connect AutoCheck to any system, including the back office of your airline's website or online travel agencies. Though for this exact purpose, there's another solution Web access and page customization — TimaticWeb 2 Users: airline websites, online travel agencies TimaticWeb 2 is a web solution that allows airlines and travel agencies to access concise travel document information online, It’s almost as if the Mainframe was made more user-friendly and accessible to everyone, passengers included. How TimaticWeb2 works There are two options for working with TimaticWeb 2. hitpsiiwwualtexsoft.comblogtimatic! ene‘vr729, 998 PM “matic by ATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained | AtoxSoh The first is for travel agents on the TimaticWeb 2 website. An agent ‘ills out a form with passenger information (destination and nationality, duration of stay and visa expiry date, etc.) and receives commentary on document validity. They can then send this information to a customer via a link, where they can reenter details and run the check once more. © AD winston itinerary & Traveler Detals Passpon, Visa & Heath Rests pe as ewe eee e 4 ‘Yea The wae! socumentatons hess beater are 4 eS See coe a- le | (greaaaeare frome e Bw ‘Aaions intermation 5 = e ome He ‘Cioenang nmin co ny Tamer yy [Ro we ° zi a posi = @ Finch Pons Desinaton eae cet” rs f° @® & swacorey [ust ae Ee samen ee ce ee comet aon se A passenger information form for travel agents Source: ATA TimaticWeb2 Introduction Video Another option is for travelers on an airline's or agent's website. With the co-branding version of TimaticWeb 2, you can put the custom page on your own website allowing passengers to use it for checking their documents. You can select what fields and elements to include and which attributes to set as default. For example, below is the TimaticWeb-powered page for United Airlines. hitpsinwaaltexsoftcomblogtimatic! ene‘nit722, 338 PM Timatie by IATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained | AltexSoft Find your travel requirements Passport sa and health requirements provided are supplied and updated regularly by the International Air Transport Association(ATA) and only include entry requirements eee co [een enon v [sana [cenreemoromniiaer—_V © Add transit Po bere Nationality (equies) Passenger type (requires) Choose nationality |_| choose passenger ype v Resident country/region Choose resident countyregion cin timatiewel? ‘CIATA Netbeans 82018 pes reserved, Usage subject Tums fs United uses a form with minimum fields, making the experience easy for its customers Pricing and integration Access to TimaticWeb costs €499 a year and is provided immediately after reg siering. The first 500 transactions are free with a fee of €0.1364 per transaction thereafter that will decrease as the number of transactions increases. There's also a {ree | 4-day \ral with a limit to 20 daily transactions. There are opportunities to customize and integrate it into your book ng eng ne, for example, when customer data is already entered into the form, making the process easier for thern. Fim hitpsiiwwualtexsoft.comblogtimatic! m2irra, 98 PM Tima by IATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained |AtexSot Document scanning in an airport — Timatic Mobile Users: airport staff, ground handling agents, security crew Timatic Mobile app for both iOS and Android allows airport agents to perform document checks wherever they go using their own smartphones. It's mostly used for quick checks at boarding, helping agents detect any issues without having to distinguish between various travel documents. How Timatic Mobile works The app scans travel documents (passports, visas, national ID cards, seaman books, residence permits) and boarding passes via a smartphone camera, crosschecks collected information with Timatic databases and notifies agents of the results. It then walks them through possible solutions. There's also an admin panel for reporting, fight and passenger monitoring, and managing staff TimaticMobile requires no training and minimal operational expenses Pricing and integration The crucial difference Timatic Mobile has with other solutions is that it's stand-alone and doesn't need to be integrated with a DSC platform. It can be freely downloaded from App Store and Google Play and accessed with your existing Timatic Mainframe subscription, Simple access for Amadeus travel agents — Timatic Script "Eq hitpsiiwwualtexsoft.comblogtimatic! ane‘1117722, 338 PM Timatie by IATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained | AltexSoft Users: travel agents working with Amadeus Developed jointly by IATA and Amadeus, T/matic Scr pt is available to travel agents using Amadeus Selling Platform or Selling Platform Connect. More user-friendly than the Mainframe solution, information display is precise and color-coded. How Timatic Script works Agents can access the database via a separate Timatic tab in their Amadeus software. They can add notes to the personalized results, print, save them, and share thern with customers. One Script account supports up to 10 users, so it can be shared arnong other travel agents in the organization, Timatic Script is lke a TimaticWeb for Amadeus users only Pricing and integration The annual subscription fee is €149 with 200 free transactions, For users who already have the Timatic account in other solutions, Script is free. Since transaction usage is combined, volume discounts apply Timatic alternative — TravelDoc Although Timatic can be considered a monopolist on the travel document verification market, there's another solution you should know of. Fin hitpsiiwwualtexsoft.comblogtimatic! one‘vr729, 998 PM “matic by ATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained | AtoxSoh TravelDoc is a software developed by ICTS, the popular provider of cargo and security screening services for airports. in February 2021, they rolled out CertiFLY — a product including a standalone mobile device, an app, and a website that allows ICTS security staff at airports to scan passenger documents and COVID- 19 test results to make it available to the airline TravelDoc is a website and an app that uses a database called TravelDoc Library to provide up-to-date travel requirements information with Go/No Go instructions on the missing documents. Among its users are KLM, Ctrip, EasyJet, Air France, and more. There are several ways to use TravelDoc. Via OTA software from Amadeus and Sabre. Amadeus Altea and Sabre Red both have built-in TravelDoc integration for a separate price. Ona Ons Were Sn SO] ‘You're ready to go 2X London Heathrow Airport (LHR) - Bangkok Suvarnabhumi international Aiport (BKK) - (Connecting Fight) 28 Jul 2018 23¢ Bangkok Suvarnabhumi international Aport (BKK) - Sydney reeset rs INS) Kingsford Smith Alrport (SYD) 29 Jul 2018 feegdactana Tons Seinen ange ripe: tne 06 Se te TravelDoc integration allows travel agents to load PNR from Sabre to receive travel details and then check via TravelDoc database Source: Sabre As a page on the airline's website or app. Similar to what TimaticWeb offers, an airline can use stancare forrn by customizing the URL and the general look of the page. Besides that, TravelDoc c. El hitpsiiwwualtexsoft.comblogtimatic! sone‘1117722, 338 PM Timatie by IATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained | AltexSoft integrated into an airline's app via mobile SDK. As a mobile app. Available only via TravelDoc Library subscription, ‘hie app allows you to check travel requirements on the go and downlead data on specific countries to the device so you can browse even without Internet connectivity Timatic and TravelDoc are both very similar and different. For exarnple, if you're already using one of Timatic products, youll benefit more from integrating their other solutions as some of them come cheaper when bundled. But if you're just looking into the travel document verification software, it makes sense to contact both providers for pricing estimates and consider your specific capabilities and goals. The future of travel documents Although travel rules have become more complicated in the last year, technology can make it easy again. The main challenge is having an infrastructure that’s connected at all endpoints, Travel agencies should have the ability to provide travelers with relevant information at the time of booking and make this experience less confusing while minimizing errors. Airlines should be able to verify that passenger travel and health documents meet the requirements. Travelers should have accurate information on where and how they can travel and be able to confirm, their health status with the means to transfer this information to airlines and border control Perhaps, IATAS Travel Pass will provide the solution. Subscribe to our newsletter Enter your email Oves, | understand agree to the Privacy Policy Add a comment hitpsiiwwualtexsoft.comblogtimatic! mane1117122, 338 PM Airline Reporting Corporation and IATA Billing and Settlement Plan: How They Work hitpsiiwwualtexsoft.comblogtimatic! Timatie by IATA: Travel Requirements Database, Explained | AltexSoft Further Reading Booking and Ticketing for Non-IATA Travel Agencies Airline Reservation Systems and Passenger Service Systems: Navitaire, Amadeus Altéa, SabreSonic and more rane