Flights and Flight Packages in Certain. This guide is an introduction to Flights and Flight Packages in Certain, which are available in the Travel Packages sub-module of the Travel Module. If this advanced feature of the Certain platform is not enabled for your account, and you are interested in it after reading this guide, please email help@certain.com, including your account name. The functionality described here is available to users with a user type of Event Builder or higher.
Contents
- Introduction
- What are “Flight Packages”, and Why Would I Use them in My Event?
- About Setting Up And Using Flights and Flight Packages
- Enabling the Travel Packages Sub-Module
- Travel > Configuration
- Setting a Currency Label
- Transfer Time
- Statuses
- Transportation Types
- Default Airports
- Setting up Flights
- Adding a Flight
- Adding Flight Inventory (Reference Numbers)
- Setting Up Flight Packages
- Assigning Flights to Attendees
- Attendees Selecting Flight Packages or Flights on Registration Forms
- Planner Assigning Flight Packages and Flights to Attendees
- Assigning a Flight Package
- Assigning Pre-booked Flights
- Assigning Individual Flights
- Editing Flights
- Communication & Change History
- Importing Travel Data
- Itinerary PDF
- Itinerary Settings
- Itinerary Output
- Reporting
- Flight Reservation Report
- Custom Reports
Introduction
What are “Flight Packages”, and Why Would I Use them in My Event?
- Flight packages are sets of flights to and from the event.
- You can make flights or flight packages available for attendees to select from on a registration form.
- You can allocate flights or flight packages directly to attendees.
- Flight packages make managing attendees’ travel arrangements easier.
- Flight packages enable you to provide detailed itineraries.
Flights and Inventory
- Each flight has one or more inventory records: seat blocks, referred to by their “Reference Number.”
- Seat blocks are the reservations of a block of seats on a flight.
- These seats are often referred to as PNRs (Passenger Name Reservations) or other names such as Confirmation Number or Reference Number.
- Each flight must have at least one Reference Number.
Flight Packages
- A package includes multiple flights, such as flights to and from an event.
- A package may cover attendees from a particular area, city, or country.
About Setting Up And Using Flights and Flight Packages
- The steps involved in setting up and using flights and flight packages in Certain are described in detail in the rest of this document.
- Here is a brief summary.
Switching the feature on in the event
- Enable the Travel Packages sub-module (of the Travel Module) in Plan > Configure > Options. Travel Packages will appear under Travel Module in Functional Areas Needed by This Event.
- The event will include a Travel option on the Plan menu, with four page links: Configure, Flights, Flight Packages, and Import.
- The Manage > Registrations page will also have a Travel page.
Travel > Configuration
- The Configuration page under Travel > Configure enables you to set up the following items, each described in detail below:
- Maximum Transfer Time (for use by Appointment Matching)
- Custom Transportation Types and Default airports
- Custom Booking Statuses, Payment Codes, Travel Types, and Travel Action Codes
- Default values for three of them when you are setting up flight inventory (these defaults are applied as initial values on an attendee’s flight registration when you assign a flight)
Setting Up Flights
- Add the flights to the event, each with details such as flight number, carrier, destination and arrival airports, departure and arrival dates and times, etc.
- For each flight, add inventory records: seat blocks (Reference Numbers) — the reservations that have been made.
Setting Up Flight Packages
- After creating flights, you can add them to flight packages.
- The Flight Packages page lists existing packages. You can export a list of flight packages and their flights to Excel.
- You can expand and collapse packages to view their flights.
- To create a new package, click Add New and provide a unique name.
- Add flights to the package and choose the reference numbers to be used for each flight.
- You can adjust the order of flights in a package so that the earliest flight is first.
Assigning Flights to Attendees
- You can assign flights to attendees in five ways:
1) Via a registration form, where the attendee makes their selection of one or more packages (or of one or more pre-booked flights)
2) Manually on the admin side, by editing an attendee’s record to assign one or more packages
3) Manually on the admin side, by editing an attendee’s record to assign pre-booked flights
4) Manually on the admin side, by editing an attendee’s record to assign individual flights
5) (Same as above) Editing or completing flights
Attendees Selecting Flight Packages or Flights on Registration Forms
- When adding or editing a form, include a Travel section.
- In that form, go to Plan > Forms > Travel.
- You can choose to include flight packages or individual flights on the form.
- The Flight Packages section is a list of the Flight Packages you have set up.
- You should show either packages or individual flights on a form, not both.
- If you show individual flights, attendees can select from all flights.
- In the Transportation Preferences section, you can include Transportation Preferences on the form and configure whether selection is required and what label to use.
- If you are using Registration Groups, you can limit Transportation Preferences to those associated with the attendee’s group.
Planner Assigning Flight Packages and Flights to Attendees
- You can assign flights manually on the admin side by editing an attendee’s record and clicking Assign Flights on their Travel page.
Assigning Flights to Attendees
- To assign a flight package to an attendee, go to the attendee’s Travel page and click Assign Flights.
- For a package, select the package(s) and click Assign Packages.
- If the flights in the selected package have default values assigned on Travel > Flights, the attendee registrations will have those values.
- You can edit each flight registration if required (Booking Status, Meal Type, etc.).
Assigning Pre-booked Flights
- To assign pre-booked flights to an attendee, go to the attendee’s Travel page and click Assign Flights.
- Click Select Flights, select the flights to assign, click Assign Flights.
- For each selected flight, select the Reference Number to be used.
- The numbers in parentheses show remaining seats in inventory.
Assigning Individual Flights
- To assign an individual flight, go to the attendee’s Travel page and click Assign Flights.
- Click Create an Individual Flight and enter the flight details (similar to entering a flight on Travel > Flights).
Editing Flights
- When an attendee has a flight reservation (part of a package, pre-booked, or individual), you may want to edit the reservation.
- Go to the attendee’s Travel page and edit the flight in the Flight Summary.
- You can adjust fields such as Meal Type, Seat Number, Booking Status, Travel Action Code, etc.
Communication & Change History
- You can record communications about an attendee’s Travel data or changes to it by clicking speech bubbles on their Travel Information page.
- This opens a Communication & Change History popup.
- You can import date-stamped comments into this history when importing flight reservations.
Importing Travel Data
- You can import flights, flight inventory, and attendee flight reservations (pre-booked and individual) by going to Travel > Import.
- There are three steps: Decide, Prepare Data, Import.
- A) Decide the type of data to import: Flights, Flight Inventory, Attendee Pre-booked Flight Reservations, Attendee Individual Flight Reservations.
- B) Prepare an Import File: Create a CSV with required fields and correct column names.
- C) Import Your Data: Use the Import Wizard to map CSV columns to data fields and upload the file.
- The import is queued and you receive an email notification when processing is complete.
Itinerary PDF
- You can generate itinerary PDFs in three ways:
1) Click Itinerary under Actions on an attendee’s Profile page
2) Attach Itinerary PDF in an email (via Templates, Registrations > Email)
3) Click Print Itinerary after selecting registrations in a Report Results window
- Itinerary Settings configure header, colors, fonts, and layout.
- Itinerary Output generates a PDF with pages for Travel Itinerary (flights) and Calendar (agenda items and appointments).
Reporting
- Flight Reservation Report: On the Travel > Flights page, export to Excel to obtain all flight reservations by reference numbers.
- Custom Reports: Create reports that include Travel Flights data for attendees’ flight reservations (whether part of a package, pre-booked, or individual).
Introduction
What are “Flight Packages”, and Why Would I Use them in My Event?
- Flight packages are sets of flights to and from the event.
- They can be used in registration forms or allocated directly to attendees.
- They simplify travel management and allow detailed itineraries to be generated.
About Setting Up And Using Flights and Flight Packages
- The steps for enabling and configuring travel packages are described above.
Enabling the Travel Packages Sub-Module
- Enable Travel Packages under Travel Module in Functional Areas Needed by This Event.
- The Travel page becomes available with links: Configure, Flights, Flight Packages, Import.
- The Manage > Registrations page will also include Travel.
Travel > Configuration
- The Configuration page enables you to set:
- Maximum Transfer Time (for Appointment Matching)
- Custom Transportation Types and Default Airports
- Default values for three of: Booking Status, Payment Codes, Travel Type, Travel Action Code
- Travel Type, and Travel Action Codes for use on attendee flight reservations
Setting a Currency Label
- On the Details page in Event Setup, you can select a Currency Label to be used for amounts on flights in Travel and on room blocks in Accommodation.
Transfer Time
- If using the Appointments Module, you can set Maximum Transfer Time (in minutes).
- This affects Available From and Available Until times for attendees.
Statuses
- Four sets of user-definable codes are optional.
- Examples: Booking Status (e.g., New Booking), Payment Code (e.g., At Own Cost), Travel Type (e.g., Charter Flight), Travel Action Code (e.g., Upgrade Request).
- These can be assigned to attendees’ flights for workflow and reporting.
Transportation Types
- Custom Transportation Types can be offered in the Travel section of a registration form.
- They can be assigned to Groups if using Registration Groups.
- To add a transportation type: select a Mode of Transport (Air, Rail, Road, Ship, Other), type a name, and click Add.
Default Airports
- You can add airports to be used for the event.
- They can be shown on the travel form and restricted by registration groups if needed.
Setting up Flights
- The Flights page displays a list of flights and can be filtered (Airline, Flight Code, Departure Port, Arrival Port, Inbound/Outbound).
- You can export to Excel from the Flights page.
- To add a flight: Click Add New and fill required flight details (Flight Code, Inbound/Outbound, Carrier, Date/Time, Airports, Terminals, Gates, Duration, Distance, etc.).
- You can optionally use a Description for attendee-facing details.
Adding Flight Inventory (Reference Numbers)
- After saving a flight, edit it to view the Flights Inventory section.
- Add Reference Numbers: Seat Block ID, Reference Number, Inventory, Total Amount, Travel Tax, Class (optional), Travel Type/Action Code/Booking Status (optional).
- Defaults can be used for new attendee registrations when you assign a flight.
What’s a “Reference Number”?
- It is the generic term used to refer to the confirmation or booking number for a set of seats booked on a flight.
- It can be a PNR or other names such as Confirmation Number or Reference Number.
- Each flight must have at least one Reference Number.
For each Reference Number, you can specify:
- Seat Block ID
- Reference Number
- Initial Inventory
- Total Amount
- Travel Tax
- Optional: Class, Travel Type, Action Code, Booking Status
Setting Up Flight Packages
- After creating flights, go to Travel > Flight Packages.
- The Flight Packages page lists packages; you can export to Excel.
- Click Add New to create a package; give it a unique name.
- Click Add flights to Package; choose flights to include; Add Flights.
- In Selected Flights, choose the Reference Numbers for each flight.
- Adjust order so earliest flight is first.
Assigning Flights to Attendees
- You can assign flights in five ways (as described above).
- The methods involve either registration form selections or admin-side assignments.
Attendees Selecting Flight Packages or Flights on Registration Forms
- When editing a form, include Travel.
- Plan > Forms > Travel.
- Choose to include Flight Packages or Show Individual Flights.
- Transportation Preferences can be shown or hidden as appropriate.
Planner Assigning Flight Packages and Flights to Attendees
- Go to the attendee’s Travel page and click Assign Flights.
- Choose between packages, pre-booked flights, or individual flights.
Assigning a Flight Package
- On the attendee’s Travel page, click Assign Flights.
- Select Packages and click Assign Packages.
- If the flights have defaults set on Travel > Flights, they will apply to the attendee’s registrations.
Assigning Pre-booked Flights
- On the attendee’s Travel page, click Assign Flights.
- Choose Select Flights, select flights, and click Assign Flights.
- For each flight, select the Reference Number to use.
Assigning Individual Flights
- On the attendee’s Travel page, click Assign Flights.
- Click Create an Individual Flight and enter flight details.
- Save the new flight.
Editing Flights
- You can edit flight details for an attendee’s flight reservation.
- Edit fields such as Booking Status, Travel Action Code, Meal Type, Seat Number, etc.
Communication & Change History
- Use the Travel page to add comments and track changes.
- The history can include imported travel data dates.
- Comments can be added with timestamps.
Importing Travel Data
- Travel data can be imported in three steps: Decide, Prepare Data, Import.
- You can import Flights, Flight Inventory, Attendee Pre-booked Flight Reservations, Attendee Individual Flight Reservations.
- The Import Wizard guides you through mapping columns and uploading CSV files.
- Import results in a queue and emits an email notification when processed.
Itinerary PDF
- Itinerary PDFs can be generated or attached to emails.
- Itinerary Settings configure the header, colors, and fonts.
- Itinerary Output produces a PDF with itineraries and calendars.
Reporting
- Flight Reservation Report: Exports flight reservation data to Excel.
- Custom Reports: Create reports that include Travel Flights data for attendees’ flight reservations.
Introduction (remainder)
- The guide reiterates the purpose of Flight Packages and the Travel Module.
What you can do next
- Enable Travel Packages
- Configure Travel > Configure
- Create Flights, Flight Inventory, and Flight Packages
- Assign Flights to Attendees
- Enable Itinerary generation and reporting