Before you start, ensure the traveller's flight requirements are detailed in the Excel spreadsheet to be uploaded into Serko Online, where the bookings will be created. Separate PNRs will be generated for each successful trip.
The Group Booking module is exclusively for domestic Australian flight bookings and is available only through Australian Point of Sale. No land content can be included as part of the upload request but can be added to the booking post creation.
If you want to make a group booking but the module is not enabled, please ask your Travel Management Company to enable it. Additionally, you will need the appropriate permissions set up to make a Group Booking.
Booking Process
Group Booking Process Overview
Several steps make up the Group Booking Process.
Pre-Requisites
To commence the Group Booking Process, ensure you have the import file with travel requirements.
A sample file can be obtained by initiating the Group Booking process and selecting the sample file link. Ensure that you do not delete or rename any columns from the sample file, except for the ‘custom-fields’ column which may be deleted or renamed to suit client requirements.
Initial Booking Process
From the Dashboard, expand the Bookings menu and select Create Group Booking or expand the NEW BOOKING option and select Group Booking from the list.
Only one Group Booking can be initiated at any one time per user. If the system identifies a Group Booking has previously been initiated; but not submitted, a message will be displayed.
Initial Setup
Upon initiating the Group Booking process the Group Booking - Setup page is displayed.
Each field is outlined in detail below.
Once all mandatory fields have been completed, the Next button will become enabled. To continue the Group Booking Process, click the Next button.
To abandon the Group Booking click the Cancel button.
Booking Details
| Field | Mandatory/Optional | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost Centre | Mandatory |
Manual Selection (default) - The Cost Centre defaults to the Travel Booker’s ‘Administration Default Cost Centre’, which also controls the available cost centres to choose from, should a different cost centre be required for the group booking. Action: Leave as default or select the required Cost Centre. Result - The selected Cost Centre will be applied to all bookings created as part of this Group Booking. If the import file identifies a different Cost Centre against any individual travellers, the import file value will override the Cost Centre selected for just those travellers. There is also the opportunity to change the Cost Centre for individual travellers later in the booking process. |
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Traveller’s Profile Result - Each traveller’s individual ‘Traveller default cost centre’ will be assigned to their booking from the group. Further to this, during the ‘create traveller’ identification step, the booker is prompted to select a cost centre for creating travellers. All of which will be overridden by any alternative cost centres identified in the import file. Again, there is also the opportunity to change the Cost Centre for individual travellers later in the booking process |
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| Policy | Mandatory | Only policies with the Policy Type = Group will be available to select in the Group Booking process.
If there is only one available Policy, this will default as selected for the Group Booking. If there is more than one available Policy, the travel booker will be required to select one from a drop-down list. In addition, individual travellers' bookings may be allocated to an alternative policy individually by adding a column titled ‘Policy’ to the import file and populating it with the alternative Policy name for those particular travellers only. |
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| Authoriser | Mandatory | When the Cost centre type is ‘Manual Selection’ the Authoriser Field will appear after a cost centre and policy have been selected. If there is only one Authoriser available, and that user will default as the selected Authoriser and will not be displayed (as per the Quick Booking process). If there is more than one Authoriser available, the travel booker will be required to select the required Authoriser.
Action - Select the required Authoriser. |
Only Authorisers that have been configured at a Procurement level for the selected cost centre and above will be available to select. When the Cost centre option [Traveller’s Profile] is selected, the Authoriser list is populated with Authorisers allocated at a Procurement level according to the booker’s ‘Administration default cost centre’.
If a traveller is allocated an alternate cost centre via the import file which is not available to the selected Authoriser, the Travel Booker will receive a warning during import validation and be advised to choose a different Authoriser who has access to all bookings. If a traveller’s cost centre is not available to the selected Authoriser, the Travel Booker will receive a warning during the import validation and be advised to choose a different Authoriser who has access to all Traveller profile cost centres or to change the cost centre to one that is available to the Authoriser. |
| Filename | Mandatory | The file selected will be used to create the individual traveller bookings. It must be in the specified format and contain the correct data formats for each column.
Action - Select the import file. |
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| Review before Booking | Optional | By default, this option will be selected. Selecting this option allows the travel booker to review the bookings that will be made, make changes to flights and dates of travel, and make changes to the cost centres by the traveller. At the review screen stage, Serko Online has validated the inventory on the flights as per the policy selected and shows the user the fare class and airfare cost for each traveller.
Action - If required, select the ‘Review before Booking’ option. |
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| Instant Purchase | Mandatory if API airlines exist in booking | If the policy selected contains API airlines, it will be mandatory to accept the Terms and Conditions of the provider.
Action - Select the ‘Terms and Conditions’ link to read the Terms and Conditions of the provider. Select the I accept the Instant Purchase Provider Terms and Conditions checkbox. |
Custom Fields
The Mandatory or Optional status of the Custom Fields is based on the individual Custom Field configuration.
The Custom Fields displayed are Custom Fields that have been created with the Usage = ‘All Bookings’ or ‘Group Bookings’. Custom Fields set to ‘Quick Booking’ will not be displayed.
Custom fields that are populated on the setup screen are applied to all bookings. If individual values are required for the individual traveller bookings; additional columns can be added to the import file. The column heading must be a case-specific match of the custom field Display Prompt. The custom field value should be added to the first row of any booking request that requires specific data. This data will override the data entered on the setup screen.
The value to enter in the spreadsheet is either the text for a text field or the lookup list 'Description'. The corresponding lookup list code will be output to the PNR and displayed in the resulting group confirmation file.
The application of custom field data via the import spreadsheet only works for Serko Online users. It does not apply to admin users
Notification
| Field | Mandatory/Optional | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Optional but recommended |
By default, the system will send an email notification, advising the Group Booking has completed processing, to the email address from the travel booker’s profile. Action - To disable the email notification, remove the tick from the checkbox. OR Action - To send the email notification to an alternative email address, overwrite the default email address with the alternative email address. OR Action - To send the email notification to multiple email addresses, add additional email addresses separated by a semi-colon (;). For example, john.smith@serkoonline.com;jane.smith@serkoonline.com. |
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| Text Messsage | Optional | By default, the system will not send text notifications, advising the Group Booking has completed processing. If required.
Action - Select the Text checkbox and enter a mobile number. |
Data Validation
Upon selecting Next from the Initial Setup page, Serko Online will automatically perform a set of validation checks on the data contained in the import file.
If validation passes, the booking process will continue with the next step – ‘Guest Travellers’.
If validation fails, a page similar to the one shown below will be displayed. The Travel Booker will have the option to...
- Continue without correcting data.
OR
- Correct data on-screen.
OR
- Cancel to return to the Initial Setup page.
The validation process will check for duplicate entries in the import file. Checks will be made for bookings that either have an exact match or with dates that overlap another complete booking request for the same traveller profile within the file.
Continue without Correcting
To continue the group booking without correcting the data...
- Select the I don’t wish to make any corrections checkbox.
- Complete one of the following...
- Click the OK button to continue with the next step of the Booking Process.
OR
- Click the Cancel button to return to the Setup page.
- Click the OK button to continue with the next step of the Booking Process.
Correcting Data
To correct the data...
- Click in the value field and enter the correct data by either choosing from the drop-down list, or date selector or entering new free text data.
TipIf not all the values are known to correct errors, select the option Save values I have changed and disregard any remaining issues. This will enable the OK button to be selected and allow the booking process to continue.
- Click the OK button.
The system will complete another validation check. If data is still missing or requires correcting, correct the values as required.
TipTo exit this validation process without further corrections, select the I don’t wish to make any corrections checkbox. Disregard the above and continue with the import.
If the data is all correct, the booking process will continue.
Guest Travellers
Serko Online will identify a Guest Traveller based on the following...
- Travel Booker has the Role = Create Traveller – enable option (if the user does not have this role, bookings for unmatched traveller profiles will be ignored).
- Where no traveller ID is provided in the upload file or the ID entered does not match any Serko Online Profile, Serko may create the booking as a guest traveller.
If no Guest Travellers are identified from the import file, the booking process will continue with the next step – Review Booking (if selected on the Initial Set Up screen).
If Guest Travellers have been identified from the import file, the Guest Traveller page is displayed to allow the travel booker to update details as required. An example is shown below.
If an email address and telephone number are not updated from this page, Serko Online will use the email address and telephone number from the Travel Bookers profile.
To view only Guest Travellers with missing contact details, select the option Only show Guest Travellers with missing contact details.
Update Details
To update details (including Flight Membership) for a Guest Traveller...
- Select the Edit icon
for the required traveller.
- On the Guest Traveller dialog, update details as required.
- Click the Save button.
Update Flight Membership Details
To update details Flight Membership) for a Guest Traveller...
- Click on the Flight Membership link.
- On the Guest Traveller - Flight Membership dialog, update details as required.
- Click the Save button.
Where the same Guest Traveller has multiple bookings within the same import file, selecting the option Apply these changes to all travellers with the same Title, Name and Surname flying on QF will mean the travel booker will only be required to update the membership details once for all bookings on the import file.
Delete Guest Traveller
To delete a Guest Traveller...
- Select the Delete icon
for the required traveller.
- On the confirmation dialog, click the Yes button.
Review Booking Details
This step is only applicable if the Review before booking? checkbox was selected on the Initial Setup page at the start of the booking process.
Upon selecting the Next button from the previous page the system will commence the review process and the Review Booking Details page will be displayed.
Bookings with Errors and Warnings
When all bookings have been reviewed, by default, the page will refresh only to show bookings which contain errors and warnings (in that order).
To view all bookings, clear the Only show Bookings which contain errors checkbox.
If there are no errors or warnings, all valid bookings will be displayed by default.
To view Flight, Departure, Arrival, Fare and baggage details for a booking, mouse over the route.
The travel booker can select the Finish button to complete the Group Booking at any stage without correcting all errors; however, this can result in not all bookings being created. It is recommended, where possible, to correct all errors before selecting the Finish button.
Correcting Errors/Select an Alternative Flight
Alternative Flight on Same Day
To select an alternative flight...
- From the Review Bookings page, select the Flight Number. This may be either for flight bookings with or without errors.
The Select Flight page will be displayed with available flights based on the original request date/time and within the selected policy. If logical flights are configured in the policy, the results displayed will be restricted to those logical rules, with the option to expand the search to find further results.
- Alternative flight changes may be applied to more than one passenger if they all have the same itinerary requested in the import file. Click the new flight to be used, and if applicable, select the Passengers the new flight should be applied to.
Alternative Flight on a Different Day
If a change to the date/time from the original flight request is required...
- Expand Click to change date/time at the bottom of the window.
- Select an alternative date/time.
- Select the Search button. Serko Online will return new availability for alternative flight selection.
- Click the OK button to continue with the booking process, or click the Cancel button to return to the Review Bookings page.
Unused Tickets
If Unused Ticket Tracking has been enabled in the client’s corporate options, the booker will be presented with an opportunity to either manually allocate or accept the automated allocation of unused tickets. The unused tickets displayed for each traveller will be by the rules associated with the ‘Unused Ticket Selection’ corporate option setting applied to the cost centre in which each booking is being made.
The Unused Ticket selection page shows an unused ticket that is available to be allocated to the traveller, along with another available ticket that has already been allocated to another traveller in this group booking.
Booking Details Complete
Once corrections from the Review Booking Details screen have been completed, click the Next button to complete the Group Booking.
Some bookings may still contain warnings for information purposes only.
Complete Booking
Upon selecting the Next button from the Review Booking Details page, Serko Online will attempt to create bookings.
The Booking Summary page will be displayed while Serko Online is processing the bookings.
Download Results
When the Group Booking has completed processing, the Travel Booker can view results by selecting the Download results link from the Summary page.
This will open the initial import file with the following additional columns...
- Booking ID
- PNR
- Class
- Cost
- AirlineRef
- Comment
- Warnings
- Custom Fields
- Policy
The data in the results file has been updated with what was booked (or not, in the case of errors).
Fields that are highlighted yellow indicate the results are different to what was requested on the original import file.
Red text indicates the booking failed and has not been created.
The results file will only be available before selecting the Close button. If the spreadsheet will be referred to in the future, the Travel Booker must Save the spreadsheet to a local file location before selecting the Close button.
Booking Successful
If there are no Booking Errors, the Booking Summary page will refresh the display and show all successful Bookings.
Notification will be sent advising...
- Imported By: [Travel booker’s Name]
- Import Started: [date and time]
- Import Completed: [date and time]
- Import File: [path and filename]
- Booking ID: [unique booking id allocated by Serko Online]
- Booking Reference: [data inserted in GBREF custom field]
- Bookings Created: [no. of successful bookings]
- Bookings Failed: [no. of failed bookings]
Refer to Email Example of Notification, to view a sample email.
Select the Close button, to exit this Group Booking.
The Travel Booker can leave the Group Booking screen to complete other ‘non-group’ Serko Online bookings. To return to the current Group Booking, select Make a Group Booking. The Travel Booker will be re-directed to the current Group Booking - Bookings Summary page until the Close button is selected.
Booking with Errors
If one or more bookings have an error, then by default, the page will refresh to only show those bookings.
In this case, simply try selecting the retry link, or if an alternative option is required, refer to the Select an Alternative Flight for details.
To view all bookings (successful and errors), clear the Only show Bookings which contain errors checkbox.
The Travel Booker can leave the Group Booking screen to complete other ‘non-group’ bookings. To return to the current Group Booking, select Make a Group Booking. The Travel Booker will be re-directed to the current Group Booking - Bookings Summary page.
- A booking that was Blocked at the Review screen will have the error - Booking Not Created, but the user may still click retry if the booking should be processed from this Final Summary screen.
- The Travel Booker can exit the current Group Booking (without making any corrections), by selecting the Close button. However, there is no way to get back to the Summary Screen once Close has been selected.
Retry
The Retry function is used, either immediately after the group booking process has been completed, or when corrections have been made; for example, an alternative flight is selected, and the Travel Booker is ready to re-submit the individual booking.
- To re-submit the booking, click on the Retry link on the Booking Details page.
Serko Online will attempt to create the booking again.
- Click the Close button, to exit this Group Booking.
The Travel Booker can leave the Group Booking screen to complete other ‘non-group’ bookings. To return to the current Group Booking, select Make a Group Booking. The Travel Booker will be re-directed to the current Group Booking - Bookings Summary page.
There is no way to get back to the Summary page once the Close button has been selected.
Post Booking Creation
Identify Group Bookings
From the Bookings tab, bookings that were created successfully from the Group Booking process can be identified by the Group icon in the Type column.
Filter for Bookings from a Specific Import File
Where a Custom Field has been set up as a Group Booking Reference field and the Travel Booker entered a value in the custom field during the booking process e.g. ‘Blue Group Depart 13 AUG’ – the Booking Filter can be used to provide a list of bookings that were created from that Group Booking.
Audit Trail
A sample of the Audit entry is displayed below.
Authorisation
The standard Zeno booking status process applies.
The individual bookings will be created with a status of ‘Pending’ or ‘Authorised’ depending on Policy and/or User Role configuration.
The standard Serko Online Authorisation process applies to bookings created from the Group Booking process.
Group booking does not support ‘Multi-Tier’ approval
Workflow Email Generation
The standard Serko Online workflow email notification process applies to bookings created from the Group Booking process.
PNR Formatting
The standard Serko Online PNR Formatting process applies to bookings created from the Group Booking process.
Queue Placement
The standard Serko Online Queue Placement process applies to bookings created from the Group Booking process.