bmi has enhanced its revenue protection software to more efficiently track and monitor booking activity. As with most airlines, bmi is charged a fee by each GDS for every passenger segment booked. For this reason we would ask that you use the following guidelines. Your compliance will ensure that these fees are not re-charged to your agency, and will improve the availability we offer you and all our travellers.
Duplicate bookings
Duplicate bookings should not be made for the same passenger on the same route. These bookings will be identified and automatically cancelled. Similarly, bookings made showing an overlapping or nonflyable itinerary will also be identified and cancelled.
Ticket time limit
How does the bmi ticketing time limit policy work?
On creation of new bookings, the system will advise you via your GDS of the ticketing time limit deadline, if appropriate. The booking will subsequently be cancelled should a ticket number not be included in the reservation by the specified date. Always ensure that you ticket within the time limit according to the fare rule.
What will the ticketing time limit and warning message look like?
Dependent on your GDS, the ticketing time limit message you will see is shown below:
SSR OTHS PLS ADV TKT NO BY 1700/14FEB2007 OR BD WILL CXL
How should ticket numbers be entered?
Ticket numbers are generated automatically however, for manual entry, the examples below show bmi's preferred formats for manual ticket notification dependent on your GDS. The ticketing time limit software is designed to recognise any GDS format.
If the booking remains unticketed at the specified deadline, the robot will cancel the BD sectors and return this message.
SSR OTHS AUTO-CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF TICKET
Passive bookings
Passive bookings (e.g. PK, PL, AK where no seat is held) should only be used in the following instances and only when it is not possible to perform the process in the live PNR.
Any Passive booking which falls outside of these circumstances will be identified and rejected. Passives made for productivity or administration purposes should be performed using the non-billable status codes below:
Group bookings should be ticketed using the Claim PNR functionality. Names and ticket numbers should be advised prior to one month before outbound travel.
Duplicate ticket numbers
Ensure that ticket numbers are both valid and not duplicated. Bookings showing previously used ticket numbers will result in cancellation of the pnr.
Fictitious names
Do not hold space under speculative names or NTBA/TBA/TEST etc. These bookings will be identified and cancelled. Additionally, please ensure that passenger names are entered in bmi's preferred format that should show surname, first name and title as shown below.
SMITH/JOHN MR
Passenger names with missing elements will result in cancellation of the booking.
Waitlists
Do not waitlist in lower classes. These bookings will be detected and subsequently cancelled.
Name changes
Name change restrictions are in place for classes K, L, Q,V,W. Amendments may be made in the case of spelling errors only. Any attempts to make other additional name changes after the booking has been ended will result in the PNR being cancelled. Exceptional requests for name change in Galileo can be made via the servicing terminal using the entry QEB/XBD/6. Exceptional name change requests for all other GDS should be made through the bmi travel trade helpline - from the UK 0870 606 1000 and Republic of Ireland (01) 407 3036.
Other general practices
Can cancelled bookings be re-instated?
If a booking has been cancelled incorrectly, or a ticket issued without bmi being notified, then bmi will endeavour to re-instate a booking where we are able. In order for the itinerary to be replaced, you will need to call the bmi travel trade helpline on 0870 606 1000 from the UK or from the Republic of Ireland on (01) 407 3036. Please ensure that you have all relevant details including ticket numbers.
View this information as a pdf: Booking guidelines for travel agents
Thank you for your support.