| Paul D. GIllespie |
|North Central Airlines |
|Airline Reservation System |
|ITEC 630 |
|Fall 2008 |
| |
|11/15/2008 |

North Central Airlines
Airline Reservation System Proposal

Phase 1

Background (Problem Statement):
North Central Airlines is a small but growing airline that specializes in providing amenities that major airlines don’t (like children discounts, for example). The corporate executives feel that the Global Distribution System that they currently use and share with larger airlines doesn’t provide the extra services that North Central needs for their business to thrive. Their intent is to design and construct their own Airline Ticketing System. Originally, the two options for this systems was to use a COTS from a respected vendor, or to design an Object Oriented System that was constructed and built entirely by the staff at North Central. North Central decided to utilize the Object Oriented model because it provided the flexibility and maintainability they needed.

Proposal:
This project will plan, analyze and design an airline ticketing system utilizing an object oriented database. The database will contain records of customer transactions with the company including: reservations, seating assignments, perform billing and payment functions. The database can also be used by the company to compile customer data and trends for marketing purposes. The system will be designed employing an agile methodology. [pic]

LOGICAL MODEL DESIGN. System context diagram. The following pages contain the Data Dictionary, the data flow diagrams, and a Summary of Business Activities for the proposed project. A summary of Business activities was constructed and data flow diagrams were created using the summary as a base. A context level data flow diagram was constructed and decomposed to the second level. The Data Dictionary presents the data elements that will be designed into the customer Object and the Flight Information Object. Also, a basic outline of the object models are displayed. Software Design: The system will be designed by internal software developers employing an object oriented software design utilizing the Extreme Programming (XP) methodology to produce the product. Programming pairs will be utilized to produce all software. Software will be unit tested immediately upon completion. The system will interface with a payment system that is operated by Pay-it-all Inc., and a travel reservation vendor, Awesome Travels. System Security: Security for payment transactions will be handled by Pay-it-all Inc., an outside vendor that specializes in secure payment transactions. Control of the system will pass to Pay-it-all when the payment option is selected by the user. When entering credit card information Pay-it-all transfers to a secure, encrypted site. The customer database information security and flight information security will be maintained by North Central Airlines. Secure, dedicated primary and back-up servers are designed for Database integrity. An Intrusion detection system and a robust Anti-virus software application will be installed to promote data integrity and prevent hacking into the system. Awesome Travels, Inc. will provide rental car and hotel reservation information and bookings through a secure service. All exchanges made from Awesome Travels and North Central will be made through a secure, dedicated line and servers.

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS: This system will be developed employing Object Oriented Design and agile (Extreme Programming) methodology. The system will be designed with the two major characteristics specified - Maximum Performance ( Data Availability) - Information Security (Data Confidentiality and Integrity)

COST ANALYSIS:
Project Costs:
Initial Project Cost: $210,000
Maintenance Costs: 10,000 per annum
Awesome Travels (Vendor) 20,000 per annum
Pay-it-all (Vendor) 42,000 per annum
Mid Cycle Overhaul: 100,000
Project Savings: $120,000 per annum (outside vendor for current system) 60,000 per annum (increase in business and cash flow from self controlled system)

Project Cost Analysis (not adjusted for inflation) Outflows Inflows Project Balance
First year 282,000 180,000 -98,000
Second Year 354,000 360,000 +6,000
Third Year 426,000 540,000 +114,000
Fourth Year 498,000 720,000 +222,000
Fifth Year 670,000 900,000 +230,000
Sixth Year: 742,000 1,080,000 +338,000
Seventh Year: 816,000 1,260,000 +444,000
Eight Year: 888,000 1,440,000 +556,000
Ninth Year: 960,000 1,620,000 +660,000
Tenth Year: 1.032,000 1,800,000 +768,000
Total Project Profit = $768,000 value to North Central Airlines. The project is profitable and the risk is acceptable for this project.

Summary of Business Activities
1) Retrieve requested flight information from flight database
2) Existing customers enter Customer ID and password. Customer Database retrieves customer information
3) Customer enters requested flight information. Flight information database retrieves closest matches for customer to select flights.
4) Customer selects desired flight. Customer selects desired incentive package and selects desired rental car and hotel. When a rental car or hotel is desired a vendor interfaces with the flight database to provide these services.
5) Payment due is calculated. Customer is directed to secure payment web site to complete transaction.
6) Customer receives confirmation information
7) Flight information database is updated
8) Customer database is updated
9) Payment is reconciled with payment vendor

Data Flow Diagrams/Data Dictionary

[pic]

Data Dictionary

Customer Object Contains:

Customer = Name + Address+ Date of Birth+ Telephone Number+ e-mail address+ Flight History+ Bonus Miles

Name = Last Name + First Name+ (Middle Initial)

Address = Street+ (Apartment)+ City+ State+ Zip+ Country

Date of Birth = Month + Day + Year
Telephone = country code + area code + home number + (area code + Cell number)

e-mail address = home+ (work)

Flight History = date departed+ Flight number+ Date returned+ Flight Class+ Bonus Plan

Bonus Miles = Miles accumulated this month+ Total miles

Payment Type = Credit Card+ (Check) + (Money Order)
Data Dictionary

Flight Information Object

Flight = Flight number+ Plane Type+ Departure Time+ Return Time+ Seats Available+ Total Cost

Flight Number = Number
Plane Type = Commercial Airline + number
Departure Time = hour + minute
Return Time = hour + minute
Seats Available = total seats+ First class total + First class available+ Coach total + Coach available+ Total Cost

Data Dictionary (cont)

Total Cost = Total Cost + First Class +

Coach + Cost of Rental Car+ Hotel + Incentives+

Data Dictionary (cont.)
PHASE 2

Inputs/Outputs: This is a web based Airline Ticket and Reservation system. All inputs by the user is through the internet via a series of graphical user interface screens. The screens are touch based and the only information that is input by the customer is their identification number and their desired flight times, the rest of the information is touch screen based.
Customer Inputs/Outputs are as follows:
Screen 1: Customer Inputs Identification number and/or flight information
Screen 2: System outputs flight options. Customer inputs flight selection.
Screen 3: System Outputs selected flight details. Customer inputs option selections.
Screen 4: System outputs Flight information and total cost. Customer acknowledges.
Screen 5: System Acknowledges payment and issues confirmation number.
Screen 6: New customer information input.
Note: Between screen 4 and 5 the system transfers the customer to Pay-it-all Corp, for payment, Upon completion of payment the system will output Screen 5. Inputs to the system are from three different sources. North Central Airline flight information is furnished from an internal flight information database. Customer information is furnished from the internal Customer database. Any external car rental information and hotel availability is furnished through ABC Ticketing, an outside vendor. Customer payment information is entered externally by the company and is handled by Pay-It-All Inc., an outside vendor. The selection of an outside vendor who specializes in customer payment was made to ensure the highest amount of data security. Outputs from the system include a confirmation statement that details fight information. This is furnished to the customer. The customer is also furnished output in the form of a monthly flight bonus statement. The flight reservation information is also fed back into North Central’s flight information database and the database is updated. The customer database is also furnished with output to update it’s database. Another output is the payment information which is furnished to North Central Airline’s accounting Department. The last output is airline reservation and flight information which is outputted to North Central’s administration offices for management and reports.

SAMPLE

SCREEN

PRESENTATIONS
[pic]
Departing Flights

|Flight Number |Departure Time |Departure Airport |Return Time |Return Airport |Price |Flight |Check to |
| | | | | | |Duration |Select |
|171 |0840 |Ord |1020 |Sch |825.00 |1 h 50 m | |
|228 |1220 |Sch |1450 |SFD | |2 h 30 m | |
|456 |1135 |ORD |1520 |SFD |875.00 |3 h 45 m | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |

Return Flights

|Flight Number |Departure Time |Departure Airport |Return Time |Return Airport |Price |Flight |Check to |
| | | | | | |Duration |Select |
|071 |0830 |SFD |1120 |Sch |825.00 |2 h 50 m | |
|258 |1235 |Sch |1550 |ORD | |3 h 15 m | |
|1106 |1135 |ORD |1520 |SFD |875.00 |3 h 45 m | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |

Check Selected Flight and Press Enter to make selection, Press Back to find new flight information

You selected the following Flight:

Depart Date Flight# Dep. Time City Arrival Time City 11/27 109 1127 ORD 1420 SDF

Return Date Flight# Dep. Time City Arrival Time City 11/30 129 1635 SDF 2220 ORD

Total cost for flight: $895.00

North Central Airlines Flight Benefits Program:

Special Meal

Movie Package

MP3 Program

Select one for no charge, extra selections $5.00 each

Unlimited Baggage Plan ($50.00)

Check for type of Rental Car needed: Economy Large Luxury

Check for type of Hotel: Economy Basic Luxury

Click Enter to Process Selection: Members New Customers

Congratulations!
You have made the following reservations:

Depart Date Flight# Dep. Time City Arrival Time City 11/27 109 1127 ORD 1420 SDF

Return Date Flight# Dep. Time City Arrival Time City 11/30 129 1635 SDF 2220 ORD

Selected Benefits: MP3 Program

Unlimited Baggage: No

Hotel: No

Rental Car: No

Flight Cost: 895.00

Extras: 0

Discounts: 0

Taxes: 103.00

Total Cost: $998.00

If this is correct Press To return to previous screen

Thank you for your payment. Your confirmation number is AAAA-1111.

North Central Airlines values your service.

If you have any questions about your flight or suggestions on how to improve our service, please contact us below

You will receive a response within 24 hours. Thank you for choosing North Central Airlines!

North Central Airlines
New Customer Membership

DATA DESIGN. Database Design. North Central Airlines will develop their own object oriented databases using the Java Programming Language and .Net framework. The customer objects and flight information objects will be linked together using a linked list (queue) data structure. Routines will be developed to sort data, add record, check for availability of memory, check to see if the queue is empty. The data model for the Customer Object and the Flight Information Object is depicted in the Figure 2.
The customer interfaces with North Central's Reservation system with a Many-to-Many relationship (see Entity Relationship diagram- FIGURE 1). Interfaces between the different entities in the Airline Reservation Ticketing System is shown in FIGURE 1. Data File Storage and Access. A dedicated server and back-up server will be installed for each database. The system will be backed up daily during off-peak usage hours. The servers will be installed in a locked facility that is only accessible to Information Technology personnel who have a need to access the facility. Any other access to the facilities must be arranged through the Information Technology Department. The database servers will be dedicated to database storage, updates, and retrievals. Access to the database is restricted to those employees designated as "need-to-know." The Information Technology Department will grant access "read only" and administrative privileges to personnel on an extremely limited basis. Access to the system for North Central employees will be through the Company's extranet. A dedicated T1 connection will be installed for Pay-it-all and Awesome Travels, the outside vendors. This connection will give the vendors access to needed portions of the database, through the company's Intranet. Customers will not directly access the database and will interface the system through the internet.
System Architecture. The Airline Reservation system is a web based system. The databases for the Customer information and Flight Information will be contained in separate servers to help preserve data integrity. Back up servers are provided for each database to provide redundancy in case of failure of a primary server. There are two branches to the network, internal and external. Internal access to the databases will be through a corporate intranet and access limited to essential personnel in the IT department. External access will be through the internet for customers and through dedicated T1 lines for vendors. Customer access will be through a web server with an intrusion detection system and firewall cluster provided to detect viruses and attacks. The vendors access to the databases will be through a dedicated T1 line that also passes through a firewall cluster to ensure data integrity.

Figure 2- Data Object Models (Customer and Flight Information)

Project Management. Enclosure (1) provides specific project detail. The project will be supervised by a Project Manager and the project team will follow a structured project management process. The system will be developed utilizing an agile methodology (extreme programming). The project team will consist of the following members:
4 Programmers: (2 for each database)
2 Hardware Installers
1 Information Security technician
1 System Analyst
The project Manager will track progress of the project and make progress reports to management. The systems analyst will provide technical guidance and direction to the project team.
CCuC

-----------------------
Sample 2 - Screen Output/Input

Sample 1 - Screen Input

Log In

Password

North Central Airlines “Make a Reservation” Web site

Enter Desired Flight City/Airport Date Departure Time

Departure

Return

Flight Reservation Information

Returning Customers

Back

Enter

Enter

Enter

Return

Enter

Contact Customer Service

North Central Airlines
Ticket Reservation System
Process 2

Update
Databases

1.4

Customer

Flight Information

Resvartion
Information

Management
Reports

Reservation
Information

Reservation
Informationn

Complete
Reservation

Find
Customer
Flight

Cash
Transaction

Reservation
Information

1.2

1.3

Flight
Information

Reservation
Information

Desired
Flight
Information

Cust.
Record

Flight Information

Retrieve
Customer
Record

Customer
ID

1.1

Customer
Record

Customer

North Central Airlines
Airline Reservation System
Data Flow Diagram
Process 1

North Central
Airline Reservation System
Data Flow Diagram “0”

Customer

Produce
Monthly
Bonus
Points Letter

Customer
Record

New
Customer
Information

5

Customer

New
Customer
Information

Monthly
Bonus
Record

Add
New
Customer

4

Summarize
Cash
Transaction

Accounting

Flight Database

Cash
Transaction

3

Total Cash Received

Customer

Flight Info

Management
Reports

Cash
Transaction

ID

Make
Reservation

Produce
Management
Reports

Management

1

2

Reservation
Information

Reservation Receipt

Customer

Customer
Record

North Central Airlines Ticket Reservation System Context Diagram

Screen 5 - Completed Reservation Output

Dedicated T1 Connections - Outside
Vendors

Extranet

Firewall cluster

Firewall cluster

Firewall cluster

Internet

Customer

Figure 3 - System Architecture North Central Airlines Ticket Reservation System

Database Server
Back-up

Database Server
Back-up

Database Server

Updates

Provides Information for

Database Server

Cash
Received

Frequent Flyer Letter

Confirmation Receipt

Management Reports

Flight Information

Payment

ID

New Customer

Accounting

Customer

Management

0

Airline
Reservation System

Customer

Flight
Information
System

Customer Object:
Attributes: Methods:
Name Input_data()
Address Retrieve_Record ()
Date of Birth Sort_Record ()
Telephone Number Update_Record() e-mail address Print_Record()
Flight History Is_Empty()
Bonus Miles Is_Full()

Provides information for

Provide updated information

Provides services for

Provides Information for

Are made for

Make

Figure 1. Entity-Relationship Diagram for North Central Airlines Reservation Ticketing System

Hotel and Car Rentals

Payment

Flight Information

Reservations

Customers

Please type the following Information:

Name:

Street Address:

Telephone (work):

Telephone (home):

Telephone (Cell):

E-mail address:

Date of Birth:

Select Password:

Enter Password Again:

Screen 6 - New Customer Input

Screen4: Screen Output/Input

Screen 3 - Screen Output/Input

Flight Information Object

Attributes: Methods:

Flight number Input_Data
Plane Type Retrieve_Flight_Information()
Departure Time Update_Record
Return Time Is_Seat_Available()
Seats Available Calculate_Cost()
Total Cost Assign_Seat() Determine_Incentives()

Culculate_Bonus_Miles()

Fetch_Rental_car()

Reservation
Information

Cash
Transaction

Management
Reports

Report Information

2.2

2.1

Compile Reservation Information

Configure
Management
Reports

3.1

Vendor
Processes
Transaction

North Central Airlines
Ticket Reservation System
Process 3

Transaction
Exchange

Transaction
Exchange

Airline
Finalizes
Transaction
With Vendor

3.2

Transaction
Exchange

North Central Airlines
Ticket Reservation System
Process 4

New Customer
Information

Blank Customer Record

Customer
Information

New Customer Record

4.2

Create
New
Customer
Record

4.1

Create
New
Record

North Central Airlines
Ticket Reservation System
Process 5

5.1

Customer
Record

Compile
Monthly
Bonus
Statistics

Monthly
Bonus
Report

Monthly
Bonus
Information

5.2

Prepare
Monthly
Bonus
Letter