Group bookings with Amadeus Groups Automation

This is a step by step group booking guide for Amadeus users.

For more detailed information regarding group booking procedure with Amadeus
please refer to our prompt card.

Automated group bookings in Amadeus

British Airways has automated the process of group bookings. Availability display, booking and maintenance of your groups can be handled by yourself in Amadeus (not applicaple for codeshare flights).

This is applicable for the following booking classes:
G (World Traveller and Euro Traveller)
T (World Traveller Plus)
I (Club Europe and Club World)
A (First Class)

Availability display
With the following entry the system will search for all flights on which seats in the booking classes G, T, I and A are available.
The letter "R" or the number "9" will allow you to request a group as there are still seats available for group bookings:
AN BA 01MAY FRALON/RGRP

The next entry will display all possible flights irrespective of the actual availablility of the booking class for groups. Codes "GC" (C closed) and GS (S sold) signify that G-Glass is closed for sale and no further bookings can be made:
SN BA 01MAY FRALON/RGRP

Booking process

The entry to request seats is as follows: SS 10 G1 /RG (request 10 seats for flight in Line 1)
The response will always be a request booking with status "HN":
To finalise your booking the following entries are required:

NG 10 SUNTOURS/BAGROUP Group name
TKOK Ticketing information
RF CS Received from
AP PAR 01-123456- A Agency phone contact
AP PAR HAPPY TRAVEL Agency name
SRGRPFBA - ADHOC GROUP Group booking indicator
RM IATA NUMBER 9123456 Agency IATA number

To obtain the confirmation for requested seats you will need to queue your booking to your designated British Airways groups department, e.g. QE/STOBA0803/87 or OSLBA0802/87 or CPHBA0800/87

NOTE: Apart from the IATA number in step above, do not add any remarks to the booking except in the following situations:

• Requesting over 99 seats – request 99 seats and add the following remark:
  RM TCP120 (specifying the number of seats required)
• Travel date outside of system range – request for latest possible date and add the following remark:
  RM DATE 20NOV05 – 27NOV05 (specifying the dates required)
• Pre-agreed special rates – add the following remark:
  RM PREAGREED GROUP RATE EUR200 (specifying the agreed rate of EUR200)
• Requesting additional servicing (add on request/special requests) – add the following remark:
  RM free format
  NOTE:Only add this remark after you have received a group quote or have a
  confirmed booking)
• To request less than 9 additional seats to an existing group only – add the following TCP confirming in the OSI field:
  OS BA ABCDEF

PLEASE DO NOT ADD ANY FREE FORMAT REMARKS UNTIL YOU HAVE OBTAINED A GROUP QUOTE OTHERWISE A FREE FORMAT CANNOT BE READ.

Fare information

• FQD AMSLON/D01MAY/ABA/R, U
  Request an Amadeus Negotiated fare (selected group rates can be identified by the indicator “GRP” in the fare basis code)
• FXP/R, U
  Fare quote

If you do not find any Negotiated Group Fares for the routing, please request an offer through Amadeus from your groups department by entering:

• SR GRPF - GUQGRP EUR500 PLUS TAX
  Add BA Negotiated rate to PNR (if known)
  
  or
  
• SR GRPF - Offer EUR500 PLUS TAX
  Add requested group rate to PNR

Confirmation of reservation

Confirmation of booking and price will be sent with status code “HK” to queue 87 of your office. The fare will show as SR element in the booking.

• RM KK EUR200
  Add remark confirming the quoted rate of EUR200
• QE/STOBA0803/87 or OSLBA0802/87 or CPHBA0800/87
  Queue PNR to British Airway
  
  or
  
• XI
  Cancel the PNR if you do not accept the price (if you do not cancel within 10 days after you have received the booking on your queue we will consider it confirmed from your side)

Maintenance of group bookings

You can easily maintain your group bookings:

• XE 0.5
  Cancel blocked seats before entering names
• XE 2-4
  Cancel seats with assigned name elements
• 2-4G
  Delete name items and retain group size
• SR GRPSBA TCP20*123ABC
  Request additional seats by creating a new booking for the additional seats and add an SR referring to the original PNR (123ABC – PNR code of the original PNR)
• Re-bookings
  Amend the original-PNR with the new air segments or flight dates and start the process to request new seats. Please be aware that re-bookings can result in changes in group fares. Please enter the SSR-GRPF-element including rate again.
• NM 1 TEST/MR
  Add names (Please be aware that bookings without names can be cancelled by BA 30 days before departure.)

How to issue an e-ticket for group bookings

To ensure successful issue of e-tickets, you must use the following ticketing entries. Please make sure to end and retrieve the PNR after each batch of e-tickets:

Passenger relate the Form of Payment field:
FQP/P1-9 For passengers 1-9
FQP/P10-18 For passengers 10-18

Basic entry can be lengthened to include other text
FPNONREF/P1-9 For passengers 1-9
FPNONREF/P10-18 For passengers 10-18

Each Form of Payment can be added to the PNR at the same time
(example 30 passengers in the same PNR)
FP/P1-9 For passengers 1-9
FP/P10-18 For passengers 10-18
FP/P19-27 For passengers 19-27

TTP/ET Issue e-ticket

Once e-tickets have been issued check that the e-ticket numbers have been transferred to the British Airways group PNR, if not please contact BA Group Sales.

Name Changes (after original issue)
SP7 Split individual from the main group booking
RFHELEN: EF End the split PNR therefore creating a new booking locator
XE46 Delete old ticket number from the new locator
NU1/1SMITH/JOHN MR Name change in the new locator - Contact BA Group Sales if unable to name change
TTP/ET/ITR Issue a new e-ticket and print itinerary

Refund the Name Changed e-ticket
1. Display ETR using TWD entry
Raise an automatic e-ticket refund mask

2. Enter appropriate refund format:
TWREF - complete automated refund screen, ETR status will change to R, follow local BSP procedures for remittance, refer for a full refund

3. NAME CHANGE – 1252222111333
Enter a remark in the refund mask "NAME CHANGE - new e-ticket number"

Additional information

• Automated Group Bookings can only be made for British Airways flights (no code-shares).
• Valid booking classes are: G (World and Euro Traveller), T (World Traveller Plus), I (Club Europe and Club World), A (First Class)
• Only IATA agencies can book groups with BA. Non-IATA agents are kindly advised to book through a partner agency with IATA accreditation.
• For the following booking types our dedicated Groups team will progress your bookings behind the scenes, which will take longer than the standard automated quotes: special rates (e.g. schools, corporates, large groups over 100), out of system range, premium bookings, special multi-sector journeys, JSA & Franchises, feeder rates, etc.
• Important changes to the GDS entries for APIS and Secure Flight Data for groups:
  The Industry Standard entries are now required.
  For groups bookings, British Airways now requires that the Industry Standard entries SSRDOCS / SSRDOCA / SSRDOCO are used for all APIS data and minimum Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD).
  The SSRDOC entries replace the RM PSPT format that was previously in use.
  The use of the new SSRDOC entry format becomes mandatory with immediate effect.
  
  For more information please visit this page.

Contacts

Should you need any further information for Automated Group Bookings please contact:

• Your local Amadeus helpdesk
  or
• Your local British Airways Groups department