Patent ID: 6085164
Filing Date: 2000-07-04
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
A system for determining whether to allocate a flight inventory resource, the system comprising:a central information repository for storing current inventory data describing flight inventory resources currently available for allocation to a customer, wherein the inventory data includes a current market price for each flight inventory resource;a local information repository for storing historical information on past market transactions of the flight inventory resources;a flight inventory value enhancer, coupled to both the central information repository and the local information repository, for calculating the optimal market price of each flight inventory resource based on a set of factors selected from (1) the current market price for the flight inventory resource, (2) a number of allocated and unallocated flight inventory resources, (3) a forecast of demand for the unallocated flight inventory resources, and (4) a variation in the demand for unallocated flight inventory resources, wherein the flight inventory value enhancer determines the forecasted demand and the variation in demand based on the historical information stored in the local information repository; anda comparator configured to compare the stored current market price of the flight inventory resource with the calculated optimal market price to determine whether to allocate to the customer the flight inventory resource.