Patent ID: 8762160

Claim:
A system for use with a plurality of travel provider computers connected to a computer network, each travel provider computer hosting a travel inventory database configured to store travel inventory available as alternative travel purchase options for a travel provider, the system comprising: a traveler computer connected to the computer network, the traveler computer comprising an input configured to originate a travel request query and a display configured to display a query response comprising one or more of the alternative travel purchase options; a travel server connected to the computer network and, via the computer network, linking the travel provider computers to the traveler computer; and a coordination database hosted on the travel server, the coordination database comprising a loyalty program rules database and a rules dataset, wherein the travel server comprises: i) a first unit configured to receive the travel request query input by a traveler at the traveler computer and to extract travel data elements from the travel request query; ii) a second unit configured to use rules from the rules dataset to form a travel query from the travel data elements and to send the travel query to the travel provider computers to query the travel inventory database of each of the travel provider computers; iii) a third unit configured to receive a plurality of the alternative travel purchase options from the travel inventory database of each of the travel provider computers generated responsive to the travel query, the plurality of the alternative travel purchase options representing available travel inventory satisfying the travel request query; iv) a fourth unit configured to apply loyalty program rules from the loyalty program rules database for each travel provider to determine a total rewards miles accruing to the traveler for each of the plurality of the alternative travel purchase options; and v) a fifth unit configured to create a file for display on the display of the traveler computer, the file including a consolidated query response comprised of the plurality of the alternative travel purchase options from the travel providers, the total rewards miles that accrue upon purchase of each alternative travel purchase option, and a purchase cost for each alternative travel purchase option.