CIS $532$ Software Systems Design

PROJECT

NOTE: All entries in this document marked with $*$ represent system variables which must be given default values at system$$s deployment and are subject to change $($are adjustable$)$ through the entire lifetime of the system.

The system $($referred to through this document as $$system$)$ is designed for No$-$Hassle Travel Company $($NHT$)$ to facilitate on$-$line sales and reservations of all travel$-$related products including transportation and lodging. Transportation includes air$-$travel, train$-$travel, bus$-$travel, vehicle rentals and ground transportation such as airport drop$-$off and pick$-$up services. It does not include transportation run by municipalities such as buses and metro run within the cities. Lodging is offered through hotel establishments and privately owned residences.

It is understood that services associated with travel are provided by separate and independent business entities such as airlines, bus companies, railroad companies, hotel chains, airport transportation companies, car rental companies, etc. The system under design must provide means $($interface$)$ for all business partners of NHT to add, discontinue and update all services offered through the system.

All financial transactions $($payments$,$ refunds etc.$)$ are made by credit card only.

The system shall support reservations for travel and lodging with reservations held for RH$*$ hours. After expiration of this period resources reserved for the customer are released and made available.

System allows booking AD$*$ days in advance $($date of the first event in the itinerary $$ start of trip$).$

All bookings $($services paid for$)$ can be cancelled in CH$*$ hours from the time of the payment $($time when the confirmation of the payment was issued$).$

The system shall support the transactions combining all and any travel$-$related services. For example, a customer can construct an itinerary consisting of many legs of transportation by air and$/$or train combined with hotel stays and$/$or car rentals. The system will flag and prevent bookings with time or location conflicts. For example, hotel booking or car rental from a date prior to flight arrival or past the departure to another location should be flagged as an error and prevent the finalizing of the itinerary. The system shall lock all the resources $($flight seat, hotel room $...)$ selected by the customer from the moment of selection until the end of the transaction. Transaction may end$-$up in booking $$ resources remain locked, customer exiting and ending the transaction $($ending the browser session$)$ or system ending the transaction $($timing out$)$ after TOUT$*$ minutes.

Immediately after completion of the transaction an email is sent to the customer with confirmation of the booking and with the pertaining itinerary. E$-$tickets are sent to the customer $($not the travelers$)$ via email CH$*$ hours after the payment$($meaning after expiration of the cancelation window$).$ Each E$-$ticket is sent in a separate email.

The booking may involve $1$ to TN$*$ number of travelers. There is only one customer per booking who may but does not have to be one of the travelers. All the communication between NHT is with the customer.

The system shall keep track of the customers who completed a transaction $($reservation$,$ even if it did not result in booking after RH$*).$ As part of the completion of the first transaction the system will create a customer account accessible by the customer in the future by password protected log$-$in established at this time. By logging$-$in to the account customer will be able to modify customer$$s data $($name$,$ address, email, phone number, credit cards$)$ and access the pending and past itineraries. The system will keep the customer$$s account $$active$$ for AT$*$ days from the last log$-$in $($initial transaction counts as a log$-$in$).$ After this time the account will be marked $$inactive$.$ Customer information will be kept but all history of past transactions including past itineraries will be deleted. For obvious reasons AT$*>$ AD$*.$ The inactive accounts will be deleted at midnight DY$*$ years after becoming inactive.

To simplify the requirements, we will assume that all travel legs are point$-$to$-$point $($flights are direct and so are train and bus rides.$)$ The result of this assumption is that each itinerary is a sequence of travel legs separated by potential hotel stays $($one can travel to visit a family and stay with them$).$ Such sequence may include car rental with a sequence of hotel rentals. For example: Flight Boston$->$ Montreal, stay in Montreal two days in friend$$s apartment $,$ bus to Toronto, car rental for $3$ days in Toronto, Hotel in Town A$,$ Hotel in Town B$,$ flight from Toronto to Vancouver.

NHT also offers travel insurance allowing customers to cancel and receive a full refund for the booking due to documented qualifying events $($such as illness, some family emergencies etc.$)$ The list of qualifying events is maintained by NHT and periodically updated. The ev