CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Throughout
commercial airline history, the timely movement of aircraft, passengers and
cargo has required the even more timely movement of information. This was never
truer than today, where information has become not just an operational tool,
but a competitive weapon. To capitalize on this information, the technological
revolution and the information society have brought us a dazzling set of
capabilities. But, they have also brought us a bewildering array of options for
services, costs, methods and products. Many managers find themselves faced with
too much of a good thing, too many alternatives. But, airline today means
business. Commerce and tourism are the engines of economic development in
today's world. In Airline industry, Airlines, airports, and even governments
are competing against each other for travel related income. Staying in front
means making investments in enhanced customer service tools, improved
management awareness, quicker access to operational information, etc. All of the technology and service options,
and the need to make rapid, well informed decisions, means that many
organizations are finding it increasingly difficult, and expensive, to find and
retain staff to meet the demands. The effective use of Airline Information
System can help solve this problem.
Multi-database system for seat
reservation and ticketing is a very powerful integrated computer-based system
for managing the technical operations activities of an airline, or aircraft
fleet operator. The system can be used
worldwide by large and small companies operating many types of fixed and
rotary-wing aircraft.
The software designed will be used
to collect, store, and analyze information about seat reservation and ticketing
within the industry.
1.1 Background of the Study
Aero
contractors company of Nigeria Limited known as Aero Contractors or simply
Aero, is a state controlled by Nigeria aviation company based of Murtala
Mohammed International Airport in Ikeja, Lagos State Nigeria. It operates
helicopter services and fixed wing domestic and international scheduled
passenger service, air charter and third party aircraft operations, largely in
support of Nigerians extensive oil and gas industry.
A piper PA-23 Aztec Six-seat charter
aircraft of Aero contractors in 1970, pictured at Warri Airport after a flight
Lagos Ikeja Airport.
Aero contractors was formed in 1959
and officially registered in Nigeria in 1960. At that time, it was a wholly
owned by Schreiner Airways B.V. of the Netherlands.
It became a company with initially 40%
Nigerian Holding in 1973 and subsequently 60% in 1976, anticipating the
requirements of the Nigerian Enterprises promotion Decree of 1977, also known
as the indigenization decree.
In January 2004, Schreiner Airways was
bought by CHC Helicopter (CHC) which acquired 40% holding in Aero, while the
60% majority share remained within the Ibru Family.
On 1 July 2010, CHC sold its interest
in Aero for consideration of 1Nigreria Naira, when Aero became wholly owned by
the Ibru family.
In March 2013, industrial action
grounded flights for 18days, in a dispute over out sourcing and reduction in
staff numbers. The strike, from 13-28 march grounded Aero’s active flect of
nine aircraft, and was reported to have cost the airline at least N10bn in
ticket sales.
1.2
Statement of the Problem
As aviation industry is expanding,
a lot of airlines are coming up. The passengers need to book for their flight
tickets. The manual method of going to their local offices to book for their
flight ticket is becoming obsolete and tasking. Flight schedule information
needs to be publicized to passengers. Hence the need for a wide range of
publicity and enabling direct information passage to the centers.
Every Airline company is charged
with the responsibility of ensuring to give safe and comfortable service for
its customers. To ensure this quality of service, the companies which works on
this business should reach to their customers and give a quality service to
computer in the market, and this include easy ticket reservation and
cancelation system.
In the manual system, the daily
reservation list for all flights is generated and sent, very often they cannot
put up the reservation list on the time, owing to the inefficiencies in the
manual system, when passengers cancel tickets, and the reservation list is not
updated in time. They maintain a waiting list which is used to update the reservation
list when passengers cancel tickets. Currently, the manual system handles all
requests for changes in reservation. It treats a change of this kind as a
cancellation, and reissues tickets. Reservation opens few days before the
scheduled departure date. Based on the availability of seats the tickets are
issued. Each ticket, whether confirmed or wait-listed, has a unique
identification number. This number is generated in serial order, the
reservation clerk records the amount of fare paid for the ticket in cash
collection register. A passenger can cancel ticket by submitting a cancellation
from with ticket depending on the difference in hours between the departure and
cancellation the passenger loses certain percentage of the fare.
Limitation
of Manual System
i.
The limitations of the
manual system are only few booking could be made due to manual operation.
ii.
It takes enormous
amount of manual of time for recording transactions.
iii.
Requires a large amount
of manual laborers
iv.
Customers should go to
ticket offices to reserve a ticket and cancel it.
Proposed System
In order to overcome the drawback in the
manual system, it was decided to create a system which is integrated, reliable,
consistent, flexible and secure. This system helps in speedy information
retrieval, responds to various queries made at different levels of management.
The system is menu driven and user friendly with attractive HTML interface. It
assists the user with respective messages to overcome the errors at runtime.
The designed in such a way that the reservation list is available on time
before the scheduled departure time. The reservation list reflects the latest status
with respect to the cancellation of tickets that helps the wait-listed.
Passenger
in knowing their present status, in the new system customers could reserve and
cancel tickets from anywhere which have an internet access.
1.3
Objectives of the Study
In developing an airline seat
reservation system, we will always keep in mind to provide to the users the
best usability, flexibility and security. Therefore, we need to make the user
interface very flexible and understandable.
Moreover, since the record updates is a database we need to consider
about security issues so that flight reservation information retrieval is not
interrupted. The new system is designed to take care of the following:
i.
Create an online system
for customers to view all domestic flights.
ii.
Create an online system
for customers to view domestic flight schedule and their flight rate.
iii.
Enable online flight
reservations.
iv.
Give online access to
passenger’s suggestions or complaint on flight operations.
v.
Showcase flight
maintenance information to customers
vi.
Give passengers access
to send their complaint about flight operations or services.
vii.
Creates online news
publication for flight operators accessible to customers. Makes available the
number of flights operated by an airline.
viii.
Maintain a robust
database for flight information management
1.4
Significance of the Study
In view of the rapid development of
computer technology in virtually all fields of operation and its use in
relation to information management, it has become important to look into the
development of an seat reservation system to meet up with demands of the present
day society. Therefore, the reservation booking helps so that management can
obtain data regarding the flight reservations at any time.
The project is aimed at designing, a new and
better alternative system to help the organization to: -
(a) Produce available operational
reports when needed.
(b) Safeguard data and information in
the system.
(c) Reduced workload in the present
system.
(d) Keep accurate record on flight reservations
(e) Reduce time wasted in data
processing.
(f) Check luggage costs
(g) Make sure the airline you choose
allows you to amend your travel dates.
(h) Consider where you will be making a
layover.
1.5 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS
Research Question
In
the course of this research work the researcher frame some research question
which was design for the respondents and that will be administered to them,
which are as follow;
1. How
do the customers make their reservation for their flight?
2. How
do you disseminate information to you customer informing them of any news and
information?
3. Is
there any need for the automation of the system as compared with the present
system?
Research Hypothesis
The
researcher form a hypothesis which will be tested for the course of study,
saying:
HI: There
is a significance difference between the old and the new system?
HO: There
is no significance difference between the new and the old system?
HI:
Information system and technology has brought positive change to the
management.
HO: information
system and technology has brought any change to the management rather negative.
1.6
Scope of the Study
This project work will cover all aspect
of flight reservation, confirmation of tickets, and flight schedule
information. The project is a case study of Aero
Airlines Nig Ltd.
The above stated objectives of the
system are being outline and the new system when implemented in the industry
will improve and reduce the stress and problems face currently in the old
system.
Limitation of the Old System:
The limitation of the old system are
currently the problem faced by both the staff of industry and their customers;
i.
In ability to book a
flight in all the states in Nigeria by the industry’s customers.
ii.
Computerization of
staff information and customer’s record.
iii.
Online payment by
customer’s to the industry.
The listed limitation were some of the
problems discovered in the old system in which the proposed new system is being
design to solve the problem.
1.7 Limitations of Study
During this research work, there were
lots of limitation and they include:
i.
Lack of limitation
enough information for the design of a new system due to poor understanding of
the effects of the users of computer system.
ii.
Error in data collected
for the analysis and design of the new system
iii.
Distortion due to human
factors such as stress, sickness, fatigue and weakness of the body with in the
period of this project work.
iv.
Lack of enough funds.
1.8 Definition of Terms
FAAN –
Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria
IATA –
International Air Transport Association
ICAO –
International Civil Aviation Organization
Black
box – Black box in computer science
is a unit whose internal structure is unknown but whose function is
documented.
Black
box testing - Black box testing is where the
tester is presented with the specification of a component to be tested
and uses this to derive the test cases. This has the advantage that the tester
need no information about the code used in the component and need not
understand its internal structure. This is also a disadvantage in that
knowledge of the code can aid in devising tests which will thoroughly exercise
the program.
MIS-
Management Information System is the system that stores and retrieve information
and data, process them, and present them to the management as information to be
used in making decision.
MCS-
Management Control system is a form of Information System used by the
management of an organization to analyze each application of information system
in terms of input, storage, processing and output.
Databases: A systematically
arranged collection of computer data, structured so that it
can be automatically retrieved or manipulated. It is also called
databank.
No comments:
Post a Comment