In mid-2016, Sky Assist upgraded its e-AHLmanage solution by allowing each handler to configure when and whether data are retrieved from World Tracer or from the BagAssist database. This new feature opens a lot of new opportunities for e-AHLmanage.
Until September 2016, e-AHLmanage was retrieving the AHL status from the BagAssist database.
Until recently, every time a passenger was logging into e-AHLmanage using his last name and WT file reference, the status of his bag(s) was retrieved from BagAssist database. This implementation had one main advantage and one main drawback:
- Advantage: the World Tracer costs were kept low as no World Tracer transaction was needed when a passenger was connecting to e-AHLmanage. World Tracer was only invoked when the passenger was amending his file
- Drawback: Only the actions done on this AHL file via BagAssist were shown in e-AHLmanage. If an agent was by mistake doing a BDO outside of BagAssist application or if a bag was forwarded by a station not using BagAssist, the BagAssist database was not updated and therefore the passenger was not informed of these actions when connecting to e-AHLmanage.
As from October 2016, each handler can choose whether and when e-AHLmanage retrieves the AHL status from BagAssist database or from World Tracer.
During the summer 2016 in cooperation with our new customer AHS, a handling company present in a dozen of airports in Germany, we have enhanced e-AHLmanage so that each handler can choose whether and when e-AHLmanage retrieves the AHL status from BagAssist database or from World Tracer. This feature is controlled via an application property.
The benefits of this new feature are numerous:
- e-AHLmanage informs the passengers of the actions done on the AHL file also outside of BagAssist. This is especially useful for forwarding information since most of forwards are done by foreign stations which might not use BagAssist
- e-AHLmanage can be used in stations where BagAssist is not used since e-AHLmanage is also connecting to World Tracer to retrieve the AHL file status; and not only BagAssist database
- Each handler can use this new e-AHLmanage property to find the good balance between data accuracy to passengers and World Tracer costs