Passenger Name List (PNL) made simple for travel agencies and charter airlines

Air carriers are bound by numerous PAX and CREW data reporting regulations. They are often requested to send PNL/ADL data to ground handlers to ensure smooth and efficient operation in the terminal. The process of passenger data collection, sanitization, and distribution can be quite complex and time-consuming.

For charter flights, the complexity often hits another level. Let’s look at the standard passenger data flow between travel agencies, charter carriers, Ground Handlers (operating the Departure Control Systems at the airports), and the border management and security units… Luckily, there is technology to make it simple!

PAX data flow for charter flights: from passenger to departure control system at the airport and local border agencies

The basic process looks as follows:

1. A traveler books a trip abroad through a chosen travel agency, or purchases an airline ticket directly via the carrier's online reservation platform. In the process, the traveler provides their personal data and any booking requirements (dietary restrictions, wheelchair assistance, etc.).
2. The travel agency sends the passenger's data to the charter carrier.
3. All passenger data collected by the charter carrier needs to be sanitized and formatted in accordance with the applicable standards and distributed correctly:
   1. The Passenger Name List (PNL) and – in case of subsequent updates – any Additions / Deletions Lists (ADLs) are sent to the Departure Control System (DCS) at the airport.
   2. The Passenger Assistance List (PAL) and – in case of subsequent updates – any Change Assistance Lists (CALs) are also submitted to the DCS to notify the airport of passengers who may require an assigned staff member (e.g. a vision impaired passenger may need a guide walker).
   3. The Advanced Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) data are shared with the relevant local authorities or border security units (and these vary depending on the destination country).
   4. Any dietary requirements or meal requests are usually forwarded to the company that supplies catering services to the charter carrier.
4. Finally, the carrier needs to sort out the number of males, females, children, and infants on board. These statistics may be used for weight and balance calculations, and invoicing between the air carrier and the travel agency.

The extra complexity lies in the fact that one charter flight might be filled with passengers coming from various partner tour companies, plus the airline’s reservation system. This means that the carrier needs to:

• Combine the multi-source data into one list of passengers before the data distribution process can take place;
• Deal with different data formats and unify them;
• Handle passenger updates coming from all sides, whenever people cancel or alter their tour reservations.

It can become a real headache...

Sometimes charter carriers request their travel agencies to submit passenger data in a PNL format – but that complicates things for the travel agencies who might not have the right tools to generate such files.

Is there a solution that can work for both sides?

Passenger data exchange for travel agencies and charter airlines made simple: one solution to handle it all

PnrGo collaborates both with charter carriers and travel agencies to simplify the entire process of passenger data collection, formatting, and distribution. We adjust our service to your operations, and offer a solution that works with:

• Aviation software (delivering custom or out-of-the-box integrations with Flight Management Systems and Passenger Service Systems);
• Type B messages via Arinc and Sita networks;
• XLS, CSV, XML files via FTP, email, or dedicated system-to-system interface;
• Manual data upload;
• And more.

Here is what PnrGo can do specifically for:

Travel Agencies

As a travel agent, you might need to collaborate with a few charter airlines. Some of them will ask you to submit the collected passenger data in a standardized format, such as PNL. PnrGo can help you generate any file format required by your partner. Moreover, you will no longer need to maintain separate passenger databases for each charter carrier. You can just enter all the data and any updates into one master file and we will take it from there! Every airline will receive their portion of passenger data in the format they asked for.

Charter Carriers

Let us take away the entire hassle of data collection, reformatting, sanitizing, and distribution. Once we step in, all you need to do is provide us with your flight schedule and crew data. We can gather the passenger data from your online reservation system, and connect with the travel agencies on your behalf. Then, we will merge the multi-source data to generate:

• PNL and any ADLs
• PAL and any CALs
• API (depending on the local regulations)
• PNR (depending on the local regulations)
• SSR (Special Service Request) codes, with data on food preferences, disability, government status, etc.
• PAX statistics

We will deliver these correctly formatted messages in a secure way to all the relevant parties at the prescribed times. With us, you can save time and easily comply with any passenger data transfer requirements, regardless of your flight destinations. Additionally, the extracted SSR and PAX statistics will be sent to you directly to ensure a smooth running of your business.

We have helped many businesses to streamline their daily workload. You can check how a Croatian charter airline implemented our PNL solution to save long hours of manual work.

To simplify your passenger data management with PnrGo, schedule a call with one of our Sales Representatives.