Euronet`s new "Ticketing Time Limit" policy

Euronet's new "Ticketing Time Limit" policy
At the request of some European carriers to allow them to better manage their distribution and the
bookings materialisation rate, the "Ticketing Time Limit" (TTL) policy in Euronet will change for most
th
fares. The change will take place on 12 March, 2014 and further changes will also take place in
December 2014.
This document aims at giving you all information you need to know to best manage this change. It also
provides an overview of all TTL policies available in Euronet, on a fare basis. Last but not least,
Euronet was upgraded to reflect these changes and to guide the user throughout the booking process.
TTL is a very important feature of Euronet, and this change will impact the way you manage your rail
bookings. We therefore strongly recommend you familiarise yourself with the below and remain at
your disposal to support your activity.
1. TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
Euronet is unique as it allows users to book the widest range of train tickets in the world. Euronet
products are sourced in several places:
 within Euronet, for standalone products such as most passes: Eurail Passes, Swiss Passes,
France Rail Pass, German Rail Pass, BritRail Passes, etc.
 DIRECTLY in the French Railways' system (also known as "ResaRail") for
o all domestic trains operated by the French Railways (SNCF)
o most international trains to/from France operated by SNCF alone or in Joint-Venture (Eurostar,
Thalys, Lyria, France-Germany/Italy High Speed, etc.)
 DIRECTLY in some carriers' system for carriers with a Direct Connection to Euronet:
o Trenitalia Direct Connection
o Renfe Direct Connection
o Deutsche Bahn Direct Connection (to be delivered soon)
o NTV Direct Connection
o VIA Rail Direct Connection
 INDIRECTLY in European carriers' system: for all European trains booked in Euronet using
"ERP" in the inventory selection drop down box, booking is made through the French Railways'
system and the International Reservation System (also known as "Hermes").
TTL policies are different depending on where fares are booked. All TTL policies are detailed below.
For a detailed list of products and fares, please refer to the "Annex" at the end of this document.
As a reminder, the TTL is the deadline after which the price and the availability of a fare are no longer
guaranteed. At the TTL, the seat and the fare are automatically released. Should there still be a need,
seat and fare must be booked again, subject to availability.
2. PRODUCTS SOURCED WITHIN EURONET
 Such products are not linked to any inventory
 Price is defined per product and is not on availability on a train
 There is therefore no real TTL policy for these products, and booking can be held under the
usual booking deletion rules in Euronet.
Products sourced within Euronet: All Eurail Passes, Swiss Passes, France Rail Pass, German Rail
Pass, BritRail Passes, TCV tickets, BritRail Open Tickets, JR Passes, etc.
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3. PRODUCTS SOURCED DIRECTLY IN "RESARAIL"
 Such products are those hosted in the French Railways' inventory
 Generally speaking, we are talking about domestic and international trains to/from France
 ResaRail allows various ticketing options such as "E2Paper", "TOD" and "P@H"
Products sourced directly in ResaRail
 All fares on all domestic French trains including regional trains, long distance trains, night trains,
TGVs… this relates to the product known as "French Journey"
 All fares on international TGVs: Brussels-France TGV, Freiburg-France TGV, France-Italy TGV,
Paris-Luxembourg TGV
 All fares on international services hosted in SNCF system: Eurostar, Thalys, Lyria, FranceGermany High Speed and France-Spain High Speed
2 different Ticketing Time Limits
 For products sourced in ResaRail, TTL policy varies depending on the type of fare booked
 Two main types of fares exist in ResaRail:
o Fares with an "Immediate Ticketing" condition
o Other fares (Full Fare, Leisure Fare, Passholder Fare, etc.)
 Fare types can be found
o In Euronet, by simply clicking on the fare details
o In Extranet, on the "Fare Sheets" available in most Product Fact sheets
TTL policy for all products sourced directly in ResaRail
The TTL values and intervals for all products sourced in ResaRail are listed in paragraph 5.
IMPORTANT: Currently, no Thalys or Eurostar fares have an "Immediate Ticketing" condition.
4. PRODUCTS BOOKED USING HERMES
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Hermes is usually known as the "International Reservation System"
It is through Hermes that Euronet accesses European Railways' systems other than SNCF's
Fares booked through Hermes can only be booked as "E2 Paper"
Fares booked through Hermes can only be booked by using the "ERP" inventory selection drop
down box
Products booked through Hermes
 Day trains include
o Domestic trains in Spain, Italy, Sweden, Finland, Russia…
o International trains such as Switzerland-Italy Day trains, Germany-Italy Day (EC Brennero), BerlinWarsaw Express, Finland to Russia and v.v (Allegro), etc.
 Night trains include City Night Line, Thello, Lusitania trains etc.
For a complete list of products, please refer to the "Annex" at the end of this document.
2 different Ticketing Time Limits
For products booked through Hermes, TTL policy varies depending on whether the fare is an individual or
group fare. In a nutshell,
 All Individual fares have the same TTL as fare with an "Immediate Ticketing" condition in ResaRail
 All Group fares have the same TTL as the other fares in ResaRail
TTL policy for all products booked using Hermes
The TTL values and intervals for all products booked using Hermes are listed below in section 5.
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5. TTL VALUES AND INTERVALS FOR ALL PRODUCTS BOOKED IN RESARAIL
OR THROUGH HERMES
5-1. "General TTL" Policy
This TTL, also described as the "General TTL", will apply to all other fares, and in particular to
 Fares sourced in ResaRail without an "Immediate Ticketing" condition
 Group fares booked using Hermes
Ticketing Time Limit date*
Product's booking date
From March 12, 2014
From December 2014
33 days or more before TDD
Booking + 12 days*
Booking + 7 days*
32 to 11 days before TDD
Booking + 7 days*
Booking + 4 days*
10 to 3 days from TDD
Booking + 2 days*
Booking + 24 hours
Within 2 days from TDD
Train Departure - 4 hours
Train Departure - 4 hours
TDD: Train Departure Date // *: IMPORTANT: see § 5-3 below
5-2. "Restricted TTL" policy
This "Restricted TTL" will apply to
 Fares sourced in ResaRail with an "Immediate Ticketing" condition
 Individual fares booked using Hermes
Ticketing Time Limit date*
Product's booking date
From March 12, 2014
From December 2014
33 days or more before TDD
Booking + 6 days*
Booking + 3 days*
32 to 11 days before TDD
Booking + 4 days*
Booking + 2 days*
10 to 3 days from TDD
Booking + 2 days*
Booking + 24 hours
Within 2 days from TDD
Train Departure - 4 hours
Train Departure - 4 hours
TDD: Train Departure Date // *: IMPORTANT: see § 5-3 below
5-3. IMPORTANT
When TTLs above are expressed in days (indicated with asterisks)
- the date of the TTL is calculated as indicated in the table above
- the time of the TTL is the train departure time on the corresponding day, local time.
Example: For a "Book Early" fare on a French TGV train running on 25 May 2014 leaving at 07:58 Paris
time & booked on 13th of March 2014 at 16:35 Paris time, the TTL will be 19th of March, 07:58 Paris time.
5-4. Good to know
Fare with an "Immediate Ticketing" condition that is booked as P@H or TOD
In that case, remember that fare must be printed within 30 minutes from hitting the "confirm"
button. If printing takes place after 30 minutes, an error will occur.
Fare with an "Immediate Ticketing" condition and printed as E2Paper
Such fares can be kept until the expiration of the TTL but can only be modified within 30 minutes
from hitting the "confirm" button. "Modification" means reducing the number of travellers or changing
the ticketing option. For instance, in such case, using the "Remove pax" button or changing the ticketing
option 31 minutes after hitting "confirm" will cause an error.
Group Fares
For bookings containing group fares, users are encouraged to confirm their bookings as soon as
possible. In any case, within 1 month from train departure, such bookings must be issued within 24h.
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6. WHAT IMPACT IN EURONET?
Euronet has been enhanced to inform users when a fare has an "Immediate Ticketing" condition. Information
is displayed in 4 places:
1. By clicking on the fare name, in the "Fare Details" pop-up box ("Immediate Ticketing" field)
2. In a pop-up box appearing when user confirms a fare with an "Immediate Ticketing" condition
3. In the header of the "Booking Summary" and "Pro-Forma Invoice"
If the value for this field is "YES", then it means that at least one PNR in the booking has an "Immediate
Ticketing" condition.
4. In the body of the "Booking Summary", across each PNR
Once the fare is booked, the corresponding PNR is individually displayed, along with
 the ticketing time limit associated to the PNR (date & time)
 the "Immediate Ticketing" information ("Yes" if the fare has an "Immediate Ticketing" condition)
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IMPORTANT: Please note that, for technical reasons, the TTL displayed in the body of the Booking
Summary is NOT correct for fares booked as "TOD" or "PAH" with an "Immediate Ticketing"
condition. As a reminder, in such cases, PNR must be printed within 30 minutes from hitting the
"Confirm" button. This display issued will be corrected in a future Euronet release. The TTL
displayed is however correct for tickets booked with "E2PAPER" as the Ticketing Method.
7. PRODUCTS BOOKED WITH EURONET DIRECT CONNECTIONS
Direct Connections remain unaffected by the changes, except the Renfe Direct Connection, which will
be improved as of Mid March 2014. Please see an overview below.
ATOC DIRECT CONNECTION
For ATOC fares (UK), seats cannot be held in Euronet:
 Fares are instant purchase, price is confirmed only upon printing of the fare in Euronet
 No grace period offered
 TOD only
RENFE DIRECT CONNECTION
From mid-March, fares booked through the Renfe Direct Connection will no longer require instant
purchase and benefit from a 22 hours TTL! Please see below:
 No immediate payment required
 If not printed within 22h from confirmation, fare will automatically be cancelled
 Note the "TTL" will not display in Euronet
 PAH Only
NTV DIRECT CONNECTION
Fares booked on NTV trains benefit from the following TTL policy:
Date of booking
8 days or more before TDD
Within 7 days from TDD
Ticketing Time Limit
Booking + 7 days
Booking + 24 hours
TDD: Train Departure Date
Please note:
- No bookings can be made for travel within 24 hours of the train departure date
- Grace period is 20 minutes: this means that any fare can be cancelled with no penalty within 20 minutes
from printing
- P@H only
TRENITALIA DIRECT CONNECTION (Web Services only)
For Trenitalia fares booked via Web Services, TTL depends on your technical set-up:
 Set-up can make fares "instant purchase" or allow a TTL up to 48 hours
 No grace period offered
 P@H only
VIA Rail DIRECT CONNECTION
Fares booked through the VIA Rail Direct Connection don't benefit from a TTL, but you have flexibility
thanks to the "Grace period":
 Fares are instant purchase, price is confirmed only upon printing of the fare in Euronet
 There is however a 14-day "Grace period" for bookings made 15 days or more from TDD (no grace
period for bookings made within 14 days from TDD)
 This means that any fare booked 15 days or more from TDD can be cancelled with no penalty as long
as cancellation takes place within 14 days from booking
 The grace period applies regardless of the fare booked
 PDF only
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8. FAQs
Q: What happens if I have mixed products (with and without "Immediate Ticketing condition")
in my booking?
A: TTL policies are applicable at the PNR level, so they apply correctly and independently to each fare:
> the "Restricted TTL policy" will apply to the fare(s) with "Immediate Ticketing" condition
> the "General TTL policy" will apply to the fare(s) without "Immediate Ticketing" condition.
Q: What about seat reservations for Open Tickets?
A: Seat reservations for Open Tickets (e.g. Swiss Scenic Trains, ICE trains, etc.) are NOT considered
as fares with an "Immediate Ticketing" condition. The same TTL applies as for "Hermes" Group fares.
Q: What happens if the PNR is not printed before the TTL?
A: At the TTL, the PNR is deleted, and the fare(s) and the seat(s) are no longer guaranteed. They will
need to be re-booked, subject to availability.
Q: Does this rule impact old bookings?
A: Confirmed bookings that are not modified before being ticketed will NOT be impacted, whether they
contain fares with "Immediate Ticketing" condition or not. Modifying a PNR before printing ("Reduce
pax" or ticketing option change) may cause an error, and product would need to be re-booked, subject
to availability and the new Ticketing Time Limits.
Q: Why is the flag in the Booking Summary called "Immediate Ticketing" and why does the
pop-up box state "Booking must be printed right away"
A: The "Immediate Ticketing" expression actually refers to the real rule of the fare (for distributors in
Europe, such fares must be paid & printed within 30 minutes from booking). Even though Euronet
offers a longer TTL, we kept this wording to remind users that the TTL for this type of fare is shorter
than for other fares and to draw the attention to the fact that the fare can be modified within 30
minutes from booking but NOT after that.
Q: What is a "Grace Period?"
A: A Grace Period is an allocated amount of time during which you can refund a booking in Euronet,
without penalties being applied. The Grace Period applies on already ticketed bookings, while the TTL
is the deadline until which a booking can be kept on hold. A PNR must be printed before its TTL
otherwise it is lost.
Q: Is the Ticketing Time Limit displayed in Euronet reliable?
A: Yes, it is reliable and indicates the time before which the PNR must be printed EXCEPT in 2 cases:
1) if fare booked has an "Immediate Ticketing" condition and is booked as P@H or TOD
in that case, the PNR must be printed within 30 minutes from hitting the "Confirm" button
2) if the expiration date of the booking is prior to a TTL
in that case, the booking will be automatically deleted by Euronet before the TTL. To avoid such
issues, make sure to print your booking at the latest the day before the expiration date.
Q: Was it the difference between "Ticketing Time Limit", "Immediate Ticketing" condition and
"Expiration Date"?
A: These are three easy but important concepts:
- the "Ticketing Time Limit" is the deadline after which a booked PNR is no longer guaranteed
- the "Immediate Ticketing" condition is a characteristic of a fare. For such fares, the TTL that applies
is the restricted one, not the general one.
- the "Expiration Date" is calculated at the level of the booking, taking into account the most
constraining date related to all products contained in the booking. As a reminder, booking must be
printed at the latest the day before the expiration date.
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9. ANNEX
RESARAIL
French Journey
Lyria
International TGVs: Brussels-France, France-Freiburg (Breisgau),
France-Italy, Paris-Luxembourg
France-Germany High Speed
France-Spain High Speed
HERMES
FARES WITH AN IMMEDIATE TICKETING CONDITON
Berlin-Warsaw Express
Chocolate Train
City Night Line & Paris-Germany CNL
Croatian International Trains
Finland to Russia & Russia to Finland
Finnish Domestic Trains
Germany-Italy Day Trains
Hungarian Trains
Luxembourg Bus
Night Trains from Poland & Night Trains to Poland
OBB Night Trains
Renfe Trains
Romanian Night Trains
Russian Trains + Russia-France
Slovakian Trains
Swedish Trains
Thello
Trenitalia Domestic Trains & Trenitalia International Trains
ALL "Book Early"
fares
ALL fares except
group fares
Please note that no Eurostar or Thalys fare currently has an "Immediate Ticketing" condition
OPERATIONAL IMPACTS OF THE NEW TTLS AND "IMMEDIATE TICKETING" CONDITION
"Immediate Ticketing" condition?
E2 Paper
NO
YES
"General TTL applies"
"Restricted TTL applies"
AND
PNR can only be modified within 30 minutes
from hitting the "confirm" button. Using the
"Remove pax" button or changing the ticketing
option 31 minutes after hitting the "Confirm"
button will cause an error.
Booking can be printed until the
Ticketing Time Limit
"General TTL applies"
P@H / TOD
Booking can be printed until the
Ticketing Time Limit
"Restricted TTL applies"
BUT
PNR must be printed within 30 minutes from
hitting the "Confirm" button. If product is
printed 31 minutes (or more) after hitting the
"Confirm" button, an error will occur
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