FYI: Common Customer Profile for Travelers

[srh@us.ibm.com]

ebXMLers,
FYI..........
This is the public draft 1 announcement of the Travel Industry vertical XML
effort.
Please excuse any duplicated messages.
Thanks,
Scott R. Hinkelman
IBM Austin
Architecture and Development, Industry XML/Java Standards
Office: 512-823-8097 TL793-8097
Home: 512-930-5675
Cell: 512-940-0519
srh@us.ibm.com
Fax: 512-838-1074


Company Press Release

OpenTravel Alliance's New XML Specification Creates a Common
Customer Profile for Travelers

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 29, 2000--Charged with
crafting Internet specifications based on the Extensible Markup
Language (XML), the OpenTravel Alliance (OTA) released today a
draft of its first specification for public comment.

OTA version 1 tackles the complex subject of customer profiles
that cuts across travel industry sectors. This first specification
demonstrates the ability of OTA's infrastructure and process to
achieve this goal, and do it quickly.

``OTA's specification will enhance communication among all
components of the travel industry businesses and travelers and
help meet the expectations of customers in today's virtual market-
place,'' said OTA Board Chairman Jim Young of Continental Airlines.
``As we extend the scope in version 2 and beyond, trading partners
will be able to exchange more trip-centric information in ways that
create new and better-tailored services for individual travelers.''

OTA developed the specification with a key objective of letting
customers enter their basic data and travel preferences just once,
no matter how many travel suppliers and intermediaries are involved
in a trip. Achieving this goal required OTA to create a common
vocabulary for the travel industry, taking advantage of the ex-
tensible nature of XML that still allows for more growth later if
needed.

A live demonstration of OTA version 1 messages shows that travel
companies can begin using the specification right away. The demon-
stration, accessible from the OTA web site, www.opentravel.org,
lets visitors create, read, update and delete simple customer pro-
files with valid XML messages. McCord Travel and Airline Automation
Inc. developed the demonstration on behalf of OTA.

OTA, which only began in May 1999, now has over 100 members represent-
ing influential names in all sectors of the travel industry, including
air, car rental, hotel, travel agencies, technology providers and
related suppliers.

The Alliance is comprised of five working groups air, car, hotel,
leisure supplier, and non-supplier together, with an interoperability
committee to coordinate their efforts. OTA defined its open messages
with XML, the new high-powered language that makes it possible to
exchange business data seamlessly among different systems, companies,
and industries over the World Wide Web.

To download the draft specification and for additional information,
including membership details, visit OTA's website www.opentravel.org,
or contact Jay Devine, Collaborative Services Membership Manager, at
703/518-4169 or jdevine@disa.org.

Contact:
     Data Interchange Standards Association
     Carmella Baccari, Communications & Marketing Director
     703/518-4177
     cbaccari@disa.org
      or
     Tim Cochran, Vice President of E-Commerce Operations
     703/518-4163
     tcochran@disa.org