We have recently introduced an AWS-based solution to one of our airline partner.

In the fast-paced and competitive airline industry, providing customers with accurate and up-to-date fare information is essential for ensuring a smooth booking experience. Fare caching is a powerful technique that can help airline websites maintain optimal performance and deliver real-time fare data efficiently. This article will explore the benefits and best practices of using fare cache on airline websites, as well as practical examples of its implementation.

Fare caching is the practice of storing flight prices and availability data in a temporary storage to improve the speed and reliability of flight search results on an airline's website. Instead of having to query the airline's reservation system for the latest pricing and availability data every time a customer searches for a flight, the airline stores this data in a cache that can be quickly accessed by the website. This enables airline websites to access and display fare information more quickly, reducing the need for repetitive requests to the PSS and minimizing the risk of slow performance while keeping the information up to date.

Benefits of Using Fare Cache on Airline Websites

Improved performance: By caching fare data, airline websites can deliver information more quickly, resulting in faster load times and a more seamless user experience.

Reduced server load: With fare caching, the number of requests to GDS or other fare sources is significantly reduced, minimizing server load and reducing the risk of downtime or slow performance during peak times.

Enhanced customer experience: Fare cache ensures that customers receive accurate and up-to-date fare information, which is crucial for making informed booking decisions.

Best Practices for Using Fare Cache

Determine appropriate caching algorithm: Fare cache is only effective if the data it contains is accurate and up-to-date. Airlines should regularly update their fare cache to ensure that customers have access to the latest pricing and availability information while also finding the optimal frequency to ensure system load savings. So the caching duration should strike a balance between data freshness and performance. Depending on the airline's booking volume, the frequency of updates can range from every few minutes to once a day.

Implement cache invalidation strategies: Regularly update the fare cache and remove outdated data to maintain accuracy and prevent potential performance issues. This means that when fare prices and availability change, the fare cache should be updated accordingly. This can be done by setting a time limit on how long data can stay in the cache, or by using an event-driven approach that invalidates the cache when specific conditions are met.

Use Multiple Cache Layers: To ensure that the fare cache is responsive and reliable, airlines should use multiple cache layers. The first layer can store the most frequently accessed data, while subsequent layers can store less frequently accessed data. This approach can help to reduce the load on the airline's reservation system while still providing fast and reliable search results for customers.

Use smart caching techniques: Implement advanced caching techniques, such as predictive caching, to anticipate user needs and pre-fetch fare data for popular routes or periods.

Monitor cache performance: Regularly analyze cache hit and miss ratios to identify areas for improvement and optimize caching strategies. By monitoring these metrics, airlines can also identify and address any issues with the fare cache before they impact customers.

Use cases for Fare Cache

Implementing fare cache on an airline website can provide several benefits for both the airline and its customers. Here are some of the key benefits.

Faster Search Results: Fare cache can significantly improve the speed of flight searches on an airline's website. By storing pricing and availability data in a cache, the website can quickly retrieve this information and display it to customers, reducing the time it takes to complete a booking.

Provide Fare Date to Third Parties: Fare cache can be used to provide data to third party systems like GDS, Metasearch or even ChatGPT to search and show accureate prices to their users and generate additional bookings.

Improved Reliability: Fare cache can also improve the reliability of flight search results. By storing data in a cache, the airline can reduce the load on its reservation system, which can help to prevent outages and other performance issues that could impact customers.

Reduced Costs: Implementing fare cache can also help airlines to reduce their costs. By reducing the load on their reservation system, airlines can avoid the need to invest in additional infrastructure to handle peak demand periods. This can help to improve the airline's profitability while still providing high-quality service to customers.