IATA Foundation (Aggregate Prep) common mistakes
IATA Foundation (Aggregate Prep) · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Calculating a flight's elapsed journey time by subtracting the local departure time from the local arrival time (e.g. LHR 10:00 dep, JFK 12:30 arr, recorded as 2h30).
Both times look comparable because they are both 'clock times', and candidates forget they belong to different time zones; the result is meaningless or even negative on long eastbound sectors.
What to do instead
Before any subtraction, write each time with its UTC offset and convert both to UTC (add the offset for east of UTC, subtract for west), subtract to get elapsed time, then convert back to hours and minutes. Practise with one transatlantic and one transpacific example until it is automatic.
Reading an arrival time from a timetable or PNR without its day indicator, then computing a connection as impossible (negative) or missing that the passenger arrives the next day.
Schedules print times only, and '+1' or '-1' markers are small and easy to overlook, especially when the date line is crossed or daylight saving changes mid-journey.
What to do instead
Always annotate each leg with an explicit date (e.g. 12JUN dep, 13JUN arr) before calculating; check the plus/minus day indicator on every segment; and verify the time-zone offset in force on the actual travel date, not the current date, because daylight saving shifts it.
Using the wrong code family in a reservation: writing an ICAO three-letter airline code into the carrier field, or a four-letter ICAO airport code into a city/airport field.
IATA and ICAO codes look similar and both appear in industry documents and on the internet, so candidates grab whichever they find first.
What to do instead
Memorise the rule of thumb: IATA codes are for commercial/ticketing use (2-character airline designator, 3-letter airport/city code), ICAO codes are for operational/ATC use (3-letter airline, 4-letter airport). Before entering any code, ask 'is this commercial or operational?' and check the code against the applicable directory.
Quoting the lowest displayed fare to the customer without opening the fare rule and checking change, refund, baggage and advance-purchase conditions.
The lowest fare is the most visible one in the system and candidates treat price as the answer rather than the conditions attached to it; they fear a long explanation will lose the sale.
What to do instead
Adopt a fixed routine for every quote: identify the fare basis code, read the rule categories for changes, cancellation, baggage and minimum/maximum stay, and state the key restrictions in the same breath as the price. If the customer needs flexibility, offer the higher fare and explain the trade-off.
Leaving an active PNR unticketed past its ticketing time limit, or filing a real service request as free text in an OSI element instead of an SSR.
Booking feels like the finished job, and OSI/SSR look interchangeable because both are free-text-looking messages to the airline.
What to do instead
Treat the ticketing time limit as a hard deadline: record it in the PNR and in a diary, and action or cancel before it expires, because the carrier will auto-cancel. Use SSR for anything the airline must act on (wheelchair, special meal, unaccompanied minor), with the correct four-letter code, and reserve OSI for information only.
Converting a NUC fare to local currency and rounding the result to the nearest whole unit, or dropping decimals arbitrarily.
Rounding to nearest is the habit from everyday arithmetic, and candidates do not realise the industry rule is applied consistently so that the same fare prices identically everywhere.
What to do instead
Apply the standard conversion procedure: multiply the NUC by the applicable IATA rate of exchange, then round the converted amount up to the next higher whole unit of currency (unless it is already a whole amount), checking any currency-specific exception in the conversion table. Show the working so arithmetic slips are visible.
Answering a passport or visa query from memory ('you won't need a visa for a week') without checking the requirements for that specific nationality, transit point and passport validity rule.
Candidates generalise from their own travel experience, and transit points are invisible in the itinerary but decisive for visa purposes.
What to do instead
Never answer from memory: run the itinerary through the industry Timatic database for the passenger's nationality, residence and exact routing, including every transit point and the passport validity requirement (commonly validity beyond the return date). Confirm in writing and note the source and date of the check on the file.
Accepting a customer's spare lithium batteries or power bank as checked baggage, or accepting them loose in a bag without terminal protection.
Batteries seem harmless and the customer is insistent; the distinction between installed, spare and damaged batteries is subtle, and rules differ between carry-on and checked baggage.
What to do instead
Apply the rule: spare lithium batteries and power banks are carry-on only, must be individually protected against short circuit (original packaging, taped terminals or a separate pouch), and are subject to state/airline limits. Damaged or recalled batteries are not carried at all. Refuse politely, explain the reason, and direct the passenger to the carrier's dangerous goods guidance.
Taking a card payment and issuing the ticket without obtaining and recording a valid authorisation, or without matching the cardholder to the passenger and the booking.
The transaction 'completes' in the system, so the agent assumes the money is secure; card-not-present risk and later chargebacks are invisible at the point of sale.
What to do instead
Follow the acceptance procedure every time: obtain an authorisation code and record it on the file, verify cardholder name and signature/secure authentication, keep any required documentation for disputed transactions, and flag bookings where the cardholder is not the traveller before ticketing.
Quoting or confirming a price using the base fare only, or giving a verbal total before checking availability and building the full fare with taxes, fees and charges.
The base fare is the number that comes up first and is easiest to read; candidates want to give a quick, attractive answer and assume taxes 'come out in the wash'.
What to do instead
Build the quote in the system first, then present it: seat availability confirmed, fare plus all applicable taxes, fees and carrier charges, total price, currency and ticketing deadline, followed by a written confirmation. Never give a figure you have not priced end-to-end, and re-price if any element changes.