AURA - Airline Unified Retail Architecture

A comprehensive architecture specification for a tech-enabled aviation asset platform built on high-frequency efficiency, rigorous asset management, and a unified digital backbone.

Strategic Vision

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                                 │
│  Order-Centric       Commercial Agility    Asset Integrity      │
│  Architecture        ──────────────────   ────────────────      │
│  ─────────────────                                              │
│                      • 100% Direct NDC    • CAMO Framework      │
│  • Order as Single   • Zero GDS           • IOSA/RAV            │
│    Source of Truth   • Continuous         • Predictive          │
│  • Seat as SKU         Dynamic Pricing      Maintenance         │
│  • UUID replacing    • Offer Engine       • Spare Aircraft      │
│    PNR as primary    • P1-P5 Tiers          Ratio               │
│                                                                 │
│  Operational Velocity                                           │
│  ─────────────────────                                          │
│  • Hub & Spoke (CCS)  • 25-30 min TAT  • High-frequency shuttle │
│                                                                 │
│  The Order is the Single Source of Truth.                       │
│  Flight booking = E-commerce transaction.                       │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Architecture Domains

Core PSS (Passenger Service System)

Order Management - THE FOUNDATION - Order as Single Source of Truth
Inventory - Classless numerical model (P1-P5 tiers)
Reservations - Order creation, lifecycle management
Ticketing - E-ticket issuance, EMDs
Fares & Pricing - Continuous dynamic pricing (no ATPCO)
Departure Control - DCS as OMS View, PKPASS boarding

Distribution - 100% Direct-to-Consumer

NDC Implementation - IATA NDC 21.3, primary channel
Direct Channels - Web, mobile, B2B API
~~GDS Connectivity~~ - NOT APPLICABLE (zero GDS strategy)
Metasearch - Traffic acquisition only

Settlement & Financial

BSP/ARC - Settlement integration
Revenue Accounting - Revenue lifecycle
Payment Processing - Zero-Trust Vault, tokenization
Tax Engine - GST/VAT by Origin/Destination

Operations - High-Frequency Shuttle

Flight Operations - OCC/CCO, dispatch
Crew Management - Scheduling, fatigue
Ground Operations - 25-30 min turnaround
Disruption Management - IROPS, rebooking
MRO & CAMO - Aircraft maintenance, airworthiness
Safety SMS - Safety Management System, IOSA
Fuel Management - Procurement, hedging

Frontend Applications

Web Booking - IBE (primary channel)
Mobile Apps - iOS/Android (primary channel)
Kiosk - Self-service (CUSS)
Agent Desktop - Staff interfaces

Customer Experience

Loyalty Program - Spend-based model (not miles)
Customer Service - Contact center, chatbot
Notifications - Alerts, communications

Analytics & BI

Revenue Management - AI-driven RM
Business Intelligence - Data warehouse
Reporting - Operational, regulatory

Infrastructure

AWS Architecture - Serverless patterns
Database - Prisma Postgres, Prisma Accelerate
Tech Stack Options - CockroachDB, Redis, Kafka alternatives
Security - Auth, encryption, compliance
DevOps - CI/CD, monitoring
ERP Integration - Finance, HR, Procurement
Testing - Full flight simulation, E2E testing

Standards & Compliance

IATA Standards - NDC, ONE Order, BCBP
Data Privacy - GDPR, local requirements
Compliance - PCI-DSS, IOSA, RAV

The Digital Backbone

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      Tech Stack                                 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│  PSS (Passenger Service System)                                │
│  Inventory, Reservation, Ticketing                              │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  │
│  DCS (Departure Control System)                    Central      │
│  Check-in, Weight & Balance                        Nervous      │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────  System     │
│  CCO (Central Control Operations)                  ────────     │
│  Flight Dispatch, Weather, Crew Tracking           Unified      │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────  Data &     │
│  MRO System                                        Process      │
│  Fleet Airworthiness Tracking                      Flow         │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────              │
│  ERP                                                            │
│  Finance & HR Integration                                       │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Strategic Decisions

Domain	Decision	Rationale
Order Model	Order-Centric (UUID)	Single Source of Truth
Inventory	Numerical Tiers (P1-P5)	Simplified RM, no 26 RBDs
Pricing	Continuous Dynamic	Bypass ATPCO, generate offers
Payments	Zero-Trust Vault	PCI scope reduction
DCS	OMS View	No sync, real-time status
Distribution	100% Direct via NDC	Zero GDS fees, full margin retention
Turnaround	25-30 minutes	Maximize aircraft utilization
Loyalty	Spend-based	Target high-frequency travelers
Hub	CCS (Caracas)	Regional shuttle network
Compliance	IOSA + RAV	Regulatory shield

Target Specifications

Metric	Target
Distribution Cost	$2-4 per booking (vs. $10-15 GDS)
Turnaround Time	25-30 minutes
Aircraft Utilization	>12 hours/day
Direct Channel Share	100%
NDC Version	21.3

References

Aserca Aviation Blueprint - Order-Centric Architecture (3442 Labs)
Digital Operational Blueprint
AWS Serverless Airline Booking
IATA NDC Developer Portal

Implementation Roadmap

See Implementation Guide for:

Where to Start - OMS as the foundation (everything depends on it)
Module Implementation Steps - Phase-by-phase build guide
Parallel Workstreams - What teams can work on simultaneously
9-Month Launch Scenario - Hybrid approach with interim solutions for Aserca

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  BUILD IN-HOUSE          │  INTERIM SOLUTIONS (Replace Later)  │
│  ─────────────────       │  ────────────────────────────────   │
│  ✓ OMS (Order-Centric)   │  ◐ DCS (Altéa/SITA)                 │
│  ✓ Inventory (P1-P5)     │  ◐ Flight Ops (Lido)                │
│  ✓ Pricing & Offers      │  ◐ Crew Management (Jeppesen)       │
│  ✓ Payment Vault         │  ◐ Revenue Management               │
│  ✓ Web/Mobile Channels   │                                      │
│  ✓ NDC API               │                                      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Architecture Evolution

This architecture incorporates concepts from the Aserca CTO Aviation Blueprint:

Order-Centric Model

Universal Order ID (UUID) replaces PNR as primary identifier
"Seat as SKU" - all products are line items in the order
State machine: OFFERED → PAID → FULFILLED
Critical Rule: Check-in prohibited unless Order.Status == PAID

Key Innovations

Innovation	Legacy Approach	Our Approach
Identifier	PNR (6-char)	UUID (primary), PNR (secondary)
Inventory	26 booking classes	5 numerical tiers (P1-P5)
Pricing	ATPCO fare filing	Continuous dynamic (generate offers)
Payments	Card data in scope	Zero-trust vault (tokenization)
DCS	Complex PNR sync	Real-time OMS query
Load Control	Paper load sheets	Paperless EFB push

Tech Stack (Suggestions for Review)

See Tech Stack Options for alternatives:

Database: Prisma Postgres vs CockroachDB
Cache: Prisma Accelerate + Redis (for inventory holds)
Messaging: EventBridge vs Apache Kafka
Identity: Cognito vs Auth0/Okta