OpenTravel� Alliance Publishes Specification Version 2004A
	Publication of the 2004A specification that provides the travel industry and travel-related services the ability to deliver new features and enhanced capabilities to travelers, through XML transactions.
Highlights of the 2004A OTA Specification: As the OTA body of work continues to mature, we are balancing between specification improvement and growth verses message stability. We feel the 2004A Publication reflects this balance. We've concentrated our efforts on updates to documentation, longer periods of requirements planning for future messages and resolution of public comments on current messages. The OTA2004AReleaseNotes.pdf document published with the specification describes changes made as a result of public comments in detail. The Message Users Guide, a document containing example instances, continues to grow. Our Schema Design Best Practices document has been updated to reflect new requirements (e.g., a deprecation policy). Air Work Group - Nearly all of the Air messages and their XML Schema content have been enhanced to contain more thorough documentation. This embedded documentation will promote a better understanding of the message content and therefore, lower the barrier to trading partner interoperability. Hotel Work Group - Hotel has reengineered their OTA_HotelInvBlockNotif messages to better reflect the members requirements. Car Work Group - Car focused its efforts on generating requirements for a Rental Checkout and Checkin message, which is planned to be released in the 2004B Publication. The OpenTravel�Alliance will celebrate 5 years of specification development at its annual Advisory Forum � September 20 & 21, 2004 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The Open Travel�Alliance Mission - The Alliance�s mission is the creation, expansion, and adoption of open universal data specifications, including but not limited to the use of XML, for the electronic exchange of business information among all sectors of the travel industry. For more information visit www.opentravel.org. About The Open Travel�Alliance - The Alliance develops communications specifications to allow for the efficient and effective exchange of travel industry information via the Internet. With over 120 members representing influential names in all sectors of the travel industry, OTA is comprised of representatives from the airlines, car rental firms, hotels, leisure suppliers, service providers, tour operators, travel agencies, and trade associations. OTA working groups, together with an OTA interoperability committee to coordinate their efforts, develop open internet-compatible messages using XML.