OTA_GroundAvailRQ

The OTA_GroundAvailRQ (Transfer Availability Request) is used to search available transfer services (e.g., airport ↔ hotel, port ↔ hotel), returning priced options according to the distributor’s agreements.

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OTA_GroundAvailRQ API call

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Purpose

This request allows you to:

Identify transfer services between two points (airport/port ↔ hotel).
Send mandatory flight details needed to operate the transfer.
Specify passenger mix and special requirements (e.g., disability).
Optionally narrow by vehicle/service level.

Structure – Root Element

<OTA_GroundAvailRQ Version="2016.2" xmlns="http://www.opentravel.org/OTA/2003/05">
  ...
</OTA_GroundAvailRQ>

Key Attributes:

Version: OTA Ground pack supported from 2012.2 and higher. Use the latest supported version (e.g., 2016.2).
xmlns: http://www.opentravel.org/OTA/2003/05
EchoToken: optional but recommended for idempotency and tracing.

Structure – Core Elements

POS (Point of Sale)

Identifies the requesting party and credentials. Use Instance to control availability behavior (e.g., include OnRequest products).

<POS>
  <Source>
    <RequestorID Instance="MF0000" ID_Context="AxisData" ID="TEST" Type="22"/>
  </Source>
  <Source>
    <RequestorID Type="88" ID="TEST" MessagePassword="testpass"/>
  </Source>
</POS>

OnRequest Switch: set Instance="MF0001" to include OnRequest products in search results (otherwise use MF0000). The response will include warnings indicating OnRequest services.

Service → Location

A Service defines the transfer and contains one or two Location blocks. One Location = one-way; two Locations = roundtrip. Locations are ordered by RPH and composed of:

Pickup: where the service starts for that leg.
DropOff: where the service ends for that leg.

Use Hotel or Airport as Pickup/DropOff as needed.

AirportInfo

Provide flight Arrival/Departure with IATA airport codes and ISO 8601 datetimes. Include the Airline (code and flight number) when known.

<Pickup>
  <AirportInfo>
    <Arrival CodeContext="IATA" LocationCode="PMI" DateTime="2026-07-17T20:55:00"/>
    <Departure CodeContext="IATA" LocationCode="MAN" DateTime="2026-07-17T17:15:00"/>
  </AirportInfo>
  <Airline FlightNumber="3445" Code="FR"/>
</Pickup>

Address

Use hotel/property codes for hotel points.

<DropOff>
  <Address>
    <LocationType Code="11" UniqueId="AESPMI5L46"/>
  </Address>
</DropOff>

For now, only LocationType Code = 11 is supported.

If the OTS hotel code is unknown, it is possible to add the GIATA ID at UniqueId

Passengers

Define each passenger group with Quantity and mandatory Age, and classify via Category/Code using OTA AQC values:

Adults → 10
Children → 8
Infants → 7

<Passengers Quantity="2" Age="30">
  <Category Code="10"/>
</Passengers>
<Passengers Quantity="1" Age="9">
  <Category Code="8"/>
</Passengers>

ServiceType

Classifies the request as a transfer search.

<ServiceType Code="TRANSFER"/>

DisabilityInfo

Flag if an adapted vehicle is required.

<DisabilityInfo RequiredInd="false"/>

Vehicle Preferences

Optional node. Constrain response to a specific service/vehicle level when needed.

<VehiclePrefs>
  <ServiceLevel Code="P0000"/>
</VehiclePrefs>

GeoCodes

If the exact hotel code is unknown, search by latitude/longitude and radius to get candidate hotels.

<Address Latitude="6.12345" Longitude="8.12345" Radius="100" MaxServiceLocations="15">
  <LocationType Code="11"/>
</Address>

GeoCode search is only available for airport/port ↔ hotel combinations (not for inter-resort transfers).

Complete Examples

<OTA_GroundAvailRQ Version="2016.2" xmlns="http://www.opentravel.org/OTA/2003/05">
  <POS>
    <Source>
      <RequestorID Instance="MF0000" ID_Context="AxisData" ID="TEST" Type="22"/>
    </Source>
    <Source>
      <RequestorID Type="88" ID="TEST" MessagePassword="testpass"/>
    </Source>
  </POS>
  <Service>
    <Locations>
      <Location RPH="1">
        <Pickup>
          <AirportInfo>
            <Arrival CodeContext="IATA" LocationCode="PMI" DateTime="2026-07-17T20:55:00"/>
            <Departure CodeContext="IATA" LocationCode="MAN" DateTime="2026-07-17T17:15:00"/>
          </AirportInfo>
          <Airline FlightNumber="3445" Code="FR"/>
        </Pickup>
        <DropOff>
          <Address>
            <LocationType Code="11" UniqueId="AESPMI5L46"/>
          </Address>
        </DropOff>
      </Location>
      <Location RPH="2">
        <Pickup>
          <Address>
            <LocationType Code="11" UniqueId="AESPMI5L46"/>
          </Address>
        </Pickup>
        <DropOff>
          <AirportInfo>
            <Arrival CodeContext="IATA" LocationCode="MAN" DateTime="2026-07-24T23:10:00"/>
            <Departure CodeContext="IATA" LocationCode="PMI" DateTime="2026-07-24T21:30:00"/>
          </AirportInfo>
          <Airline FlightNumber="3446" Code="FR"/>
        </DropOff>
      </Location>
    </Locations>
  </Service>
  <Passengers Quantity="2" Age="30">
    <Category Code="10"/>
  </Passengers>
  <Passengers Quantity="1" Age="2">
    <Category Code="8"/>
  </Passengers>
  <ServiceType Code="TRANSFER"/>
  <DisabilityInfo RequiredInd="false"/>
</OTA_GroundAvailRQ>

<OTA_GroundAvailRQ Version="2016.2" xmlns="http://www.opentravel.org/OTA/2003/05">
  <POS>
    <Source>
      <RequestorID ID="TEST" Instance="MF0000" Type="22" ID_Context="AxisData"/>
    </Source>
    <Source>
      <RequestorID ID="TEST" Type="88" MessagePassword="testpass"/>
    </Source>
  </POS>
  <Service>
    <Locations>
      <Location RPH="1">
        <Pickup>
          <AirportInfo>
            <Arrival CodeContext="IATA" LocationCode="PMI" DateTime="2026-07-17T12:00:00"/>
          </AirportInfo>
        </Pickup>
        <DropOff>
          <Address>
            <LocationType Code="11" UniqueId="AESPMI5L46"/>
          </Address>
        </DropOff>
      </Location>
    </Locations>
  </Service>
  <Passengers Quantity="2" Age="30">
    <Category Code="10"/>
  </Passengers>
  <Passengers Quantity="1" Age="9">
    <Category Code="8"/>
  </Passengers>
  <ServiceType Code="TRANSFER"/>
  <DisabilityInfo RequiredInd="false"/>
</OTA_GroundAvailRQ>

Best Practices

Always include flight details (airline, number, airports, and times) for each leg so operations can allocate the correct transfer.
Provide passenger ages for every passenger group; pricing uses age, not just category.
Use valid property codes for hotel Pickup/DropOff (LocationType Code="11" UniqueId=...).
Roundtrip searches: send two Location blocks (inbound and outbound) with correct RPH ordering.
Use ISO 8601 datetimes (YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss) and IATA airport codes.
Switch to MF0001 when you want to include OnRequest products in the results.

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OTA_GroundAvailRQ API call

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General Concepts

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Push Model

OTA_GroundAvailRQ API call

Purpose

Structure – Root Element

Structure – Core Elements

POS (Point of Sale)

Service → Location

AirportInfo

Address

Passengers

ServiceType

DisabilityInfo

Vehicle Preferences

GeoCodes

Complete Examples

Best Practices

Playground

OTA_GroundAvailRQ API call

OTA_GroundAvailRQ API call

​Purpose

​Structure – Root Element

​Structure – Core Elements

​POS (Point of Sale)

​Service → Location

​AirportInfo

​Address

​Passengers

​ServiceType

​DisabilityInfo

​Vehicle Preferences

​GeoCodes

​Complete Examples

​Best Practices

​Playground

OTA_GroundAvailRQ API call

Purpose

Structure – Root Element

Structure – Core Elements

POS (Point of Sale)

Service → Location

AirportInfo

Address

Passengers

ServiceType

DisabilityInfo

Vehicle Preferences

GeoCodes

Complete Examples

Best Practices

Playground