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Edifact

What is Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport (EDIFACT)?

EDIFACT, short for Electronic Data Interchange for Administration, Commerce and Transport, is an international EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) standard developed by the United Nations. It enables companies across industries—including travel and transportation—to exchange structured business data automatically between computer systems without human intervention. In corporate travel, EDIFACT is widely used to manage flight bookings, ticketing, invoicing, and communication between travel agencies, airlines, and global distribution systems (GDS). It ensures a consistent, machine-readable format for exchanging critical travel information across platforms. By using EDIFACT, travel companies and corporate travel platforms like TripGain can reduce manual data entry, eliminate errors, improve efficiency, and provide real-time booking confirmations and updates. This enhances the traveler experience and supports smoother financial reconciliation and reporting.

Examples Of Edifact In Corporate Travel And Expense
1.
Flight Booking Integration
A Corporate Booking Tool Uses Edifact Messages To Pull Real-Time Flight Inventory And Pricing From Multiple Airlines Through A Gds.
2.
Automated Ticket Issuance
After A Booking Is Made, An Edifact Message Is Sent To The Airline For Automatic Ticket Generation And Confirmation.
3.
Invoice And Settlement
Edifact Formats Are Used To Transmit Electronic Invoices And Payment Details Between Tmcs And Corporate Finance Systems For Reconciliation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Edifact
1.
What is EDIFACT used for in corporate travel?
EDIFACT is used to automate data exchange like flight bookings, ticketing, and invoicing between travel systems and service providers.
2.
How does EDIFACT improve efficiency in travel management?
It reduces manual work by allowing seamless, real-time data transmission between airlines, GDSs, and booking platforms.
3.
Is EDIFACT still relevant with modern APIs?
Yes, EDIFACT remains widely used in aviation and travel distribution, although APIs are increasingly supplementing or replacing it in some systems.
4.
What types of messages are exchanged using EDIFACT?
Common messages include booking requests, flight availability, ticketing, invoices, and payment information.
5.
Does TripGain use EDIFACT in its platform?
TripGain integrates with GDSs that utilize EDIFACT to ensure accurate, real-time travel bookings and streamlined backend operations.