FlightView Screen Shots Inside Hudson Applications

Attachments:
File:Hudson - FlightView ScreenShots.pdf

The Hudson Group was an early integrator of RLM’s FlightView XML flight status tracking technology.  With this fe enhancement to Hudson’s Dispatch Application HWeb Dispatcher, transportation companies can now add real time flight status data to any part of their dispatch screens.  This same functionality allows Reservations staff to monitor, in real-time, the status of a clients inbound flight, from within the Hudson reservation entry system, HWeb Agent.

With the advent of RLM’s advanced schedule lookup feature, Hudson clients now also have the ability to lookup the clients flight details, while still on the phone with the client and entering the reservation. When clients call and provide the date of travel and the flight number, the agent can lookup the details in real-time and ensure that correct arrival and departure times are captured and auto-entered into the reservation. This greatly increases the accuracy of reservations, eliminating flight number or flight time errors.

Here are some representative screen shots of how FlightView has been integrated into Hudson’s Reservation and Dispatching technologies.

1)When reservations are being entered, an option pop-up screen allows the agent to enter the Airline and Flight number and the FlightView XML system will display the flight city and correct (arrival/departure) flight time. Clicking OK copies this data to the reservation template.

Here is a larger view of the Flight Information lookup window displayed above:

2)The flight details are displayed on a section the main screen for the Reservations staff to review and check at any time. Clicking the “ ? “ symbol to the right of the FlightType field allows the Agent to lookup the flight again and note any changes in arrival or departure time.

3)From within the Reservations system, an agent can look up the status of all flights for any airport, and airline as needed.  This is a wonderful customer service tool, allowing an Agent in say MFR (Medford Oregon), to be able to look up the status of their clients flight which is currently enroute to LAX….quickly and easily from within the clients reservation.

4)Full integration of real-time flight data is also included in the Hudson Dispatching system. Real time flight status for flights is obtained automatically, as often as desired. This data is then displayed on the Dispatchers screen and can be color coded, to allow dispatchers at a glance to see the status of all arriving flights.

5)Slightly closer view of the same flight fields.  Notice that the Scheduled PickupTime (oTime in this clients screen) is displayed just to the left of the Actual arrival time as returned by FlightView.

6) Hudsons Dispatch Screens are 100% customizable and are constructed according to the clients needs. Flight status can be included in multiple screens, and formatted in a variety of ways, as dictated by the clients desires.  Here are 2 separate and adjacent “grids” on a a Dispatcher screen, both of which are displaying flight status.

7)  And yet another clients customized view of live flight status….

8) Dispatchers can simply click on a reservation on the dispatch screen and force an immediate update of the status of that flight.  This is the window that opens and allows the Dispatcher to make an adjustment to flight information, if warranted, before getting an instant update.

9)  A default Flight Overview grid for the day, will display flight history, and current flight status for all arrival reservations for the day. This can be sorted or customized per airport, per airline, per flight city, etc.

Strong Passwords and Other Login SecurityFeatures in Hudson Applications

Hudson applications have required assigned unique login credentials from the very beginning and have generally been very secure because of this.  With the increasing demands of system security to ensure PCI compliance is obtained, Hudson logins have been made even more secure. This additional security is made possible through the use of Strong Passwords.  A strong password is a series of words, letters, symbols and numbers which may be easy for a user to remember but difficult for another person to guess.  We will review here the way in which you can implement additional login security through the use of strong passwords, and other advanced security settings.

Additional and more detailed information regarding login security options may be found in the article titled Login Security.

To enable additional Login security:
Tools > Configuration > Fare and Service > Login / Security tab

• Auto disable if maximum retry is exceeded - Checking this option will disable the login account if the user tries to login unsuccessfully and meets the value specified in the login rules section. (Maximum number of login retries=3 (default setting)).
• Require strong passwords - Checking this option will enable (require) Strong Passwords when logging into HWeb Agent, HWeb Dispatcher, HWeb Admin. 

1. at least one character must be UPPER CASE letter
   
2. at least one character must be  lower case letter
   
3. at least one character must be numeric: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
4. at least one character must be a symbol:  ( ) { } [ ] , . < > ; : ? / ~ ! @ # $ % ^ & * _ - + =

• Maximum number of login retries  - exceeding this value locks the user out of the HWeb applications
• Minimum size of user ID - minimum number of characters that must comprise the user login ID (name). Note: the user ID is what will appear in Reservation history and reports.
  
• Maximum size of user ID - maximum number of characters that can be included in the user login ID (name).
• Minimum size of user password - minimum number of characters that must comprise the user password.  Longer passwords of random characters (especially if you require Strong Passwords) are most secure.
  
• Maximum size of user password - maximum number of characters that may be included in the user password.
  
• Days to password expiration - number of days, from the date the UserID is created that a password will remain valid.  The default value = 30 days. This will require a user to change their password once each 30 days, regardless of how many times they have logged into the system.  For maximum system and application security, a frequent password reset is highly recommended.  

Note:  If a new userID and / or password is assigned, and the user is unable to login successfully, you might check their priveleges and ensure that at least one application is enabled for their access (ex: Allowed to use HWeb Agent).

If a login error results, you can check out these login error codes that may assist in diagnosing the source of the error.

Login Security Settings

There are many settings that may be configured within Hudson products to ensure maximum system security and data integrity.  Here are the items and how they are configured and used. Note: you typically must be a system administrator, with admin level privileges in order to setup and manage most of these items. These configuration items are found here:
Tools -> Configuration -> Application Configuration -> General Config -> Fare & Services -> Login Tab

This is the number of unsuccessful login attempts that you will permit before locking the user out of the system for a specified period of time (see Lockout period below). Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting. Default maximum number of retries is 6.

After the number of Login attempts specified below, this is the amount of time, in minutes that must pass before the user will be permitted to attempt logging in again. Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting. The default minimum lockout time is 30 minutes. NOTE: A system administrator may login to the system at any time and reset a locked out user. Information on how to unlock a user may be found here: User is Locked Out

This is the message that will be displayed to the user when the User ID entered is incorrect. Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting.

This is the message that will be displayed to the user when the Password entered is incorrect. Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting.

This is the message that will be displayed to the user when the Password entered has expired. Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting.

This is the message that will be displayed to the user when the User ID entered has been disabled (by and administrator). Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting.

This is the message that will be displayed to the user when the User ID entered has been locked out, after reaching the maximum number of login retries (see below) has been reached. Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting.

This is the message that will be displayed to the user when the User ID entered is not in the database of configured users. Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting.

This is the number of unsuccessful login attempts that you will permit before the login dialog box will disappear from view. This value does not necessarily lock a user out of the system. The user may launch the login dialog again by clicking the application shortcut.  Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting.

This is the value corresponding to the maximum number of characters that may be contained in a User ID. Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting.

This is the value corresponding to the minimum number of characters that must be contained in a User ID. Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting.

This is the action taken by the system when a Password Expiration threshhold has been met. The available options are:

• Prompt for new password (Default minimum setting)
• Lockout user
• Ignore

Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting.

This is the number of days the system will allow a user to continue using the current password. When this threshold is met, the user will be subjected to the Password Expiration Action (above). Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting. Default value is maximum of 90 days.

This is the value corresponding to the maximum number of characters that may be contained in a user Password. Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting.

This is the value corresponding to the minimum number of characters that must be contained in a user Password. Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting. Default value is minimum of 7 characters

This setting can enable or disable “Strong” passwords. The use of Strong passwords is highly encouraged and is enabled by default. A strong password meets the following criteria in the Hudson system:
1) at least one upper case character
2) at least one lower case character
3) at least one numeric character (0123456789)
4) at least one symbol ({}[],.<>;:?/~!@#$%^&*_-+=)
5) must be at least 8 characters
Double click the Value field to edit or adjust this setting. Default value is that Strong Passwords are required.

This setting determines how the password is stored in the database. The options are No or Yes. The more secure setting is Yes. When set to this value, the password is hashed (encrypted) and combined with additional layers of security making them less prone to hacking or decryption.

NOTE: In order to meet login security settings defined and required by PCI standards, a user may not re-use any of the last 4 (four) passwords entered for that User ID.  This is a hard-coded value and not subject to configuration or modification.

A comment about PCI Security

Any Hudson Client whose system was configured and delivered from May 2012 and after will have default settings configured that meet PCI compliance requirements.  If you change the default settings to make them less stringent than the delivered defaults, you most likely are invalidating the PCI compliance of your Hudson system. For clients whose systems were delivered prior to May 2012, even though they may have updated to version 1.94 of the Hudson system should check each of the settings above and consider configuring to the stated defaults, assuming they result in a higher or more stringent security protocol.

Only a system administrator at your company may be permitted to take this action.

Login Error Codes

When attempting to login, if an error is made with UserID, Password or some other system error occurs, a message followed by a code (number) is usually displayed. If the message is unclear, you can check here for a list of the Login Error Codes.

Force Password to Expire

For optimal system security, when setting up a new user, you should force the “default” or initial password to expire when the user logs in for the first time. Only the user should posess their password. System Administrators may be able to reset or change a password, but should not know or be capable of discovering what any users password is.

  Configuration > General Config > User Access
  Add User
  User ID - Users login name
  Password - initial or default password
  First Name - users First Name
  Last Name - users Last Name
  > Force Password to Expire - Place a check mark in this box to enable.  When the user then logs into the system for the first time, they will use the initial or default password that was assigned. They will immediately be prompted to enter and verify a new password.  From this moment on, the new password will be in place for second and subsequent logins.

How to unlock a locked user

Login security settings may determine a maximum number of unsuccessful login attempts that will be permitted for a user.  If the incorrect entries for a UserID and/or Password are entered repeatedly and the maximum number of retries is reached as defined in the Login Security Settings (default setting is 7), the user will be locked out of the Hudson application.  The amount of time, in minutes, that the user will be locked out is also defined in the security settings established by your system administrator but is typically a minimum of 30 minutes (default setting). 

When a user is locked out of the of system, the user must wait for the minimum amount of time configured before attempting to login again OR, the user may be manually “unlocked” by a person with system administrator privileges.

To Unlock a user:

• Tools -> Configuration -> Application Configuration -> General Config -> User Access
• Locate and click to highlight the effected user from the list of users
• Click the “Edit” button
• On the General Tab, locate the box labeled “Locked” and remove the checkmark.
• Click OK and then exit the configuration settings.

The effected user should now be able to attempt to login again, but will again be subject to the maximum number of retries established in the configuration.

If having problems logging in, ensure that a Caps Lock key is not enabled. Usernames and passwords are case sensitive.  If you are unable to recall a password, a system administrator may reset the password for you but will not be able to retrieve a forgotten password.

File Based Reservation Import

Custom Filter

To apply a custom filter to any HWebDispatcher grid file, you must right click on the empty gray column and select filter column (see image below).  Custom filters should only be done by experienced HWeb customers or with the guidance of Tech Support.

Once a custom fitler is applied, the empty column will turn RED instead of gray.

Building Desktops for ClientCenter and InfoView

Prerequisites:

Web Site Version 2.86+

ClientCenter Version 3+

Local System Version 1.92e (4211) or later

Hudson’s ClientCenter and InfoView offerings allow your clients direct access to their reservation information via your company’s Hudson web reservation system. When you provide the client with login credentials, you are giving them real-time access to historical, current and future reservation details. You have complete control of what information is displayed to them via the construction of customized Desktops. InfoView is generally designed to give your accounts the ability to login to the web site and “review” their reservation information. The ClientCenter provides the same access to information but provides additional functionality including reservation entry, edit, cancel, printing, data export and other advanced options. Also included in ClientCenter is the ability to add and manage individual member profiles that belong to the company or group. The setup and configuration of both these applications is similar and will be reviewed here.

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Adding Landmark Locations

You must have a basic understanding of grid creating and maintenance, template maintenance, hotkey maintenance, and configuration access and settings to understand this article.  I you do not please read up on these things in the knowledgebase or contact your Hudson technician.

The Landmark Locations are a list of locations categorized into sub types.  They are added, managed, and accessible in the local software only.  *These are not fare file locations.  *No pricing is generated from this list.  It is used only as a quick way to insert location names, street addresses, and specific information about that location into a reservation.
These Landmark Locations can be inserted in the pickup or drop-off address fields, the extra stops field, or the hourly details field.
The following is a guide to setting up and using this technology.

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How to create a custom client Receipt

If you can type a letter or email to a friend or family member, then you can also create a custom receipt template to print out for clients at a booth, office or airport. Receipts can also be generated from the HWeb Agent application and sent out via email/fax if your system is configured with these options. The process is fairly straight forward:

1   Create Receipt Template(s)
2   Add Receipt to your Template Configuration
3   Print your Receipt

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Why Do Social Security Numbers, Birthdays, and Other Fields Show as Asterisks in Driver and Employee Grids?

Essentially, it is for security reasons. As part of Payment Card Industry compliance standards (PCI) it is mandatory that cardholder data, as well as personal information about employees and staff members are hidden and kept from intentional or accidental viewing and release.

On your Driver info grid, the fields that show with **** are considered "secure" fields in the software. They are intentionally and by default, hidden from view so somebody cannot open or create a dispatcher grid displaying social security numbers, birthdates, Hire or Termination dates, etc and then export them.

Should it be necessary for a supervisor, or administrator to see this data in grid format, the fields may be configured to display the original source data. This data is hidden on purpose. To enable these fields for display, go to Tools\configuration\Advanced Features\ Field List Tab.  Locate the line that says Secure Fields.  Delete the SSN, Birthdate, Hiredate fields and save the changes.   

Reopen your Driver Info grid and they should display properly.

You should replace these items in the Secure fields list after your grid or report has been produced and utilized. Failure to have these items in the secure fields list may break the PCI compliance of your Hudson products.