Airline Reservations Systems: A Brief History

In 1946, American Airlines began experimenting with the first automated booking system, the Electromechanical Reservisor. In 1952, the airline introduced a newer system in order to gain access to inventory in real time from across their network. The system, called the Magnetronic Reservisor, was able to store up to 1,000 flights, a major feat at the time. However it did have some obvious flaws including that it required a team of agents, multiple phone calls and considerable effort to book even…