Programmed Airline Reservations System
| Company type | Proprietary software |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline reservation systems |
| Predecessor | Deltamatic, PANAMAC |
| Founded | 1960s |
| Products | Airline booking solution |
| Parent | IBM |
Programmed Airline Reservations System (PARS) represents an IBM proprietary, large-scale airline booking solution functioning initially on the IBM Airline Control Program (ACP) and subsequently on the Transaction Processing Facility (TPF). Its global variant was known as IPARS.
In the 1960s, inspired by the success of American Airlines' SABRE system, IBM created customized reservation platforms such as Deltamatic for Delta Air Lines and PANAMAC for Pan American World Airways. By 1967–68, these individual systems were unified into PARS, operating on IBM System/360 mainframe computers to accommodate major airlines—with United Airlines connecting approximately 3,000 terminals online by 1972. During the early 1970s, IBM modified PARS to support smaller regional carriers using IBM 370 systems. The system’s environment transitioned from ACP to TPF, resulting in improved scalability and enhanced performance.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the combination of ACP and PARS provided groundbreaking real-time transaction processing capabilities, establishing one of the era’s largest operational networks. By the mid-1970s, IBM expanded ACP’s functionality to serve prominent US banking institutions with online teleprocessing services. PARS gained widespread adoption among leading domestic and international airlines, significantly advancing passenger management efficiency and profitability.
Notable airlines including TWA and Northwest Airlines implemented PARS; notably, TWA offered it as a product to travel agencies. Swiss International Air Lines and Brussels Airlines retired PARS by early 2016. IranAir ceased using IBM-ACP/IPARS around the year 2000 due to concerns related to the Y2K issue.
CPARS (Compact Programmed Airlines Reservations), a streamlined variant of PARS with a limited booking window of 90 days, was designed for smaller carriers such as Icelandair.
Further reading
- Winston, Clifford, "The Evolution of the Airline Industry", Brookings Institution Press, 1995. See p. 62.