IATA BCBP

Overview

The parser supports up to version 8 of the International Air Transport Association Bar Coded Boarding Pass (IATA-BCBP) standard. The latest IATA-BCBP specifications can be obtained from International Air Transport Association.

Sample usage for IATA-BCBP parser and Barcode Capture

First, you need to create a DataCaptureContext, access a Camera and create an IATA-BCBP parser:

const context = await DataCaptureContext.create();
const camera = Camera.default;
const cameraSettings = BarcodeCapture.recommendedCameraSettings;
await camera.applySettings(cameraSettings);
await context.setFrameSource(camera);

const settings = new BarcodeCaptureSettings();
const barcodeCapture = await BarcodeCapture.forContext(context, settings);

const parser = await Parser.forFormat(context, ParserDataFormat.IATA_BCBP);
const context = await DataCaptureContext.create();
const camera = Camera.default;

if (camera != null) {
  camera.applySettings(BarcodeCapture.recommendedCameraSettings);
  context.set(camera);
  camera.switchToDesiredState(FrameSourceState.on);
}

const settings = new BarcodeCaptureSettings();
const barcodeCapture = BarcodeCapture.forContext(context, settings);

Parser.forFormat(context, ParserDataFormat.IataBcbp).then((parser) => this.parser = parser);

Then, you need to implement BarcodeCaptureListener:

const barcodeCaptureListener = {
    didScan: async (barcodeCaptureMode, session) => {
    await barcodeCapture.setEnabled(false);
    const barcode = session.newlyRecognizedBarcode;
    const symbology: SymbologyDescription = new SymbologyDescription(barcode.symbology);
        try {
            const parsed = await parser.parseStringToJson(barcode.data);
            // parsed[0].name
            // parsed[0].parsed
            // parsed[0].rawString
        } catch (error: unknown) {
            // handle the eventual error
        }
    },
};
const barcodeCaptureListener = {
     didScan: (_, session) => {
         if (!session.newlyRecognizedBarcode) return;
         const barcode = session.newlyRecognizedBarcode;
         var data = barcode.data;
         if (data == null) return;

         this.parser.parseString(data).then((parserData) => {
             // Extract the fields relevant to your use case. Below, for example, we extract the passenger name,
             // which is represented as a list of Strings (["FirstName", "LastName"]), seat number which is a string,
             // and flightDate, which is represented as a map with keys "year", "month", "day".

             const passengerName = parsedData.FieldsByName["passengerName"].parsed;
             const seatNumber = parsedData.FieldsByName["seatNumber"].parsed;

             const flightDate = parsedData.fieldsByName['flightDate'].parsed;
             const year = flightDate['year'];
             const month = flightDate['month'];
             const day = flightDate['day'];

             // Do something with the extracted fields.
         });
     }
}

Finally, add the listener to the mode to receive scan results:

barcodeCapture.addListener(barcodeCaptureListener);

For details, go to the API docs.

Examples

Parsing the following code (without the quotes) given a reference year of 2024:

"M1DESMARAIS/LUC       EABC123 YULFRAAC 0834 226F001A0025 100"

will result in the following JSON output:

[
  {
    "name": "formatCode",
    "parsed": "M",
    "rawString": "M"
  },
  {
    "name": "numberOfLegsEncoded",
    "parsed": 1,
    "rawString": "1"
  },
  {
    "name": "passengerName",
    "parsed": [
      "LUC",
      "DESMARAIS"
    ],
    "rawString": "DESMARAIS/LUC"
  },
  {
    "name": "electronicTicketIndicator",
    "parsed": "E",
    "rawString": "E"
  },
  {
    "name": "legs",
    "parsed": [
      {
        "checkInSequenceNumber": "0025",
        "compartmentCode": "F",
        "flightDate": {
          "day": 13,
          "month": 8,
          "year": 2024
        },
        "flightNumber": "0834",
        "fromAirport": "YUL",
        "operatingCarrierDesignator": "AC",
        "operatingCarrierPNR": "ABC123",
        "passengerStatus": "1",
        "seatNumber": "001A",
        "toAirport": "FRA"
      }
    ],
    "rawString": "ABC123 YULFRAAC 0834 226F001A0025 1"
  }
]

Exposed Fields

The names of the fields correspond to their names from the IATA BCBP spec, written in lower came case. For further details about specific items, please refer to the IATA Resolution 792 BCBP specifications.

Fields can be Mandatory (M) or Conditional (C), and in either case, are either top-level or associated with Legs (L).

Element Name

Meaning

M, C, L

Value Type

Notes

formatCode

Format code

M

string

Always ‘M’

numberOfLegsEncoded

Number of legs

M

integer

1 or greater

legs

Details for each leg of the trip

M

array of json objects

passengerName

Passenger’s first name and last name

M

array of two strings

Names are truncated as required to fit within the total 19 characters available.

electronicTicketIndicator

Electronic ticket indicator

M

string

E if passenger is travelling on an electronic ticket.

passengerDescription

The type of passenger

C

string

0 for adult, 1 for male, 2 for female, 3 for child, etc…

sourceOfCheckin

Where the passenger checked in

C

string

W for web, K for airport kiosk, R for remote, etc…

sourceofBoardingPassIssuance

Where the boarding ass was issued

C

string

W for web, K for airport kiosk, R for remote, etc…

dateOfIssuance

Date the boarding pass was issued

C

key/value pairs:

  • ‘year’ : YYYY,

  • ‘month’ : MM,

  • ‘day’ : DD

with YYYY, MM, DD integers

versionNumber

BCBP version number

C

string

Current version is 8.

documentType

Document type

C

string

B for boarding pass, I for itinerary receipt.

airlineDesignatorOfIssuer

Designator of the airline which issued the boarding pass

C

string

baggageTagLicensePlateNumbers

Baggage tag license plate numbers

C

array of strings

Each string in the array represents the license plate number for a single item of baggage.

securityDataType

The type of security used to protect the BCBP.

C

string

securityData

The security data used to prevent tampering of the BCBP data.

C

string

operatingCarrierPNR

Operating carrier PNR code

L,M

string

fromAirport

Three letter origin airport / city code.

L,M

string

toAirport

Three letter destination airport / city code.

L,M

string

operatingCarrierDesignator

Airline code for the operating carrier.

L,M

string

Can be either the two letter or the three letter designator.

flightNumber

Actual flight number

L,M

string

flightDate

Date of the flight.

L,M

key/value pairs:

  • ‘year’ : YYYY,

  • ‘month’ : MM,

  • ‘day’ : DD

with YYYY, MM, DD integers

compartmentCode

Compartment code.

L,M

string

F (first class), J (business class), Y (economy/coach), etc… See resolution IATA 728 for full list.

seatNumber

Seat number.

L,M

string

Seat number if one has been assigned. Can also be e.g. GATE or STBY.

checkInSequenceNumber

Five character check-in sequence number.

L,M

string

passengerStatus

Passenger status.

L,M

string

0 for passenger not checked in, 1 for passenger checked in, 2 for baggage checked in but passenger not checked in, etc..

airlineNumericCode

Three characters representing the airline code.

L,C

string

serialNumber

Serial number of the document.

L,C

string

selecteeIndicator

Whether the passenger is a selectee or not.

L,C

string

internationalDocumentationVerification

Whether the passenger requires travel document verification or not.

L,C

string

marketingCarrierDesignator

Marketing carrier designator.

L,C

string

May be the same as the operating carrier.

frequentFlyerAirlineDesignator

Airline code for the FFP.

L,C

string

May be the two character or three character code.

frequentFlyerNumber

Frequent flyer number.

L,C

string

13-16 characters in length.

idIndicator

Codes for indicating industry discounts or agency discounts.

L,C

string

freeBaggageAllowance

Free baggage allowance.

L,C

string

Will indicate free allowance in pieces (PC), kilos (K) or pounds (P)

fastTrack

Passenger is fast tracked.

L,C

string

Y for yes, N for no. Blank if unqualified.

airlineInfo

For airline use.

L,C

string

Can be of arbitrary length but limited by total available size of section.

Parser Options

Following options can be set to fine-tune the behavior of the parser:

  • “strictMode”: boolean (default:true)

    Controls the strictness of the parser. When strictMode is set to true, every error in the input (invalid characters etc.) is treated as an error. Parsing is aborted upon encountering the first error. When strictMode is set to false, parsing continues for non-critical errors. The encountered problems can be queried for each field separately via the issues property, although for the “legs” fields the errors will propagate to the result.

  • “referenceYear”: int? (default: null)

    The date of issuance indicates the final digit of the year of issuance. To thus deduce the correct decade without ambiguity, the “referenceYear” may be set in the parser options.