Roadmap

The IATA Standard Schedules Information Manual defines several distinct data formats across nine chapters. iata-ssim is structured to host parsers for each of them as separate sub-modules under the same umbrella package.

Status

Chapter	Format	Sub-path	Status
7	Schedule Data Set (SDS) — .ssim	iata-ssim/sds	✅ Implemented
4	SSM — Standard Schedules Message	iata-ssim/ssm (planned)	🟡 Coming soon
5	ASM — Ad Hoc Schedules Message	iata-ssim/asm (planned)	🟡 Coming soon
6	SCR — Slot Clearance Request	iata-ssim/scr (planned)	🟡 Coming soon
2	Data Elements (DEI codes)	shared utils	🟢 Reusable utilities already in place
1, 3, 8, 9	Definitions, print layouts, rescinded chapters	—	⚪ Out of scope

What is implemented today — Chapter 7 (SDS)

The Schedule Data Set is a fixed-width 200-byte file format airlines use to publish complete schedules. The parser supports:

• All five spec record types (Type 1 Header, Type 2 Carrier, Type 3 Flight Leg, Type 4 Segment Data, Type 5 Trailer).
• Both March 2011 and March 2012 editions of the manual (secureFlightIndicator reassignment in Type 2 byte 169 is handled).
• Strict and lenient parsing modes.
• Full per-record + cross-record spec validation with byte-precise issue locations (line and column).
• De-facto industry conventions like all-zero filler lines and UTF-8 BOM stripping.

See SDS → Overview for usage details and Getting Started for installation and a first example.

What is coming next

SSM — Standard Schedules Message (Chapter 4)

Telex-style messages used for routine schedule changes — additions, cancellations, replacements. Line-based text format with action codes (NEW, CNL, RPL, EQT, TIM, …) rather than fixed-width records.

ASM — Ad Hoc Schedules Message (Chapter 5)

Per-flight ad-hoc operational changes, also telex-style. Similar shape to SSM but with different action codes (RRT for re-route, NEW for new ad-hoc, …) and segment annotations.

SCR — Slot Clearance Request (Chapter 6)

Airport coordination messages: slot requests/responses between airlines and slot coordinators. Uses action codes like U, H, L, K, X, etc.

All three sub-modules will share the existing iata-ssim/utils data-element helpers (parseIataDate, parseIataTime, parseUtcOffsetMinutes, …) so dates, times and IATA codes parse identically across formats. The published API for each new sub-module will mirror the SDS shape: parse<Format> + validate<Format> + per-record TypeScript types.

How to help

• Send a newer manual edition. This library was validated against March 2011 and March 2012. Newer editions almost certainly add new DEI codes and may revise byte assignments in Type 2/3. If you have a copy of any later edition, please open an issue with the relevant chapter — even a screenshot helps.
• Share real-world fixtures. Anonymized .ssim exports from production schedules expose edge cases that synthetic tests miss. See samples-validator/samples/ for the drop folder.
• Comment on SSM/ASM/SCR priorities. Which non-SDS format you most need — and which use cases you have — will shape implementation order.