ReserVec: Trans-Canada Air Lines' computerized reservation system

The rapid growth of the airline industry in the immediate post-World War II years overwhelmed the manual reservation systems in use at that time. Trans-Canada Air Lines addressed this problem by developing ReserVec, a very early computerized airline reservation system that was designed and manufactured in Canada. ReserVec, unlike previous automated reservation systems, was fully programmable and ran on a general-purpose computer. The technology acquired from the development of ReserVec's Gemini computer was used first in the development of the Ferranti-Packard FP-6000 multiprogrammable computer (also developed in Canada) and then in the ICL 1900/2900 series of compatible computers. The article presents Trans-Canada Air Line's ReserVec system in the context of other automated airline reservation systems contemporary to ReserVec, including American Airline's Magnetronic Reservisor and SABRE systems.<
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