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Travel: Booking Cancellation

Problem Statement​

Cancelling a travel booking involves verifying the cancellation policy, calculating any penalties, and processing refunds. This is a destructive operation with financial implications.

Why Human-Only Semantics Fail​

  • Cancellation policies are displayed as text paragraphs, not structured data
  • Penalty amounts are calculated dynamically based on timing
  • "Cancel Booking" doesn't declare whether refunds are automatic
  • Free cancellation deadlines are shown as human-readable dates, not machine-checkable

Why Scraping Fails Here​

  • Cancellation flows are behind authentication
  • Policy text uses natural language without structured fields
  • Penalty calculations require server-side computation
  • Confirmation dialogs are JavaScript modals, not navigable pages

How AXAG Eliminates Scraping​

booking.cancel declares the operation's risk level, refund behavior, preconditions, and required confirmation.

Annotated UI Example​

Travel — booking cancellation ⚠️
<button
  axag-intent="booking.cancel"
  axag-entity="reservation"
  axag-action-type="delete"
  axag-required-parameters='["reservation_id"]'
  axag-optional-parameters='["reason"]'
  axag-preconditions='["reservation must exist","reservation must not be checked-in"]'
  axag-postconditions='["reservation cancelled","refund processed per cancellation policy"]'
  axag-risk-level="high"
  axag-confirmation-required="true"
  axag-idempotent="true"
  axag-side-effects='["refund_processing","availability_release","cancellation_email"]'
  axag-description="Cancel an existing travel reservation"
>Cancel Booking</button>

Semantic Manifest Excerpt​

Manifest — booking.cancel
{
  "intent": "booking.cancel",
  "entity": "reservation",
  "operation_id": "booking_cancel",
  "action_type": "delete",
  "parameters": {
    "reservation_id": { "type": "string", "required": true },
    "reason": {
      "type": "string",
      "required": false,
      "enum": ["change_of_plans","found_better_deal","emergency","other"]
    }
  },
  "preconditions": [
    "reservation must exist",
    "reservation must not be checked-in"
  ],
  "postconditions": [
    "reservation cancelled",
    "refund processed per cancellation policy"
  ],
  "risk_level": "high",
  "confirmation_required": true,
  "idempotent": true,
  "side_effects": ["refund_processing", "availability_release", "cancellation_email"]
}

Generated Tool Example​

Tool — booking_cancel
{
  "tool_name": "booking_cancel",
  "description": "Cancel an existing travel reservation",
  "input_schema": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "reservation_id": { "type": "string" },
      "reason": { "type": "string", "enum": ["change_of_plans","found_better_deal","emergency","other"] }
    },
    "required": ["reservation_id"]
  },
  "safety": {
    "risk_level": "high",
    "confirmation_required": true,
    "idempotent": true,
    "side_effects": ["refund_processing", "availability_release", "cancellation_email"]
  }
}

Constraints & Safety Notes​

  • High risk: triggers refund/financial processing
  • Confirmation required: agent MUST confirm with user
  • Idempotent: cancelling an already-cancelled booking is a no-op
  • Refund amount depends on timing relative to the cancellation policy window
  • Reason is optional but helps with analytics