What is Travel Agent GDS ?

Global distribution systems have been influential in shaping the modern travel market and still have an effect in this modern digital age. GDS global connects services, rates and products and services that could be booked in all the three sectors of travel industry.

The Global Distribution System is an instrument for a travel agent that enables transactions between travel industry service providers and travel agencies. The GDS primarily uses real-time inventory to service provides. Travel Agencies traditionally relied on GDS for services, products & rates in order to provision travel-related services to the end customer. A Global Distribution System combines bookings, rates, and consolidating services & products across all the travel sectors. It is also accountable for the growth of the travel industry.

Global Distribution System travel is widely responsible for the growth of travel industry and stepping stone of most internet-based travel services. The GDS mainly uses real-time inventory to service providers. And because GDSs have expanded to other travel services, the entire combination (i.e. flight, car, hotel) can be purchased on one platform, eliminating the hassle of GDS ticket booking each component individually. 

The GDS market on the basis of comprehensive research on various factors that play a key role in accelerating the growth potential of the GDS distribution market. It delivers worldwide data, rates, inventory, offers, real-time availability of airlines, hotel rooms, car rental and many more to make the travel industry more informatics and sophisticated.

Trawex Global Distribution System helps you easily expand into the global market. We work with all the major global GDS providers, travel consolidators and integrate with Amadeus GDS, Travelport / Galileo GDS, Sabre GDS which allow to access for reserving airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars and other travel sectors.

GDS is an online system known as a global distribution system, which has been bridging the gap globally between tour operators and travel bookers by providing consolidated services by covering the bookings of airline tickets, car rental, hotel rooms, and more.    

In the beginning, airlines developed their own technology to inventory and sell their flights. The Semi Automated Business Research Environment, Sabre for short, entered operation in 1963 for American Airlines through a partnership with IBM. The system essentially created a digital database of flights that could be reserved by phone.

These computer systems were sold to travel agents, making money not just from the systems but also by pushing their tickets to the top of the list. In the late 1970s the airline industry became deregulated in the United States and airlines were able to set their own prices. It created a complex market and made these computer reservation systems (CRS) even more valuable.

This resulted in the GDS, which is basically unchanged as of today. GDS Airline file their schedules with seat availability in a separate system and file their fares with the Airline Tariff Publishing Company (ATPCO). A travel agent uses the GDS to query all of these systems and create an offer.
 

With our technology and capabilities, we can help you increase your reach to bring more customers in and help you run your GDS business travel more efficiently. Here are some important benefits of using GDS.

• Expand reach to corporate and leisure travelers with specific programs 
• Connect smoothly to the four global distribution systems - Sabre, Galileo, Amadeus and Worldspan.
• Derive bookings from globally situated travel agents 24 x 7.
• Powerful and easy way to market your hotel on the Internet. It is broadly used by travel agents and travel websites. 
• Opening out your inventory to new online distribution channels is an efficient method to capture new market share.
• Gain more exposure to agents and travelers through driven marketing to travel agencies, consortia and corporate accounts.
• The Use of Global Distribution System (GDS) shows a rise across corporate and leisure travelers
• Travel agents can get a global platform for their business with strong market penetration
• Global Distribution System GDSs enable the retail travel agency and OTA business models
• Global Distribution System GDS is the ability to update the status of inventory in real-time
• A Global Distribution System GDS must allow firms to target specific markets and tap into new areas for more bookings
• Booking through the Global Distribution System (GDS) is most preferable for corporate travel agents as a suitable reservation process for flights, hotels, holidays and rental cars

1.    How do GDS systems work?

A GDS system makes use of real-time inventory, which means that GDS system travel agents can book and confirm seat availability on aircrafts immediately irrespective of time and place. As this system is global, it means agents around the world using the same GDS have access to the same flights. Therefore, flights can’t be confirmed before payment has been received.

2.    How much does GDS cost?

It depends on the particular service you want to use in the GDS. Our rates our highly competitive and include one-time setup GDS cost.

3.    What are the major GDS systems?

The four main GDS providers in the travel industry are Amadeus, Sabre, Galileo, and Worldspan helping travel agents growing volume of travel transactions between travel industry service providers, mainly airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and travel agencies.

4.    What are the advantages of using a GDS?

Advantages of using global distribution system

• Reach Market Segments Globally
• Instant Updates
• More Revenue
• Grow The Lucrative Corporate Segment
• Growth Opportunities

Travel companies now realize the importance of adopting different strategies for effectively using multiple channels of distribution to maximize sales and revenues. To achieve the stated target, companies need to manage the technology process well by using them to create competitive advantages. Today, all the major players of Information Technology service providers are tapping the potential of the Global Distribution System to attract their customers.

Security, reliability, accuracy, and speed of these global distribution systems will remain key influencers to protect their adoption rate. As per the analysis, the potential of GDS is extensive, and it will serve as a robust e-Commerce GDS platform for the travel industry, given the increase in the discretionary spending of consumers. To compete with the attractive prices of low-cost carriers, market players can fragment bundled offerings to devise an effective pricing strategy. In the future, technological innovation will remain integral to simplify the network workflow of global distribution systems, and spark growth.

GDS providers like Trawex are slowly stepping up their game by working on ways to sell ancillaries and further improve their interfaces. For example, Sabre has introduced a graphical user interface (GUI) for its GDS platform. Additionally, they are trying to become NDC "aggregators". Travelport has reached NDC Level 3 Aggregator status. This is the most elevated certification level, which means they're fit for managing offers and requests.