# What is a GDS, and why do travel agencies use one? Source: https://kurumsal.pro/en/glossary/gds/ — Last updated: 2026-11-04 A GDS (Global Distribution System) is a worldwide distribution infrastructure that collects airline content in one intermediary system and presents it to travel agencies in a common format. The agency queries this content, opens bookings and, if authorised, issues the ticket. ## In short - A GDS gathers airline content in one intermediary system and presents it to agencies in a common format. - The best-known GDSs are Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. - A booking opened in a GDS is kept as a record called a PNR. - A GDS presents many airlines in a common way, while NDC is the IATA standard through which an airline passes on its own offer. - In Kurumsal.pro, Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport appear as suppliers in the corporate portal's flight search, and results are evaluated against the company's policy. **GDS (global distribution system):** A GDS (Global Distribution System) is a worldwide distribution infrastructure that gathers airline content in one intermediary system, where agencies query it in a common format and turn it into bookings. Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport are the main examples. A GDS (Global Distribution System) is a worldwide distribution infrastructure that gathers airline content in one intermediary system, where travel agencies query it in a common format and turn it into bookings. For corporate sales, the value of a GDS is that the options of different airlines can be evaluated under the same policy and approval rules. ## How does a GDS work? In a GDS, airlines publish their schedules and seat availability to the system, and the agency queries that data and opens a record ([PNR](/en/glossary/pnr/)) on behalf of the passenger. The ticket is issued once payment has been received and the agency's ticketing authority has been verified. For the corporate client the process is invisible: staff see only the result list and the policy decision. Changes, cancellations and refunds after the record is opened also run on the same record. That is why entering the passenger's name and contact details correctly from the start directly eases the agency's work after the sale. ## Which are the main GDSs? Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport (including Galileo) share most of the market. Which one an agency works with is a decision tied to its existing contracts and ticketing arrangement; what matters for the corporate portal is that the results of the chosen system arrive in the same list as the other sources. GDSs are not limited to airline content; historically hotel and car rental content has also been distributed through these systems. In corporate travel, however, flights are where a GDS is most often used. ## What is the difference between a GDS and NDC? A GDS presents many airlines in a common format, while NDC is the IATA standard through which an airline passes on its own offer. The details of the difference and a comparison table are in the [NDC](/en/glossary/ndc/) entry. ## Where is a GDS used in Kurumsal.pro? The code of the DIJI.TECH infrastructure includes Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport connections. In the portal your agency offers its corporate clients, these systems appear as suppliers in the flight search, together with NDC connections and consolidators. Which of the three systems will be active depends on the GDS contract the agency holds and is defined during setup; the software uses the access credentials the agency receives under that contract. - Staff see GDS, NDC and consolidator results in a single list, at the company's price and with the policy decision on each row. - The portal does not show the supplier name; which result came from which system stays on the agency side. - Fare packages, the cart, the approval flow and the purchase proceed in the same flow regardless of the system the result came from. Kurumsal.pro is not a GDS and does not replace one; it is the software infrastructure that makes the agency's GDS and airline connections usable in a corporate portal. For the full supplier list, see the [integrations](/en/integrations/) page, and for the details of the flight flow, see [corporate flight booking](/en/corporate-flight-booking/). ## How is the corporate policy applied to GDS results? Every flight from a GDS is evaluated against the company's travel policy and appears on the list with an "In policy", "Out of policy" or "Blocked" decision per row. The decision does not depend on the source of the result; the same rules also apply to NDC and consolidator results. - **Cabin rule:** The policy defines the highest cabin and the permitted cabin on flights above a certain duration. - **Banned airline:** Flights on airlines the company has flagged are blocked, sent to approval or only flagged, depending on the outcome set for the rule. - **Percentage gap to the cheapest:** If the selected flight costs more than the allowed percentage above the flight found by the "cheapest option" definition (departure window, stops, cabin, baggage), it counts as out of policy. - **Days before purchase:** The rule applies when the number of days left before travel is below the policy limit. The settings for these rules are described on the [travel policy software](/en/travel-policy-software/) page. ## How do agencies use a GDS in B2B sales? Agencies can use a GDS connection not only in the corporate channel but also in the B2B channel where they sell to other agencies. The purposes of that use, its place in B2B sales and the points to watch are covered in detail in the article on [GDS-integrated B2B software](/en/blog/gds-integrated-b2b-software-game-changer-for-travel-agencies/). This entry gives only the short definition of the term and its counterpart in the corporate portal. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does GDS stand for? GDS stands for Global Distribution System. It is the infrastructure that presents airline content to agencies through a common interface and in which search, booking and ticketing take place. ### Which GDSs are there? The prominent global systems in airline distribution are Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. Different system names such as Galileo are also used within the Travelport family. Which one is used depends on the agency's existing contracts and ticketing arrangement. ### What is needed to use a GDS? Access to a GDS depends on the agency's commercial agreement with the GDS provider or with an intermediary that handles ticketing. The software uses the access credentials issued under that agreement to set up the connection; the access terms are set by the provider. ### Do GDS results appear separately in the corporate portal? No. The corporate portal does not show the supplier name. Staff see GDS, NDC and consolidator results in a single list, at the company's price and with the policy decision on each row.