Global Distribution System (GDS)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM in The tourism and hospitality market place is a global arena where millions of buyers (travel agents, and the public) and sellers

(hotels airlines, car rentals etc.) work together to exchange travel service. Global distribution system and internet have now become a sort of super market for linking the buyer and sellers of tourism services. Online travel services such as hotel reservations and other travel booking are becoming increasingly popular in developed and developing countries. Airlines industry created the first Global Distribution System GDS in 1960’s for keeping the track of flight schedules, availability and prices. Global Distribution System or GDS’s can be considered as the first c-commcrcc companies in the world facilitating B-2-B electronic commerce. In 1970 SABRE (owned by American Airlines) and APOLLO (United Airlines) started installing their proprietary interval reservations systems in travel agents. Various G.D.Ss are there, but out of these the most famous ones are: (a) Amadeus (b) Sabre (c) Galileo (d) Worldspan.

A global distribution system (GDS) is a network operated by a company that enables automated transactions between third parties and booking agents in order to provide travel-related services to the end consumers. A Global Distribution System or GDS can link services, rates and bookings consolidating products and services across all three travel sectors: i.e., airline reservations, hotel reservations, car rentals, and activities.

GDS is different from a computer reservations system, which is a reservation system used by the respective vendors. Primary customers of GDS are travel agents (both online and office-based) to make reservation on various reservations systems run by the vendors. GDS holds no inventory; the inventory is held on the vendor’s reservation system itself. A GDS system[1] will have real-time link to the vendor’s database. For example, when a travel agency requests a reservation on the service of a particular airline, the GDS system routes the request to the appropriate airline’s computer reservations system. This enables a travel agent with a connection to a single GDS to choose and book various flights, hotels, activities and associated services on all the vendors in the world who are part of that GDS.

END-USER RESERVATION PORTALS RUN BY GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM OR GDS COMPANIES

The table below lists the various portals run by GDS or Global Distribution System companies. A customer can view their reservations held in the GDS’s own database or using the airline’s booking system itself. If a reservation is made through a GDS, there are usually two reservation references: one is called a Global Distribution System locator code and the other the actual reservation or PNR number.

Portal Name	GDS Company	URL link	Sector
View Trip	Travelport (Galileo, & Apollo)	https://www.viewtrip.com/	Airline
My trip and more	Travelport (Worldspan)	https://mytripandmore.com/	Airline
Check My Trip	Amadeus	https://www.checkmytrip.com/	Airline
Tripcase	Sabre	http://travel.tripcase.com/	Airline

A WORLDWIDE COMPUTERIZED RESERVATION COMMUNITY USED AS A SINGLE POINT OF ENTRY FOR RESERVING AIRLINE SEATS, HOTEL ROOMS, APARTMENT CARS, AND DIFFERENT TRAVEL ASSOCIATED OBJECTS BY MEANS OF JOURNEY MARKETERS, ON-LINE RESERVATION WEBSITES, AND ENORMOUS ENTERPRISES.

The leading international distribution techniques are Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, and Worldspan. They are owned and operated as joint ventures with the aid of essential airways, auto apartment comopanies, and inn groups. Also referred to as automatic reservation process (ARS) or computerized reservation system (CRS).

GDS or global Distribution method refers back to the reservation instrument journey sellers use when making an air, lodge, auto or other journey service booking. And not most effective do GDSs vigor the content material of ‘natural’ travel agency structures, but in addition they furnish pricing, availability and reservation functionality to many online travel groups.

GDS advantages for Hotels:

•     Global publicity of your organisation.
•     B2B and B2C distribution.
•     GDS distribution is the entry door to company bookers.
•     Concentrating on all journey groups independently of the GDS (distribution platform they are going to use).
•     24/7 journey agent access to your inventory.
•     24/7 journey agent entry to your full descriptive and multimedia content.