How GDS is used by a Travel Agent?

by Ranjan Kumar Jha Digital Marketing Analyst

The way people used to travel is changing every day. To cope up the needs of today’s travellers, travel agencies are coming up with GDS Integration Solution. GDS or Global Distribution System is a prime tool for the travel industry. It generates an automated transaction between Travel Service Providers and Agencies. Travel agencies find it more authenticate to impart travel related services. Be it services, products or rates, GDS proffers a secure bridge between both agencies and end customers.

Magnetronic Reservisor is an electronic reservation system. When it was first introduced in 1952, it used temporary storage based on a magnetic drum. Later on, it became capable of correcting inventory in real time. Now GDS runs independently. Travel agencies and airlines use it to access client’s data for making reservations. If you are thinking GDS holds inventory, then you are wrong. GDS is a vendor’s reservation system which saves real-time link to the vendor’s database.

Meanwhile, when a travel agent seeks for airline services, GDS routes your request to that particular airline’s reservation system. With the help of GDS integration, booking flights, hotels and other services will be possible through the same route. But these services need to be a part of that GDS network. Nowadays both online and offline travel agents use GDS.

GDS works on real time inventory. It helps travel agents to check rate change, price change and special offers on real time only. And due to that agents can inform about the changes directly to their customers without any difficulty. Investing in GDS is a better idea. It does not cost you any extra expense in your marketing budget. With the help of USP of GDS, you can help your guests to get hotels, cars and flights on lower fares.

Travel Portal Solution is selling this GDS API Integration to travel agents so that they can adopt the facility of direct selling. But it is feared that multiple flight comparison websites may eliminate the need of GDS for both travel agents and end-customers. But till then it is one of the distinctive ways to evolve and scale up your business.