How airline tickets get sold
A map of airlines, GDSs, aggregators, consolidators, OTAs and agencies.
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How travel distribution and travel planning actually work
Practical, sourced explanations for newcomers and industry readers: how airline tickets are sold, how agencies connect to airlines, and how to plan trips with fewer surprises. Every page shows when it was last checked and where the facts come from.
1 · Foundations
Travel distribution basics
Who sells airline seats, through which systems, and how the money moves.
2 · Standards
NDC and airline retailing
Offers, orders and what the new standards change for sellers.
3 · Connecting
GDS set-up and airline integration
Practical steps, requirements and the problems teams hit most often.
Planned
Setting up GDS access as an agency
Accreditation or host agency, contracts, PCCs, ticketing and training.
Planned
Connecting a full-service airline
Commercial and technical steps from agreement to go-live.
Planned
Low-cost carrier connections
Direct APIs, aggregators, ancillaries, payments and servicing.
4 · Operations
Travel technology and operations
Clearly scoped guides for the people who run ticketing and servicing.
Insight
Airline partnerships and revenue
Why an airline’s best content is a partnership decision.
Read the article →Planned
Ticketing controls that prevent ADMs
A practical checklist for operations teams.
Planned
Travel payments for agencies
BSP, cards and settlement explained.
5 · Travel journeys
Travel journeys and traveller guides
Step-by-step plans that separate general advice from rules that change.