Global Distribution Systems Support Travel Agent Community

The travel industry is a sprawling, but well-oiled machine that allows for greater access, at even more affordable rates, than ever before. Over 2.7 million people travel by air on a daily basis — it’s thanks to the tireless efforts of the travel technology industry, which powers travel advisors, OTAs and the entire travel marketplace.

February 3rd and 4th marks the American Society of Travel Advisors’ (ASTA) Legislative Day, drawing travel advisors to Capitol Hill to have their voice heard. At Travel Tech, we support our travel industry partners’ mission and global work to advance the travel marketplace, and we support consumers’ ability to shop for travel via travel agents, both online and in their communities. As ASTA educates members of Congress on travel industry issues, Travel Tech stands with ASTA in support of a more competitive, transparent and efficient travel marketplace.

It wasn’t too long ago that the process of booking a flight was complicated, slow and an overall tedious process for travelers and travel agents alike. Needless to say, if a person needed to change their travel itinerary—either by choice or because of a cancelled flight—rebooking was drawn out and painful. A traveler or travel advisor would sit on hold for hours with an airline that had little technology available to coordinate new plans. Luckily, today we have the benefit of new and innovative travel technology that makes both consumers’ and travel agents’ experiences simpler and faster.

As the little-known but highly essential technology backbone of the travel industry, GDS companies such as Sabre, Amadeus and Travelport play a central role in facilitating the technology used by travel advisors and agents. Our GDS members collectively help board almost 2.5 billion passengers every year and partner with almost 1.5 million hotel properties, creating a travel marketplace accessible to all. By providing the technology that travel agents want and need, travel advisors have seen a resurgence in travel and comparison shopping in recent years. Consumers want to know all of their options when shopping for travel and travel advisors and agents provide just that, all thanks to the GDS systems making it all possible.

GDS companies revolutionized what once was a labor-intensive and lengthy system to book transportation, accommodations and more; today, travel advisors and agents now have unmatched IT solutions and tools enabling advisors and agents to search for, compare and book travel for their clients. Ultimately, this maximizes the value proposition for travel agents through better customer service, more competitive pricing and greater efficiencies to better manage travel and serve their customers.

The travel industry touches virtually the entire world and supports nearly ten percent of American jobs. As the industry organization representing innovators in the global travel marketplace for the benefit of consumers, Travel Tech is proud of how our GDS members support the travel advisor community.

Travel agents and advisors are an essential component to the travel ecosystem, and GDSs provide the technology they need to make travel advisors more successful and to afford them the ability to better serve their clients.