What GDS queue means
Bookings do not stay still after they are made. Airlines retime flights, confirm waitlists, cancel unticketed seats and reply to service requests. Rather than emailing each change, the GDS places the affected PNR on a queue in the office that owns it.
Travelport describes its queue system as a way to manage, sort and store PNRs. Each pseudo city code has its own set of numbered queues. Some are reserved for set functions and others can be customised by the agency for internal use.
Travelport's published list of pre-assigned queues shows the kind of traffic involved: queues for urgent items, seat replies, ticket review, groups advice, vendor remarks from airlines, waitlist confirmations, unable-to-confirm responses, time changes (TK and TL status) and HX cancellation notices, with queues 26 to 99 left free for office-specific use. Other GDSs organise queues differently, so numbers are not interchangeable between systems.
Queues are also how airlines push work to agencies under NDC. Travelport's Smartpoint Cloud routes NDC schedule change notifications to queue 11 and full involuntary cancellations, time limit expiry and no-shows to queue 23. Untended queues lead to missed ticketing deadlines, travellers turning up for cancelled flights and debit memos, so many agencies automate queue handling.
How GDS queue works
Queue work follows a simple cycle: something changes, a PNR is placed on a queue, and an agent or robot resolves it.
- An event occursAn airline changes a schedule, confirms a waitlist or cancels unticketed seats, or an agent sets a future reminder.
- The PNR is queuedThe GDS places the booking on the relevant numbered queue in the owning PCC, often with a category or remark explaining why.
- Agents check countsStaff or monitoring tools check how many PNRs sit in each queue and prioritise urgent ones, such as near-term departures.
- Work the recordThe agent opens the next PNR, takes action such as accepting a time change, rebooking or ticketing, and contacts the traveller if needed.
- Remove or move onThe PNR is removed from the queue or placed on another one for follow-up, and the next record is displayed.
GDS queue in practice
Travelport's documented pre-assigned queues include:
| Queue | Purpose (Travelport) |
|---|---|
| 0 | Urgent |
| 11 | Fares and NDC schedule changes |
| 16 | Vendor remarks from airlines |
| 17 | Waitlist KL (confirmed from waitlist) |
| 22 | Time changed (TK, TL status) |
| 23 | HX notification (cancelled segments) |
In practice, an agent starting a shift would first check the queue counts, then clear queue 0 and any near-term time changes before routine items such as vendor remarks. A schedule change handler can also be configured to send major time changes, cancelled flights and invalid connections to separate queues for manual review, while minor changes are accepted automatically.
Who uses it
Advantages and limitations
Advantages
- Routes every airline change back to the office that owns the booking.
- Gives agencies a single, prioritised list of bookings needing action.
- Numbered and categorised queues let teams split work by type or urgency.
- Well-suited to automation, reducing manual checking of individual PNRs.
Limitations
- Queue numbers and functions differ between GDSs, so procedures are system-specific.
- Large volumes during disruptions can overwhelm teams without automation.
- Unworked queues lead to missed deadlines, stranded travellers and penalties.
- NDC and direct bookings may notify changes through different channels than legacy queues.
Frequently asked questions about GDS queue
What is a schedule change queue?
It is the queue where the GDS places bookings affected by an airline's change to flight times, numbers or routing. The agent reviews the change, accepts it or rebooks, checks connections and tells the traveller. In Travelport, for example, queue 22 holds time changes and queue 11 receives NDC schedule changes.
What happens if travel agents do not work their queues?
Bookings that need action are missed. Unticketed seats may be cancelled at the time limit, travellers may not hear about retimed or cancelled flights, and segments with invalid status can remain in PNRs. Airlines may then raise debit memos or the agency may face costly recovery work at the airport.
Are queue numbers the same in Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport?
No. Each GDS has its own queue structure, numbering and categories, and agencies can also customise some queues. A queue number that means schedule changes in one system may mean something else in another, so procedures and automation must be set up separately for each GDS.
Can queue handling be automated?
Yes. GDSs and third-party tools offer queue automation that reads each PNR, applies rules and acts. Travelport's schedule change handler, for instance, can accept minor time changes while sending major changes, cancellations and invalid connections to separate queues for an agent to review manually.
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