Travel technology guides. GDS, NDC, APIs and booking platforms, explained.
Straight explanations of how airline and hotel distribution actually works, written by the team that builds and runs travel booking platforms. For quick answers, see the FAQ.
Airline distribution
What is a GDS in travel?
How Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport connect agencies to airline, hotel and car inventory, and where GDS fits next to NDC.
Read the guide →What is NDC (New Distribution Capability)?
IATA's New Distribution Capability explained: offers and orders, NDC fares vs GDS fares, message flow, schema versions and how agencies access NDC content.
Read the guide →Amadeus vs Sabre vs Travelport
The three GDSs compared for agencies: origins, desktops, APIs, NDC, regional strength, contracts and a checklist for choosing.
Read the guide →What is an NDC aggregator?
How NDC aggregators connect agencies to many airlines through one API, aggregator vs GDS vs direct NDC, and 10 questions to ask.
Read the guide →Travel APIs
What is a travel API?
Flight, hotel and booking APIs explained: supplier vs aggregator APIs, the booking flow, and what to check before you integrate.
Read the guide →Amadeus Self-Service API shutdown: alternatives
Amadeus closed its Self-Service portal on 17 July 2026. What changed, who is affected, and a migration checklist.
Read the guide →Booking platforms
What is a B2B travel portal?
How sub-agent portals work: wallets, credit limits, markups, ticketing and the features a B2B portal needs.
Read the guide →How to choose travel booking software
SaaS vs source code vs travel API: a decision guide by tech capacity, budget model, customization and time to launch.
Read the guide →Umrah booking software for travel agents
Package builder, group flights, Makkah and Madinah hotels, visa workflow and sub-agent sales: what Umrah software must do.
Read the guide →