The GDS

The Global Distribution System , commonly abbreviated to the acronym GDS, is an information system created for Travel Agencies to manage the reservation and purchase of airline tickets, hotel reservations and even hire cars and other tourist services.

Initially designed for tour operators and airline companies, the GDS were subsequently extended to encompass the entire travel industry.

There are approximately 500,000 Travel Agencies that use the GDS systems in around 150,000 different locations worldwide.
The GDS work with:

• 550 airline companies 
• 90,000 hotels 
• 30,000 car hire companies

The main players are:

SABRE
Overview	Founded in 1959 (American Airlines) Largest Marketshare – 50% (Net Revenue $2,881 Million in 2008) Owed by: Silverlake, Texas Pacific Group Additional Technology: Synxis CRS, E-Site, Bid-Stork, Airline RMS
Corporate Market	Travelocity Business, IgoUgo, Lastminute.com, Zuji
Leisure Market	GetThere.com, Travelocity

TRAVELPORT (GALILEO - WORLDSPAN)
Overview	Galileo/Apollo: Founded in 1993 (BA, KLM, UA), Worldspan: Consolidated in 1990 (Delta, Northwest & AA) Second Largest Market Share – 36% (Net Revenue $2,527 Million in 2008) Owned by: Blackstone Group, One Equity, Technology Crossover & Travelport Management
Corporate Market	Traversa, Orbitz for Business
Leisure Market	Orbitz (trip.com, ebookers, cheaptickets, hotelclub), Lodging.com, GTA

AMADEUS
Overview	Consoliated in 1987 (AF, IB, LU, SAS) – Only GDS Headquartered outside of the US (Madrid) 3rd largest market share – 14% (Net Revenue $2,861 Million in 2008) Owned by WAM Acquisition (BC Partners, Cinven, AF, IB & LH) Additional Technology: Hotel Distribution Platform (PMS/CRS/RMS), Master Pricer
Corporate Market	E-Travel Management, E-Travel Retail
Leisure Market	Opodo