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A GDS Primer: What is the GDS and Which Travel Agents Need It?

In short, the Global Distribution System (GDS) is a travel agent’s motherboard for booking airline tickets and other sorts of travel goodies (like hotel and car). So it might seem pretty odd for me to show up here and say that many travel agents don’t necessarily need it.

That’s right. If you are a leisure travel agent, there’s a huge whopping huge chance that you don’t need to use a GDS. If you want to become a corporate travel agent though? That's a whole different story. Much more on this later, but before we get there . . . a brief history of the GDS! 1

Before the Dawn of the GDS

It can be easy to confuse the GDS with a Central Reservation System or Computerized Reservation System (CRS). CRSs are automated inventory-tracking systems that were (originally) owned and run by individual vendors (like airlines, car companies and hotels).

American Airlines created the first CRS system in 1946. And while this helped automate inventory for vendors, travel agents did not have direct access to that inventory. Travel agents would need to call the airline’s booking center, who would then contact one of their CRS operators, then relay the results to the travel agent over the phone (literally, like playing telephone). It took a lot of people power to book a single airline ticket. Travelers booking their own ticket? Forget about it! 

Thanks to IBM, these CRS systems became progressively more sophisticated throughout the late 50s to the 70s. Simultaneously, travel agents became progressively more annoyed by all the hoops they had to jump through to book a ticket—they wanted it to be more automated on their end too.

Nowadays, GDSs function as an umbrella for many many CRS systems. It’s like a CRS motherboard. (In fact, many vendors outsource their CRS systems to a GDS.)

The GDS Today

The GDS started out as a distribution channel for many airline carriers and later expanded to carry inventory of hotels and car rentals. But for the purpose of our article, we’re focusing on the airline component of the GDS.

There are many GDS options, and each GDS system will has access to their own pool of carriers, many of which are overlapping. The three GDSs are:

• Travelport (which is the parent company of Apollo/Galileo and Worldspan).

Literally hundreds of airlines can be logged into a single GDS system, to which thousands upon thousands of travel agents globally have access. That’s the win win situation of the GDS . . . travel agents have access to zillions of different airline fares, and many airlines’ inventory is accessible to the zillions of travel agents who are booking flights for their many many clients.

The advantage for airlines is that they are spared some of the legwork of trying to market to individual consumers—and their product is in the hands of thousands of consumers through the collective pool of agents that book through the GDS.

The advantage to travel agents is that the GDS not only can show you many fares from multiple airlines, but it also offers a great depth of information about each flight in one place. The carrier, the times, the costs, the class of the seat, aircraft type and so much more. It’s a smorgasbord of options. So if you’re booking a high volume of tickets, it’s great to have access to every minutiae of information from multiple carriers in one go.

Simple, right? Just point and click and get your tickets. Nooooooo sireeeee. That could not be further from the truth.

Green Screen and GUI: The Evolution of the GDS

In today’s world, the GDSs have a bit of a split personality. There is the old school, traditional GDS commonly called “the green screen.” Then there’s the hip side of the GDSs, which people will call “point and click” or “GUI” (Graphical User Interface). Essentially, it’s a more intuitive and prettier looking version of the GDS.

But of course, it’s not that simple. Sigh.

1. The Green Screen: There’s No Such Thing as GDS for Dummies

Most of the time, when people are talking about the GDS, they are talking about the green screen. If an ad for a travel agency job says you need to know how to use Sabre, what they mean is you have to be able to navigate the green screen side of Sabre (not just use GUI).

Let me be blunt: unless you’re some kind of prodigy, the GDS green screens are not user friendly. Be afraid, be very afraid. It’s not like supplier portals and online travel booking sites where you can rifle through your choices, do a price comparison, and click on what you want. Voila. (Watch some videos and read up on what travel agents do and how they do it .)

Using a GDS is a technical skill (think computer coding), and to use it really well is an art. Having experimented with it a few times myself, I have serious respect for travel agents who are fluent in the language of a GDS.

Take a listen (or read the transcript) to our podcast with Karen Hurlbut, of Hurlbut Travel , as she describes working within the GDS and shares what she uses the GDS for, and what she books with consolidators. The answer may surprise you! 

To learn the GDS green screen takes intense training, and to become proficient takes tons of practice and constant use. That means daily use with a mentor (for at least 6 months to a year), not just booking a ticket for a client every few weeks. Even then, you still gotta keep using it on a regular basis to remain a GDS speed demon (think of being fluent in a language).

Here's another great listen (or read the transcript) with Lary Neron of Airfare Consultant . He did price management at WestJet and then left to start his own agency. His knowledge of how the GDS works and tips and tricks to booking is something every travel agent should listen to.

This, my friends, is why host agencies and travel agencies aren’t jumping up and down to teach you the GDS (if they even offer it). It’s hard. Here’s what a booking in an Amadeus green screen looks like:

Are you still awake? Whoa, right?! (FYI: An experienced GDS user will be able to do that at about 10,000x the speed in the video.)

2. GUI: A Brighter Future for the GDS?

The GUI is the point-and-click version of the GDS. You may have heard of options such as Sabre Red 360 and TravelPort+ . So why doesn’t everyone use it? Here’s the problem: At its current stage of development, even GUI users need to understand the language of the green screen. As Ann Waters, president of the $40M Conference & Travel agency and Apollo user said,

“It’s not inputting the information new agents have problems with, it’s interpreting what the GDS is sending back to the agent.”

—Ann Waters, President of Travel Leaders-Conference and Travel

Essentially, the GUI interface isn’t quite there yet . . . and developing this technology is reeeeeally expensive and comes with a lot of growing pain. Sure it’s got perks (like being easier on the eyes and allowing agents to book airline ancillaries) but here’s what happens: You type in that you want a ticket from JFK to LAX on [enter date] and click search. You think, “That was so easy, just like searching online. So intuitive! I’m definitely a natural at this.”

That is, until it spits back at you the cryptic type and command lines you see on the green screen GDS. What in the world?!? Yup. That’s the problem. While new agents can partially navigate the GDS with the GUI interface, the code that comes back still has important information like fare types and rules that the agents really needs to understand. So many agents, in the end, need to learn the green screen (and find it faster) regardless.

If they don’t know exactly what they’re doing . . .

Risks of Booking with the GDS

To book in the GDS, you must have an IATA/IATAN accreditation number , in addition to an ARC accreditation number if you’re located in the United States.

As a new agent, you can’t get these accreditation numbers because they require a lot of experience. So you come into the industry under a host agency ( more on what a host agency is and a list of host agencies ) and use their accreditation number instead.

And heck, your new host agency has a GDS! They’ll just give you that login information along with your Disney log in, right? Wrong. No freakin’ way. Because of the complexity of booking air tickets (or anything) with the GDS, there’s a huge margin for error. And these errors can cost a pretty penny. And this is to say nothing of fraud , which is another can of worms in the GDS world.

Enter travel agency debit memos . In short, debit memos are fines to travel agencies for making a mistake when booking with the GDS. Yes, even an itty bitty innocent mistake or typo. It may not seem like a biggie when you have one or two, but when you sell hundreds of tickets, these fines risk start adding up right quick. In 2015, there was a total of $530-capital-M-million-dollars issued to ticketing agencies.

This is why a host agency cannot afford to let a new agent use the GDS without rigorous training. It’s just too risky. At the end of the day, since the ARC accreditation number is assigned to the host, they will be the ones responsible to pay the big bucks to the carrier or carriers that issue the debit memos.

And the risk doesn’t even end there. When a host or travel agency uses the GDS, they must negotiate long, complicated and specialized contracts with their GDS provider. Somewhere in this contract, the agency commits to selling a certain amount of air segments. And if you miss your goals? Expect there to be financial penalties.

So even if you do have mad GDS skills, you may be better off going with a host agency's accreditation.

Do I Need the GDS?

The GDS does have a time and place! Here’s a few reasons why an agent might want/need to use the GDS:

• Corporate Travel Advisors: Corporate travel agents book a whole lot of air, so the GDS is pretty much a must for them. This can either be a travel agent who books on behalf of corporate clients, or an appointed individual at a corporation who has the capacity to book air for all their employees.
• Agents Booking Complex Itineraries: If your specialty is around the world tickets or you have a steady stream of clients with multi-stop air itineraries, the GDS will be a necessity. 
• High Volume Booking of Air-Only Travel: I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what other travel agents other than corporate agents book reeeally high volumes of air. It might be an advisor who focuses on booking air to a specific international destination. Who knows! But if that’s you, let me know what your niche is!!

If you fall into one of these categories, check out this article on how to become a corporate travel agent . Even if you don't want to sell corporate, it offers strategies to learn the GDS system. Essentially if you’re not booking airline tickets multiple times each working day and you were never trained in the GDS, you probably don’t need to use it. This includes most Leisure Agents.

One of the reasons that most leisure agents don’t need the GDS is because the air will be included in a vacation package by the tour operator, or you can book it with the cruise line and you don’t need to use the GDS.

If you’re only booking a few flights here and there, there are ways to nab tickets for your clients without having to labor through the GDS.

Booking Air Without the GDS

If the GDS doesn’t seem practical for your agency, and you have a client who wants an air-only reservation that’s not already included in a package you’re selling, here’s a few strategies:

• Use an Airline Consolidator: When you become a travel agent you will have access to airline consolidators. A consolidator is a wholesaler of international airfares that works with travel agencies (not the general public). You can either book net fares, published fares (the rate available to the general public), or commissionable fares. This article is a great resource that will provide more detailed information regarding the types of airline fares .
• Book air directly through the airline's site and charge a service fee: Just remember to compensate yourself for your time . . . especially if the client is, errr, particular. Charging a service fee is one way to offset the cost of your valuable time .
• Ask clients to book their own air-only reservations: If it’s not worth your time, it’s not worth your time. 
• Use your host’s or consortium's online booking tools : Your host may have an online booking engine for air. Revelex is one example of these tools . . . they are user-friendly booking engines that are linked to the host’s GDS (so agents get the advantage of a host’s airline contracts in the GDS without having to learn the process). 
• Ticketing Desk: Some hosts have a ticketing desk service that can book flights on behalf of agents (see image below on how to find out if a host has a ticketing desk) . Usually there are applicable fees and certain service hours, so you'll want to ask about that. If your client is flying international, first or business class, always look into a ticketing desk at your host agency or a consolidator first to see if there are any commissions (rather than booking it on your own).

But . . . I’m Losing out on Airline Commissions! (No, you’re probably not)

Yes, airlines do have commissions. No, they are not as common as you think.

The simplest way to say this: If you’re booking domestic non-premium seats, forget about commissions. If you’re booking international air, especially first and business class, commissions are a possibility. A possibility. Not a certainty.

I won’t go into things here, but you can read more on travel agent commissions here (airlines and otherwise). But at the end of the day, for most leisure agents, it’s frankly not worth their time to learn the GDS.

In Closing/ Major Thank Yous

The GDS is no walk in the park! Do you use it? Do you wish you could? Are there other places where you book air-only reservations with your consortia or host agency? Please let us know in the comments (literally, we’re begging you)!!

Last but not least, thank you to Marc Casto, CEO and President of MVC Solutions, Ann Waters, President of Travel Leaders—Corporate and Events, Sandy Armstead and Christy Young, corporate agents at Safe Harbors Business Travel, a branch of Tzell Travel Group, and Jason Block, CEO & Managing Partner of WorldVia, a division of Tzell Travel Group. We would have floundered without their willingness to share their agencies' GDS experiences with us!

• Sources Travel Weekly , Wikipedia ,   ↩

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• Configure credit limit and deposits
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Apollo Software - Generate More Bookings With Travelopro Apollo Software

Travelopro is an award winning travel technology company , delivering b2b / b2c travel software, travel crm, accounting software, car rental software and mobility solutions to global travel & hospitality companies..

What Is Apollo Software ?

Travelopro is a leading travel technology company which provides integration of Apollo software which is specialized in providing the travel distributions, technologies, and services for thousands of travel companies around the globe which includes travel agencies, corporates, travel suppliers and travel web sites.

We are building travel applications by integrating the Apollo GDS with feature-rich tools and software to manage all your bookings.

Our system provides users with all the schedules, availability, fares, policies and rules, as well as our reservation and ticketing capability for travel suppliers. We offer Apollo GDS system which is integrated with Apollo GDS for real-time inventory and booking.

It is easy to use and navigate. As a dominant global distribution system (GDS), Our Apollo software provides travel distribution, technologies, and services for thousands of travel companies around the globe, including travel agencies, corporations, travel suppliers and travel Web sites.

With the advancement of the internet, many suppliers such as tour and package companies offer their own web-based booking engines.

The main difference between the CRS and the web-based booking engines are the techniques in utilizing the systems. The Computer Reservation Systems are completely keyboard-driven and you must learn the formats in order to operate it efficiently. The web-based booking engines are operated in the point and click environment.

The current trend in travel agencies about computerization is the use of the Computer Reservation Systems (CRS) also called the Global Distribution Systems (GDS).

Our Apollo software is one such GDS that is widely used by travel companies all around the world for your travel bookings. Whether you want to book airline tickets or do hotel bookings, Apollo software will do that for you.

You can store and retrieve information’s and conduct transactions related to air travel, hotels, car rental or other tasks.

If you have a travel company and are looking for companies that can develop Apollo software for your business then Travelopro is the best solution you are looking for. Apollo GDS software providers started selling the inventories through the mode of XMLs /APIs.

Using the airline XML, Hotel XML, and Car XML – travel companies could connect to GDS systems to check online availability and do the bookings.

It also helped the travel agents to combine the XMLs (GDS system) on their own website in the form of API’s to get the airline booking system /hotel booking system usable for the B2C users.

How To Get Apollo Software ?

Integrating Apollo software allows the recondition of inventory information (availability/pricing) automatically. All the agents and B2C users get the same seamless data.

As the travel industry is changing to the online mode from the offline mode, travel agents have started asking for white label software / white label solution from the hotel suppliers and Apollo software system providers to sell the hotels and airline/ flight tickets with their own brands, logo and contact data.

All the customers, clients and corporates across the globe can view and book a hotel, flight, tours, and transfers on 24 X 7 basis. Our Apollo software is extensively used to widen the market reach. A single global distribution system is connected through many B2B, B2C, B2E, and B2B2C websites .

Apollo software is an online integrated project and contact management software. Our Apollo software allows users to prioritize tasks, organize projects, and keep the team on the same page with only a browser and an Internet connection.

Our Apollo GDS is a project based on cloud and communication management solution which is developed by Applicom that helps clients manage personal and professional plans by reminding them of appointments and deadlines.

It links up the management of personal tasks, calendars, contacts, and projects. Key features which are included are whiteboards, milestones, iCal integration, interactive timers, interactive calendars, cases, and deals. Users can divide a task into subtasks with a priority status, due date, and attachments.

They can also set up task dependencies that disallow the user to start or complete a task until precursor dependency is met.

Our Apollo software provides a separate profile for each contact that covers conversation history, dates, and tasks assigned and contact data.

Users can notify projects through the solution’s favorites menu and arrange projects in different sections to help organize workflow.

Our Apollo software provides backup data of all the project files. The solution caters to businesses of multiple sizes. Pricing is per month. Support is offered via knowledge base and email.  It is easy to use and navigate.

With a rich set of tools and many other features and improvements being developed day after day, thousands of people all over the world are using the software to manage their everyday tasks.  Some features, benefits, product strengths of Apollo GDS is as follows:

Tasks, Milestones, and Project Management

Apollo software is a web-based application with a desktop feel. Our Apollo software gives relevant task information at a glance, but which is also immediately editable. Users can set the status of their task and let the rest of the team know what they are busy with. They can prioritize visibly their tasks and set deadlines.

It can also assign multiple persons and subdivide tasks into smaller subtasks three nested levels deep. It also has recurring tasks, notifications, grouping and sorting, and many more.

It also has a milestone view that shows when is the next deadline, a status progress bar which shows current status, and quick links to related tasks and messages. Users can easily make a project, set optional due dates, and give access to the team or clients. Other features include starting favorite projects, categorizing, using Gantt charts, project merge, and more. 

Messaging, Contacts and Image Proofing

The integrated productivity software which has contact management tools that can enable users to create and organize their own contacts. Each contact has its own page with its own contact details, conversation history, co-worker notes, important dates, events, and next tasks assigned.

They can track conversations, set reminders, browse, search, tag, and see what the latest activity on each contact is. It has a very simplified data entry, import and export functions, and archive email sent to the contacts.

Messages have more features than regular emails that can have comments and file attachments but can also be sent as an email. Image proofing tool allows its users to annotate images and PDFs with familiar tools. Annotations are also linked to discussions who can reply for a consensus.

Time Tracking, Billing, File Management, write board, and more

Apollo software also has interactive and smart timers for time tracking. All users can configure if a project is usable or not. It has got a file management tool which allows for easy uploading and categorizing.

It has got thumbnails and quick preview for images and PDFs, approvals, and integration with cloud storage. Whiteboards allow users to create documents online and keep revision history.

The software also comes with a calendar, email integration, user administration and permission, Zapier integration, webhooks, CSV data interchange, and restful API. 

Travelopro offers fully-automated inventory distribution and travel management solution for travel agencies. We are specialized in B2B and B2C travel solutions for Web and Mobile platforms with advanced API integrations from leading GDS or OTAs providers around the world.

We have built a wide range of proven, ready-to-deploy solutions that fit most business models, helping you to minimize the overall development time and get your products out into the global market place.

We focus on developing products that are intuitive and reliable, and continuously improve their effectiveness and efficiency. The GDS travel system integration platform for Travelopro acts as the centric point for travel providers travel agencies, corporate and developers to get connected.

This acts as the medium for increasing profitability and helping the online booking system and other sources to achieve commercial success in the B2B (business-to-business) travel network.

Travelopro offers Global Distribution System which is centralized. We provide the GDS Software connectivity for a simple low commission on successful booking only. You will be able to save money each and every month, as well as directly impact your GDS revenue.

Our Integration Service will help your travel company book thousands of airlines, hotel room a holiday online. Global Distribution System (GDS) is a computerized reservation network used as a single platform of access for accommodating airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars , and other travel related things by online booking sites, large corporations and travel agents.

We offer global distribution systems are Amadeus , Galileo, Sabre, and World span. They are owned and operated as joint ventures by major airlines, car rental companies, and hotel groups also called automated reservation system (ARS) or computerized reservation system (CRS).

Specialties of GDS Integrations are huge inventory of flight, hotel, cars and buses, Best fares and commissions, Good connectivity with single interface, extended network with travel agents, Reliable for new connections, 4 Seat selection preference and other options like check-in, all round support to travel entrepreneurs, Suitable platform for B2B and B2C.

The GDS system is owned or operated by a company that permits transactions between the travel industry service providers, mainly airlines, hotels, car rental companies, and travel agencies . The GDS mainly uses real-time inventory (like the number of hotel rooms which is available, number of flight seats available, or number of cars available) to its customers.

Travel agencies traditionally relied on Apollo GDS for services, products and rates in order to provide travel-related services to the end consumers. Thus, an Apollo GDS can link services, rates and bookings consolidating products and services across all three travel sectors: i.e., airline reservations, hotel reservations, car rentals.

Primary customers of Apollo GDS are travel agents (both online and office-based) to make reservation on various reservation systems run by the vendors.

GDS has got no inventory; the inventory is held on the vendor's reservation system itself. Our Apollo GDS system will have real-time link to the vendor's database. When a travel agency wants a booking on the service provided by a particular airline company, the Apollo GDS system will send the request to the appropriate airline's computer reservations system.

The prototype of GDS in the travel sector can be seen in the 1950s as the traditional legacy business model which inter-operated between the airline vendors. Computer reservation systems (CRS), at the starting stage was used by the airline companies as an automated booking system, but later, travel agents were given access.

Around 1980, Connection to different travel providers in a single platform, CRS helps us doing that, CRS enabled travel agents to connect to different travel providers in a single system.

At this point, in addition to flights, hotels and car rentals were also included. CRS claimed much strength by late 80s being so helpful to both suppliers and distributors.

In the 90s, the airline computerized reservation systems were transformed to global distribution systems (GDS). GDS has enhanced a lot from airline alliances and has become independent business units with product internationalization and introduction of new products, mainly hotel rooms. 

Main features of GDS:

• Report availability and prices of travel products

• Reserve user requests.

• Sale and ticketing

• Track sales (change of flights, extend accommodation)

• Facilitates control management for travel agencies)

Next Generation capability was built by the GDS to permit compatible systems to input the data straight into the GDS´s. There are several such systems in place.

This means that a hotel might use an online form to enter their rates and data and this goes straight into the GDS. It substantially decreases the time to get to market and eliminates some errors when re-keying data.

GDS sold this option to vendors who it turn incorporated it into their hotel solutions. Some setup shop as GDS agents to provide this service. Next Generation offers GDS users with real-time prices and availability that is 100% identical to the information used by a hotel’s own reservation staff.

The information is available much faster and more accurate resulting in increased confidence and usability by agents. With next generation Seamless, agents are more inclined to sell more using the GDS rather than book via telephone to assure their clients the lowest rates.

Galileo inside Shopper, Worldspan Integrated Hotel Source, Sabre Direct Connect Shop, the respective GDS' Next Generation Seamless products, were implemented by 2004. The technology to update a mainframe is not trivial.

It contains robotics that interface online system with GDS mainframe computers. Mainframes are not internet savvy computers and cannot be entered directly to change and import new data. The data is sent via packets relayed on telecommunications network. The packet relay is interpreted by the mainframe.

As these mainframes are all different systems, protocols and standards were developed. Mainframes also have very specific rules on what characters are allowed.

Charters and in some cases, words act as tigers to set off process in a mainframe, so the information sent to a mainframe must be accurate and comply with their rules.

Even after years of implementation the GDS-load process was finding errors in data integrity. A simple quotation mark can trigger a failure with disastrous results.

Travelopro has utilized the rising demand of the travel industry to redefine the distribution system involving all the core elements of airlines and the ancillary products.  We are very well known for paving the path for the growing need for travel commerce which includes hotel, tour operators, and car rental.

With the vision of remodifying the travel global system integration with every passing day, we have maintained our domain expertise in the travel industry, which has helped us to remain the top GDS system integration in the travel domain all around the world.

One of the most important examples of the effort made by Travelopro to remain as the leader of global distribution system integration is the initiative taken to design the B2B payment method, which was one of its kind in the history of travel domain.

The B2B payment solution was the answer to all awaiting demands of the travel intermediaries to accomplish the travel transaction securely and safely.

What makes Travelopro dominant among the GDS providers is the efficiency with which it accomplished its additional services like advertising solutions, data services for business intelligence, services for subscription and providing analogical marketing tools for all travel agencies, travel data users and travel providers.

Galileo GDS traces its way back to 1971 when United Airlines created its first computerized central reservation system under the name Apollo. During the time in the 1980s and early 1990s, a large proportion of airline tickets were sold by travel agents.

Flights by the airline owning the reservation system had a special display on the computer monitor. Because of the high merchandise actions of the GDS systems, which is owned by American Airlines and United Airlines, respectively, Worldspan and Galileo were created by other airline groups in an attempt to get market share in the computer reservation system market, by inference, and the commercial airline market.

Galileo GDS was created during the year 1987 by 9 European countries. In response and to prevent possible government intervention, United Airlines spun off its Apollo software reservation system, which was then controlled by Covia.

Galileo International was born when Covia gained Europe's Galileo and merged it with the Apollo systems in 1992. The Apollo software GDS was used by United Airlines until March 3, 2012, when it switched to SHARES, a system used by its former Continental Airlines subsidiary.

Apollo software is still used by Galileo International travel agency customers in different countries like the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Japan.

Travelopro provides a flexible, reliable and secure software platform for our global clients to develop their own travel booking systems through our pre-integrated Apollo software GDS platforms.

Build your systems on the world’s most complete and robust fare data. We offer customized solutions for travel agencies and travel management companies with seamlessly integrated booking tools, online reservation systems, and multi-GDS services which distribute your inventory and content to the world’s global distribution systems.

We are a leading travel portal development company, offering B2B (agents), B2C (Users) & corporate travel portals with GDS and third-party APIs integration. Galileo GDS system, offered by Travelopro, is one of the most sophisticated global distribution systems used by agents, aggregators & hospitality companies.

Travel software and mobility solutions have helped global travel agencies grow much faster. It has gained the 100% adoption of the OTA model. Travel software is an online travel reservation system, which helps travel agents or end-users search, book and manages travel-related things efficiently and accurately.

In many ways, GDS helps the travel organizations, agents and their clients to access all the travel data by comparing prices, reservation options, access scheduling and inventories (airlines, hotels, car rental, and holidays) along with options of allowing the clients to book tickets online.

There are four main GDS Systems heading in the travel industry. It was revealed that the GDS is and will remain as the most important channel of distribution for airlines, hotels and car rental companies alike.

However, the Internet also allows the GDS companies, label providers and even the traditional travel agents to host websites directly which access to their connections and provide the services previously offered by offline travel agents.

For so many years, Our Apollo software has been providing the travel industry with reliability, security, speed, and accuracy to hospitality, airlines, car rentals and many more.

As per IATA study, the future of Apollo software is very huge and it will create a robust ecommerce platform for the travel industry. If Apollo software GDS keeps continuing the ever-changing needs of airlines and hotel industry then it will rule the travel industry. We offer fully-automated inventory distribution and travel management solution for travel agencies.

We are very much specialized in B2B and B2C travel solutions for Web and Mobile platforms with advanced API integrations from leading GDS or OTAs providers.

We have built a wide range of proven, ready-to-deploy solutions that fit most business models, helping you to minimize the overall development time and get your products out into the global marketplace.

We focus on developing products that are intuitive and reliable, and continuously improve their effectiveness and efficiency.

By partnering with Travelopro, you will get the best fares and content seamlessly with the option to build your own customized search options, bookings, etc. We have a group dedicated team of professionals having many years of combined experience that can help you build the travel portal of your dream. 

Get your travel business online

If there is one thing you do today, get your travel business online. everyone are talking of going online. provide yourself and your agents with their own b2b/b2c booking engine. travelopro platform consist of many components assembled to get your one stop travel software and travel technology, to automate travel business process and configured in many ways to meet your business goals. here's what you'll get (its affordable, easy and profitable)..

Destination

Fetaures of Online Reservation System:

• Fast and Flexible booking engine
• Secure, scalable and robust reservation architecture
• Fully customized booking engine
• Cost-effective solutions
• User friendly interface
• Integrated Payment Gateway
• Multi-language support

Travel Technology Platform You can trust

Powered by our Industry Leading Travel Technology – Including complete inventory and Global Fares – Travelopro gives you the highest quality travel technology solution to power your brand.

Apollo Travel Orlando

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11310 S Orange Blossom Trail

Orlando, FL 32837

South Orange Blossom Trail / OBT

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About the business.

Apollo Travel Orlando specializes in Destination Weddings, Groups, Honeymoons, All-Inclusive resorts and Cruises but can service all travel types. Our world of destinations and global network of agents and partners cover all continents and are curated to cater mainly to individuals and secondly to groups of all sizes. Our services and packages are world class and the high-quality travel experiences only exceeded the competitive rates we offer our clients. Our attention to detail, focus on quality, passion for what we do, and commitment to fulfilling our promise of an amazing journey make us exceptionally attractive to our clients and partners alike. Our work philosophy at Apollo Travel Orlando stems from our belief that life is a journey, and so is our business. We are determined to provide all our clients with amazing life-transforming journeys that are not focused on merely reaching the destination, but rather on the greatness of the experience of getting there. You only have one chance at a perfect vacation …

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Apollo Travel

We know how hard you work, that’s why we have been working hard since 1983 to give you complete peace of mind when planning the most important part of your year… your vacation. Our travel agents are highly trained and hold many certifications to better serve you. Our expertise and years of experience will give you the edge you need to book the greatest vacation ever.

We are committed to offering travel services of the highest quality. Our experience and commitment to customer satisfaction has earned us a solid reputation in the travel industry.

Our expert team of agents is certified with many travel companies, making them highly qualified to assist you with your destination weddings, honeymoons, and group travel tours. To find out how we can be of service to you, please contact us  and one of our agents will gladly assist you.

• Destination Weddings
• Group Tours
• River Cruises
• Flights and Hotels

Affiliations

We are proud to be associated and a part of many prestigious travel agency and company associations.

• International Assoc. of Travel Agent Network
• American Society of Travel Agents
• International Air Transport Association
• Cruise Lines International Association
• Brevard Wedding Association
• TravelSavers

Meet The Team

Helen Deavers

Gloria Deavers

Bruce Kahler

Edna Wesley

Ina Ferraro Cataldo

Annette Avila

Nadia Lanza

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Cash-strapped RTÉ to pay travel agency €840,000 to book corporate flights and hotels

Exclusive: The money will be paid to an agent for making arrangements and bookings, but does not cover the actual cost of flights, accommodation and other transport

• 05:00, 14 SEP 2024
• Updated 08:15, 14 SEP 2024

Cash-strapped RTÉ is set to spend up to €840,000 on travel agency services to arrange flights, accommodation and other transport requirements for staff and executives at the national broadcaster.

The money will be paid to a travel agent for arranging and booking transport and accommodation, and does not include the actual cost of flights, hotels, and other related services.

The broadcaster is currently seeking tenders for a contract to provide corporate travel services. It expects to spend €840,000 plus VAT under the contract over the next four years. Its current service provider is Club Travel.

READ MORE: Patrick Kielty says he didn't seek a rise in his €250,000 salary before second season of RTE Late Late Show

READ MORE: Cash-strapped RTE to spend nearly €2 million on 'Internet-based audience reaction panel'

The corporate travel services will predominantly involve international journeys, according to the tender documents, and prospective contractors have been asked to outline how they would manage two examples of possible trips.

One of these involves a single passenger travelling to Paris with one bag on July 1 and returning the next day. In this scenario, they want an aisle seat, and also require accommodation in a four-star hotel near Trocadero.

The other example involves a passenger travelling to Chennai, India for a week with one check-in bag or camera equipment. They also require four-star accommodation in a hotel in Kanchipurum.

A spokesman for RTÉ told the Irish Mirror that most corporate travel relates to the broadcaster’s coverage of news and sporting events overseas.

“RTÉ has a range of travel requirements relating to the delivery of public service programming and content to audiences, as well as other essential travel from time to time,” he said.

“Essential travel – flights , ferries, trains and buses, as well as accommodation, primarily outside of Ireland – predominantly relates to RTÉ’s delivery of coverage of important news events and sporting events, plus other corporate travel requirements where necessary and consistent with RTÉ’s Travel Policy.”

The spokesman added that RTÉ is contractually obliged to deliver certain coverage of news and sporting events.

The successful company will be responsible for “facilitating the booking of travel and accommodation”, and bidders are required to describe to the national broadcaster how they will ensure value for money for RTÉ.

They will also be required to give a “live demonstration” of the end-to-end process involved with their booking system. The contract is expected to be awarded to the successful company in November.

RTÉ’s unpublished annual report for 2023 shows that the broadcaster had a deficit of €9.1 million for last year, which its chairman Terence O’Rourke described as a “difficult and damaging” period for the national broadcaster. The report notes that licence fee income received by RTÉ last year was down €17.3 million on 2022.

Earlier this year, the broadcaster received a €20 million bailout from the Government in the wake of the secret payments controversy. It was also announced that it would get €725 million in public funding over the next three years.

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Barnaul – the view from above

No comments · Posted by Sergei Rzhevsky in Cities , Photos , Travel

Barnaul is a city with a population of about 632 thousand people located in the south of Western Siberia at the confluence of the Barnaulka and the Ob rivers, the administrative center of the Altai Krai .

It was founded as a settlement at the Akinfiy Demidov silver smelting plant in 1730. The blast furnace on the city’s coat of arms reminds of those times. Today, it is a large industrial, cultural, medical, and educational center of Siberia . Photos by: Slava Stepanov .

Nagorniy (Highland) Park located on a 175-meter hill.

The seven-meter sign “BARNAUL” is installed on the hillside.

From the top of the stairs leading to the top of the hill, you can enjoy beautiful views of Barnaul.

Sovetov Square – the main square of Barnaul.

Administration of the Altai Krai.

Administration of Barnaul and the City Duma.

October Square – one of the central squares and the main road junction of Barnaul.

“House with the Spire” – one of the main architectural symbols of Barnaul.

Lenin Avenue – the main street of Barnaul.

Altai Regional Drama Theater named after V.M. Shukshin.

Znamensky Church (1853-1858).

Krasnoarmeysky Avenue – one of the central streets of Barnaul.

The intersection of Lenin Avenue and Gogol Street.

Altai Regional Philharmonic.

Pedestrian Malo-Tobolskaya Street, which is called the Barnaul Arbat.

Church of John the Baptist in Nagorniy Park.

Barnaul Railway Station. On the left you can see the building of the old railway station (1914).

The railway bridge (1915) over the Ob River.

The Ob River.

New apartment buildings in the western part of Barnaul.

The 25-story residential building on Guschina Street, 150/3 – the highest building in Barnaul.

Church of the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (2009).

Youth football school of Olympic reserve named after Alexei Smertin.

Arlekino Park.

Regional Clinical Hospital – the largest health care institution in the Altai Krai.

Barnaul Thermal Power Plant #3, which provides half of the housing stock of Barnaul with heat and hot water.

Night lights of Barnaul.

Tags:  Altai krai · Barnaul city

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Enjoy charming landscapes of foothills

Get inside the cave that holds the key to man's origin, explore unique creations of nature, visit the origin of world masterpieces, altai heritage.

Overview | Itinerary | Fee | Gallery  

Level of fitness

3 meals a day, prepared by our cook. Some days we will visit local cafes. Usually for breakfast we have milk porridge /scrambled eggs/ cottage cheese/ pancakes and other snacks, for lunch – sandwiches (bread, cheese, sausages, jams, butter, vegetables and so on), for dinner – a salad and a hot meat dish. Drinks – black and green tea, instant coffee.

July-August temperature range: +15 °C to +30 °C. Rainy days are possible.

We use specially prepared 4WD cars, one of them is a legendary Russian 4WD UAZ Bukhanka (Loaf). This car was not designed for comfort, but it is able to overcome any off-road obstacle and can be repaired in every village. We have upgraded the salon and installed modern seats for our guests.

Fee: 1.255 EURO from Barnaul, Altai krai Deposit: 350 EURO per person

• Accommodations (Yurts, Hotel, guesthouses)
• All meals (3 meals a day)
• Non-alcoholic drinks
• Transport (by car)
• Entrance fees for places to visit, excursions
• All flights
• Insurance (travel, cancellation, health)
• Personal items (souvenirs and other personal things you want to buy)
• Visa for Russia (passport should be valid 6 months after the end of your trip)
• Alcoholic drinks

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Altai: breathtaking valleys & lakes

Travel style: Adventure 13 days

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There are two large regions called Altai: the Altai Republic with the administrative center in Gorno-Altaysk and the Altai Krai with its capital Barnaul. The most famous attractions are in the Altai Mountains, but you can also spend some great days in Altai Krai. Here I am telling you where to go in the Altai Krai to have a great time.

Visit Belokurikha - to walk along a terrenkur

Visit Altayskoye - to learn all about Altai herbs

Visit Basargino and experience life in a modern village

Basargino looks like it was created in some kind of computer simulation game. And there, on a little piece of land you need to arrange cozy wooden comfortable houses, a farm, a church, a cafe and a restaurant with insanely delicious meals, an apiary, lakes with fish, a chicken coop and pastures. You also should have cows, pigs, goats and sheep. And also wolves and yaks to make the visitors even more delighted.

Visit the forge in Belokurikha and forge a horseshoe for good luck 

There is not a feminine equivalent for a blacksmith, therefore I will simply introduce Anna Biletskaya as the blacksmith. Anna, armed with a heavy hammer and an anvil, is able to forge a horseshoe for a horse in 15 minutes and a decorative horseshoe for luck in only 10 minutes. Well the last one is more in demand lately. Anna opened her smithy to visitors a few years ago. This blacksmith in a skirt shows the whole process during her short master classes: first heat a piece of metal over a fire, then take a hammer and beat it well on the anvil, pull it back, then bend it and put it back into the fire. Finally, cool and clean it.

Visit "The Gold of Altai"(Zoloto Altaya) - to bath in Sanduny or to ride a horse

A hot bath filled with herbs such as hypericum, yarrow, camomile and also a rejuvenating bathtub -  these are the Russian answer to the best Asian spa with plumeria flowers. Well, the Altai version looks more brutal, but you will quickly feel the great effect. The herbs are collected and specially prepared here, in "The Gold of Altai" eco-hotel on the shore of the lake. Bathhouses are warmed up in both old Russian traditional ways: the "black" banya (a smoke goes out of bathhouse through cracks in wooden walls) and the "white" banya (a smoke goes out of the bathhouse through a pipe). The professional bath attendants will help guests adjust the right amount of steam and smack them briskly all over their bodies with special bath brooms. The largest horse farm in this district is also located in the hotel area; you should not miss the chance to ride a horse at least around the local territory.

What else to do in Altai:

• Take a walk through the pine forest near Barnaul
• Stop by the village of Srostki, where Vasily Shukshin (the soviet movie director) was born
• Spend a day at the "Biruzovaya Katun" Resort
• Take a walk along Biysk and visit the museum of the Chuysky Tract
• Relax in the "Altay Palace", check-in to the only official gaming zone in Siberia
• Go to Lake Aya

You can see the photo report about Altai Krai and Altai Mountains here .

Also read about Altai: The Princess of Ukok The most beautiful places of the Altai Mountains Looking for a snow leopard A female Blacksmith: The Mother-anvil Karakol Valley: Protected by Spirits Translation: Irina Romanova, Instagram:   @astrabella1

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