Short answer: No, not to start. Amadeus, Travelport+ (formerly Galileo) and Sabre are global distribution systems (GDS). Agencies usually use them with their own GDS contract, and often with IATA accreditation. A new agent can sell flights through a B2B portal, which uses a normal search screen instead of GDS commands. A GDS course is still useful if you want a career in an airline or a large agency.
Many people who want to sell flight tickets start by searching for an Amadeus or Galileo course. This guide explains what these systems are, what the courses teach, who really needs one, and how a new agent can start selling flights without one. It is written for new agents and small agencies in the Gulf, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq and North Africa, but it applies anywhere.
Key takeaways
- Amadeus, Travelport+ (Galileo) and Sabre are GDSs: networks that connect airlines and other travel providers with travel agencies.
- Agencies usually need their own GDS contract to use one, and the GDS is often used together with IATA accreditation.
- A GDS course teaches commands for availability, bookings (PNRs), fare quotes and ticketing.
- A new agent can sell flights through a B2B portal with a graphical search, without a GDS contract.
- Whatever system you use, you still need to understand fare rules, PNRs, ticketing deadlines and refunds.
What is a GDS such as Amadeus or Galileo?
A GDS (global distribution system) is a large booking network that connects airlines, hotels and other travel providers with travel agencies. Amadeus, Travelport and Sabre run the best-known ones. Galileo is Travelport's older system, now called Travelport+. Agents use a GDS to check seats, build bookings, price fares and issue tickets.
A short background for each name you will see in course adverts:
- Amadeus was founded in 1987 by four European airlines to build a neutral distribution system. Today it is a technology company serving airlines, hotels and travel sellers.
- Galileo / Travelport+: Travelport renamed its Galileo system Travelport+. Many trainers and job adverts still say "Galileo". Travelport also runs the Apollo and Worldspan systems.
- Sabre is another GDS that connects airlines, hotels and other suppliers with travel agencies.
All three are used by travel agencies around the world, including in the Middle East and Africa. None of them is a website you simply log into to buy tickets: an agency needs an agreement with the GDS company (or with a partner that provides access) before it can use one.
What do Amadeus and Galileo courses teach?
A GDS course teaches you to work in the system's command screen. You learn to read flight availability, build a booking (PNR) with names and contact details, price a fare, read fare rules, and issue, void or reissue tickets. Most courses also teach airline and airport codes, time formats and the basics of fares.
A typical course covers:
- Codes: airline, airport and city codes, and how dates and times are written.
- Availability: reading which flights and booking classes have seats.
- Building a PNR: adding names, contacts, flights and the ticketing deadline.
- Fare quotes: pricing a booking and reading the fare rules.
- Ticketing: issuing the ticket and, in more advanced courses, voids, refunds and reissues.
The commands are short codes typed into a terminal-style screen. They are fast once you know them, but they take practice. Most GDSs also offer graphical screens today, but agencies and trainers still teach the commands because experienced agents use them.
Who actually needs GDS access?
GDS access is usually for agencies that issue tickets themselves: often IATA-accredited agencies, or larger agencies with their own agreement with a GDS company. They need the GDS to book across many airlines and issue tickets on their own ticket stock. A small or new agency often does not have that contract, so a GDS course alone does not let it sell tickets.
This is the point many new agents miss. Knowing Amadeus commands is a skill, but the skill is only useful where you have access to the system. If your agency has no GDS contract and no accreditation, you will need someone else to issue tickets for you anyway, such as a consolidator or a B2B portal. Our guide to non-IATA agencies and airline tickets explains how that works.
| Direct GDS (Amadeus, Travelport+, Sabre) | B2B portal | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | Agreement with the GDS company; often IATA accreditation | An approved agency account |
| How you search | Commands, or the GDS's graphical screen | A normal search screen |
| Training | Usually a GDS course and practice | Learning the portal's screens |
| Who issues the ticket | Your agency, on its own ticket stock | Usually the portal, for your booking |
| Best for | Accredited and larger agencies, airline jobs | New and small agencies, home-based agents |
When is a GDS course still worth taking?
A GDS course is worth it if you want to work in an airline sales office, an airport ticket desk or a large agency that uses a GDS every day. Many of these jobs ask for GDS experience. It is also useful if your own agency plans to get accreditation and a GDS contract later, because your staff will need the skills.
Take a course when:
- you are applying for jobs that list Amadeus, Galileo/Travelport+ or Sabre experience;
- your agency already has GDS access, or will soon;
- you want to understand bookings in depth, including how PNRs and fare rules are built.
Wait if you only want to start selling flights to friends, family and your community as soon as possible. In that case, learn the basics of fares and bookings, and start in a B2B portal.
How can a new agent sell flights without a GDS?
A new agent can sell flights through a B2B portal. You open an agency account, search flights on a normal search screen, hold seats with the passengers' names, pay from your balance and issue the ticket. The portal connects to the airlines and content sources behind the screen, and for agencies without accreditation it can issue the ticket.
A simple path for a new agent:
- Open an agency account on a B2B portal that accepts agencies like yours.
- Learn the search and booking screens: routes, dates, passenger types, baggage and fare rules.
- Make a first booking for someone you know, and follow it from hold to e-ticket. Our guide to your first flight booking walks you through it.
- Set your own price and quote clearly to customers. See how to quote flights on WhatsApp.
For a full explanation of how these platforms work, read What is a B2B travel portal?.
Which skills matter whether you use a GDS or a portal?
Whatever system you use, the same travel knowledge decides whether customers trust you. You need to read fare rules, understand a PNR and its ticketing deadline, know the difference between a hold and a ticket, and handle changes and refunds. These skills move with you from one system to another.
Learn these first:
- Fare rules: baggage, change and refund conditions. See airline fare rules explained.
- PNR and booking reference: what the booking record holds and how to read it.
- Ticketing deadlines: a hold is not a ticket, and seats can be released.
- Names: every name exactly as in the passport.
- Changes and refunds: what is possible, what it costs, and how long it takes. See flight changes and refunds on a B2B platform.
How to sell flights with QuickOTA
In the QuickOTA B2B Panel you search, hold and ticket flights for your customers. The panel uses a normal search screen rather than GDS commands. You see the fare rules and baggage for each fare before you book, and you pay for bookings from your prepaid wallet.
QuickOTA does not require IATA accreditation: QuickOTA issues the ticket for your booking. B2B Panel access is free, with no setup fee and no minimum deposit. To join, you send a partnership request; QuickOTA reviews it and then opens your panel access.
Common mistakes new agents make with GDS courses
- Paying for a course before deciding how you will sell. A course does not give you GDS access or the right to issue tickets.
- Thinking commands are the hard part. Fare rules, refunds and customer service decide your reputation.
- Assuming a certificate replaces experience. Employers usually also ask for practice on live bookings.
- Waiting to learn everything before the first sale. Start with simple bookings for people you know, and learn as you go.
- Ignoring the ticketing deadline. In any system, an unticketed booking can be cancelled.
FAQs
Do I need to learn Amadeus to sell flight tickets?
Not to start. Amadeus is a GDS used by agencies that have access to it, usually through their own agreement. A new agent can sell flights through a B2B portal with a normal search screen. Learning Amadeus is useful for jobs in airlines and large agencies.
Is Galileo still used?
Yes, under a new name. Travelport renamed Galileo to Travelport+, and many trainers and job adverts still call it Galileo. The skills taught in older Galileo courses are still the basis of the system.
What is the difference between Amadeus, Galileo and Sabre?
They are different global distribution systems run by different companies: Amadeus, Travelport (whose Galileo system is now Travelport+) and Sabre. Each has its own commands and screens, but they do the same basic job: connecting airlines and other providers with travel agencies.
Can I sell flight tickets from home without a GDS?
Yes, many home-based agents sell flights through a B2B portal instead of a GDS. You still need to follow your own country's rules for selling travel, and to understand fare rules, holds and refunds before you take customers' money.
Is a B2B portal the same as a GDS?
No. A GDS is the large network that connects airlines with agencies. A B2B portal is a platform for agencies that searches content from sources such as GDSs, consolidators and airlines, and shows it on a normal search screen. It can also issue tickets for agencies without accreditation.
Related reading
- What Is a B2B Travel Portal? A Practical Guide for Travel Agencies
- Can a Non-IATA Travel Agency Issue Airline Tickets?
- Your First Flight Booking: PNR, Hold and Ticketing Explained
- Airline Fare Rules Explained
- How to Quote Flights to Customers on WhatsApp
- How to Resell Flight Tickets as a Small Travel Agency
