In today's competitive travel industry, travel agents need efficient, versatile, and comprehensive tools to manage bookings and offer the best possible service to their clients. One such tool is easyGDS, a SaaS-based travel booking platform that integrates seamlessly with Travelport, one of the leading Global Distribution Systems (GDS) in the world. By connecting to Travelport, easyGDS provides a robust B2B and B2C flight booking engine that empowers travel agents to access global travel inventories, automate their operations, and offer tailored solutions to both sub-agents and direct customers.
In this post, we'll explore how easyGDS connects to Travelport and how this integration creates a powerful flight booking engine for travel agents around the world.
What is easyGDS?
easyGDS is an all-in-one travel booking platform designed specifically for travel agents, tour operators, and online travel agencies (OTAs). The platform offers seamless integration with multiple GDSs, including Travelport, giving agents access to a wide range of travel services, including flights, hotels, car rentals, and tours. With easyGDS, travel agents can manage bookings more effectively, set dynamic pricing strategies, and offer both B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) services.
What makes easyGDS stand out is its flexibility. The platform is designed to cater to both large-scale agencies with multiple sub-agents and smaller agencies that need a simple, efficient booking engine. The B2B module enables agents to manage sub-agents and their bookings, while the B2C interface allows direct customers to book flights easily.
What is Travelport GDS?
Travelport is one of the largest Global Distribution Systems in the travel industry, connecting travel agents to a vast network of airlines, hotel chains, car rental companies, and other travel service providers. Travelport operates three core GDS platforms: Apollo, Galileo, and Worldspan, which collectively provide access to comprehensive travel inventories worldwide.
By leveraging the Travelport GDS, travel agents can:
- Access real-time flight availability and pricing from hundreds of airlines.
- Book hotels, car rentals, and other travel services globally.
- Offer their clients a wide range of travel options, ensuring they get the best deals.
- Manage post-booking operations such as ticketing, cancellations, and changes.
With easyGDS connecting to Travelport, travel agents can take full advantage of these capabilities, creating a powerful flight booking engine that streamlines their operations and enhances customer satisfaction.
How easyGDS Integrates with Travelport
The integration of Travelport GDS into the easyGDS platform offers travel agents a seamless, feature-rich environment to manage their flight bookings. Here’s how this integration works and why it’s beneficial for travel agents:
- Real-Time Access to Travelport Inventory
- easyGDS connects directly to Travelport, offering travel agents real-time access to an extensive inventory of flights from hundreds of airlines. This allows agents to instantly check availability, fare classes, seat maps, and airline rules for each flight.
- Agents can search for flights based on specific criteria, such as departure time, preferred airlines, fare class, or customer loyalty programs, ensuring that they provide the best options to their clients.
- Streamlined Booking Process
- With easyGDS, travel agents can complete the entire booking process within the platform. After selecting a flight, the system processes the booking through Travelport, issuing tickets and confirming bookings in real time.
- The platform also supports booking additional services such as seat selection, baggage, and special meals, making it a complete solution for travel agents offering a full range of services.
- Customizable Mark-Ups and Dynamic Pricing
- One of the key features of easyGDS is its ability to allow agents to apply custom mark-ups on flight bookings. Whether agents are serving B2B clients (sub-agents) or B2C customers, they have full control over their pricing strategies.
- With easyGDS, agents can apply dynamic mark-ups based on factors like specific airlines, routes, or customer segments, maximizing profitability while remaining competitive.
- B2B Module for Sub-Agent Management
- For travel agencies that work with sub-agents, easyGDS offers a robust B2B module. This feature allows agents to manage their sub-agent accounts, set commission structures, and track bookings made by sub-agents.
- Sub-agents can log into easyGDS, access flight options through Travelport, and complete bookings using the custom mark-ups set by the master agent. This creates a smooth workflow for agencies managing multiple sub-agents or franchises.
- B2C Flight Booking Engine
- In addition to its B2B capabilities, easyGDS provides a fully customizable B2C flight booking engine. This allows travel agents to offer a seamless booking experience to their direct customers.
- The B2C engine is mobile-responsive, enabling customers to search for flights, compare fares, and complete bookings from any device, whether desktop, tablet, or smartphone. Agents can customize the interface with their own branding, providing a cohesive and professional booking experience.
- Dynamic Packaging for Travel Services
- While easyGDS excels at flight bookings, it also integrates other travel services such as hotels, car rentals, and tours, allowing agents to create dynamic packages. This feature enables agents to bundle flights with additional services, offering clients a comprehensive travel experience.
- By bundling services, travel agents can provide more personalized packages, which is especially valuable for agencies that offer complete travel solutions to their clients.
- Advanced Reporting and Analytics
- easyGDS provides detailed reporting tools that allow agents to track bookings, monitor sales performance, and analyze customer preferences. The platform’s analytics help agents optimize their pricing strategies and improve their service offerings.
- Agents can generate reports on sales, commissions, bookings by supplier, and more, helping them make data-driven decisions that increase their profitability and customer satisfaction.
- Post-Booking Support
- After a flight is booked, travel agents can manage changes, cancellations, and refunds directly through the easyGDS platform. The integration with Travelport ensures that all post-booking operations are handled smoothly and efficiently.
- easyGDS also provides customer support for agents, ensuring that any technical or operational issues are resolved quickly.
The Benefits of Using easyGDS with Travelport GDS for Flight Bookings
The integration of Travelport into easyGDS offers several key benefits for travel agents, allowing them to operate more efficiently while enhancing the quality of their services:
- Global Flight Inventory: Access flights from a vast network of airlines, ensuring your clients have the best travel options at competitive prices.
- Efficient Operations: Automate the booking process and eliminate manual tasks, reducing the risk of errors and saving time.
- B2B and B2C Flexibility: Serve both sub-agents and direct consumers with a customizable platform that meets the needs of different business models.
- Increased Profitability: Maximize your revenue through dynamic pricing and customizable mark-ups, ensuring your agency remains competitive while increasing margins.
- Complete Mobility: Provide customers with a mobile-friendly booking engine, allowing them to book flights on any device.
Conclusion
In a fast-paced industry where efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction are essential, easyGDS offers a comprehensive solution for travel agents. By integrating with Travelport, the platform provides real-time access to global flight inventories, streamlines the booking process, and offers full flexibility for both B2B and B2C operations.
Whether you are managing sub-agents, working directly with consumers, or handling complex corporate travel, easyGDS delivers the tools you need to succeed. With features like dynamic pricing, customizable packaging, and real-time reporting, easyGDS is the ultimate flight booking engine for travel agents around the world.
Ready to experience the power of easyGDS and Travelport integration? Start your free trial today and see how easyGDS can transform your travel agency operations and help you grow your business.
