How much do you know about the global distribution system (GDS) that is used by your E-Gov Travel System? Maybe your E-Gov System uses Sabre, Galileo/Apollo, Worldspan or Amadeus. Currently, these are the four major GDS systems. My agency chose an E-Gov Travel System that uses the GDS, Sabre.
The GDS houses the necessary information that will allow travel agents to book and sell airline tickets, book hotel rooms, make rental car reservations, and reserve rail reservations and more. The first GDS, Sabre, was created by the airlines in the 1960s. Sabre has been around a lot longer than its competitors; Amadeus was created in 1987, Worldspan in 1990 and Galileo/Apollo in 1993.
These complex systems have numerous capabilities. Besides what was previously mentioned, the GDS can even allow a traveler to select a particular seat on an aircraft. The GDS will also allow a traveler to enter their frequent flyer number, so that the traveler can receive rewards for flying with a particular airline.
Sabre also provides a website that gives the travelers the latest information concerning their reservations. This site is very helpful to my agency as some of our travelers neglect to electronically attach their invoice/itinerary to his/her voucher. We can easily go to the Sabre’s Virtually There website, print a copy of the traveler’s invoice, and attach it to their voucher.
Federal Government travelers must use their E-Gov Travel System or book the traditional way by calling their travel management center (TMC). Even though Federal Government travelers are not allowed to use a commercial used on-line booking engine, Sabre owns Travelocity.com, which is the leading on-line travel website.
No matter which GDS is used in connection with your agency’s E-Gov Travel System, one factor to keep in mind is that not all airlines participate in a GDS. Currently the following airlines do not participate:
- AFRIC AIR CHARTER
- ALASKA MARINE HIGHWAY
- AIRTRAN AIRWAYS
- AIR NORTH
- BERING AIR INC
- BIG SKY
- CANADIAN NORTH/AIR NORTERRA INC.
- CAPE AIR
- EXPRESS JET
- FRONTIER FLYING SERVICE
- FRONTIER FLYING
- FORTY MILE AIR
- FJORD FLYING SERVICE
- FS AIR SERVICE / TRANS AIR BENIN
- GREAT LAKES
- HAGLAND AIRLINES
- HOMER AIR
- ISLAND AIR
- JET BLUE
- KENMORE AIR HARBOUR INC.
- LAB FLYING SERVICE
- LARRY’S FLYING SERVICE
- OLYMPIC AIRLINES
- PACIFIC COAST AIRLINES
- PAN AM CLIPPER CONNECT/BOSTON MAINE AIRWAYS
- PENAIR/PENISULA AIR
- PROMECH
- SOUTHWEST
- SPERNAK AIR
- SPIRIT AIRLINES
- VIRGIN AMERICA
- WARBELOWS AIR VENTURES
- WINGS OF ALASKA
- WRIGHT AIR SERVICE
by Pam Morton
The contents of this message are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the Government or my agency.